CHICAGO — It might seem like the school year has just started, but for parents of students looking to snag a coveted spot in one of Chicago's selective-enrollment or magnet schools, it is time to start thinking about next year.
Applications are due by midnight Dec. 9 for Chicago Public Schools' selective-enrollment, college and career academies, International Baccalaureate elementary and high schools, military academies and magnet schools.
The selective-enrollment application process is highly competitive. More than 13,413 students applied for 3,600 seats in the 2015-16 freshman class.
Applicants are considered based on a 900-point scale that combines their previous grades, their score on annual standardized tests and the results of an admissions test in the fall.
About 30 percent of seats at selective-enrollment schools are reserved for the top scorers, while the remaining slots equally among four socio-economic tiers in the city to encourage an economically and racially diverse student body.
Students attending a school outside CPS who apply to one of these programs must take the Northwestern Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress in by the end of January.
For more information, email the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment or call 773-553-2060.
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