Cps Selective Enrollment Cutoff Scores 20242024 Updated Info
Updated: November 2024 – As Chicago Public Schools (CPS) finalizes admissions for the 2024-2025 academic year, parents and eighth-graders across the city are asking one critical question: What are the latest CPS Selective Enrollment cutoff scores?
Whether you are aiming for the prestige of Walter Payton College Prep, the rigor of Northside College Prep, or the innovative programs at Jones or Brooks, understanding cutoff scores is your roadmap to success. These scores determine who receives a golden ticket to Chicago’s most competitive high schools.
In this long-form guide, we will break down the updated 2024 cutoff scores, explain how the complex formula works, compare this year’s numbers to previous years, and provide actionable strategies to boost your application. cps selective enrollment cutoff scores 20242024 updated
The Tier 4 Ceiling is Rising. Look at Northside and Payton. A student in Tier 4 (wealthiest/least disadvantaged) needed an astronomical 885 or 886 to get into the top two schools. That means nearly perfect grades (4.0 weighted) and an almost flawless entrance exam score (99th percentile). For Tier 4 families, the "cutoff" is essentially a perfection requirement.
Lane Tech Remains the Most Accessible "Top Tier" School. With cutoffs ranging from 814 (Tier 1) to 852 (Tier 4), Lane Tech offers the best balance of prestige and accessibility. It is the largest selective enrollment school, allowing for slightly more forgiving cutoffs than Payton or Northside. Updated: November 2024 – As Chicago Public Schools
Brooks and Lindblom: Hidden Gems. Brooks College Prep on the South Side saw a slight increase in its Tier 4 cutoff (840), making it a viable second choice for students who miss Lane Tech. Lindblom remains a STEAM powerhouse with manageable cutoffs (820 for Tier 4).
Before diving into the numbers, you must understand the context. For the 2024 admissions cycle, CPS continued to use the NWEA MAP Growth test exclusively (no more selective enrollment elementary schools entrance exam). However, CPS changed the weighting of the 7th-grade MAP scores. As a result, 2024 cutoff scores stabilized after
Key changes affecting 2024 scores:
As a result, 2024 cutoff scores stabilized after the volatility of 2022 and 2023, but remained elevated compared to pre-2020 levels.
