Types of Schools in the CPS System

Chicago is home to a wide variety of public schools that a student can choose from as they enter high school ranging from most selective to least selective.

Selective enrollment high school programs

These schools must be applied to during a student’s first semester of eighth grade and require the student to take an entrance exam, submit their grades from seventh grade, and rank their top choices of specific schools within the city. This process as of 2021 does not require that students submit their NWEA standardized testing scores.

The students will receive a score out of 900 and their admission to their top choice schools is based on the Tier rank of their neighborhood from 1-4. Tiers are determined by the “median income, education level, home-ownership rate, single-parent family rate, rates of english-speaking, and neighborhood school performance.”
There are 11 Selective Enrollment programs in CPS: Hancock, Jones, Lane, Lindblom, King, Northside, Payton, South Shore, Westinghouse, and Whitney Young.

Choice high school programs

Choice high schools can be applied to from anywhere in the city, but are decided upon different criteria than the selective enrollment options and are theoretically less selective. These schools include: Charter, Career and Technical Education, Contract, City Wide, International Baccalaureate (IB), Neighborhood, and Service Leadership Academies

Neighborhood schools

If a student does not attend a choice or selective enrollment school then they are guaranteed a spot in the general education program of their neighborhood school without applying.
Students can include the general education program of their neighborhood high school on their application if they choose to do so while ranking their choices.

Continuing schools

These are schools or programs that serve K-8 in the same building as 9-12. A student who attends a continuing school is guaranteed a seat in those schools alongside a guaranteed seat in their neighborhood high school.

4 Black Themed Movies for Black History Month

Sabona Abdi

February 29, 2024

Image Source: Everett

As Black History Month comes to an end, we would like to celebrate African-American history and culture with four must-see movies from the past year with black lead actors. Disclaimer: Some of these movies may not be appropriate for younger audiences. Please check the rating for each movie before you watch it.

The Little Mermaid

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

IMDb: “A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.”

Notable Actors: Halle Bailey, Daveed Diggs, Noma Dumezweni

Chevalier

Chevalier (2022) - IMDb

Rotten Tomatoes: 97%

IMDb: “Based on [the] factual story of composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, the illegitimate son of an African enslaved and a French plantation owner, who rises to heights in French society as a composer before an ill-fated love affair.”

Notable Actors: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ronke Adekoluejo

American Fiction

American Fiction review: Jeffrey Wright in a career-crowning performance - Vox

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

IMDb: “A novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from Black entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of the hypocrisy and madness he claims to disdain.”

Notable Actors: Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross, Keith David, Sterling K. Brown

The Color Purple

The Color Purple' Review: Still Here - The New York Times

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

IMDb: “A woman faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.”

Notable Actors: Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey, Taraji P. Henson, Deon Cole, Jon Batiste

About the Contributor

Sabona Abdi, Web Design Director

Sabona Abdi is a junior at Northside College Prep. At school, he is a member of The Hoofbeat, Black Student Union, and the basketball team. Outside of school, he takes college-level math and computer science courses at Northeastern Illinois University. In his free time, he enjoys playing the saxophone, biking, and spending time with his friends.