Chicago schools

Chicago families often apply in more than one system at once. Latin, Francis Parker and UChicago Lab are independent schools that judge a file. Northside, Payton, Whitney Young and Lane are CPS selective-enrollment high schools that use grades, a test, tiers and ranked matching through GoCPS. Loyola Academy in Wilmette runs a Jesuit process built around the HSPT. Nothing from one track carries over to another.

The public clock starts first. The 2027–28 GoCPS application opened September 9, 2026 and closes November 13, and initial high school offers come on February 12, 2027. Students outside CPS register for the high school admissions test through GoCPS, and a family can apply from outside Chicago but must live in the city to enroll. A selective-enrollment offer ends the student's other selective-enrollment waitlists.

The private schools answer later in February: Latin on February 11 for Grade 9 and Parker on February 26. Entry grades differ sharply. Latin's main doors are JK, Grade 5 and Grade 9, with only about 2–3 Grade 6 spaces. Whitney Young and Lane also have Grade 7 Academic Centers, which use a different test and timeline from Grade 9.

Getting there is its own question. CPS does not promise ordinary busing for selective-enrollment students, Lab says it runs no school bus, and Loyola's Pace trips leave soon after dismissal. The admissions calendar lines up the dates, the admissions guide explains each process, and the schools compared page sets eight schools side by side.