Basics of CPS

This is a work-in-progress about the way CPS works that will hopefully be phrased in normal-person. All information is filtered through my slightly cynical point-of-view about giant bureaucratic organizations.

I’m working on this now for the 2011/2012 application process.

Q: My child isn’t born yet, do I need to start worrying?

A: Yes and no. Ideally you will rent or purchase a home in a part of Chicago that has a good neighborhood school so you don’t have to agonize about where to send your future child. If you know you’re going to have kids, it really makes sense to research this before you buy a home.

Q: If this is all so difficult, shouldn’t I just move to the suburbs?

A: No. It will slowly make your soul wither. And the taxes are way higher.  But your suburban friends likely have a different opinion.

Q: How do I know what school my child can attend?

A: Every home is Chicago has one neighborhood elementary school and high school assigned to it. If you live within that school’s boundaries, your child is guaranteed admission at any time.  Ideally, you will pre-register before the school year starts, but you can actually walk in at any time and they will enroll your child.  That is the only school where your child has guaranteed admission (unless they have a sibling at another school and sometimes that is not even a sure bet.)

To find out your neighborhood school using your address, use this link.
http://schoollocator.cps.k12.il.us.  Note the giant disclaimer. This information can change so you should double check in as many ways possible (call the school (twice,) ask parents you see on the playground, call CPS, etc.)  This will also show you which Magnet schools you can apply to for the Proximity lottery.  When you click on the school name, you can see the boundary area.

If you get stuck or find conflicting data, try calling CPS’s demographic department at 773-553-3270.

To view a specific neighborhood school’s boundaries, look here: http://cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/findaschool.aspx
 When you get to the school’s main page, on the lower left side of the screen is a link to Attendance Boundaries.  Click on the zone map.  Zoom in to the school you want.  The colored area around that school is the neighborhood boundary.  Keep in mind that side of the street may vary (one side in one district, the other side in another district.)  I’m not sure how to determine the neighborhood boundaries for the magnet schools, other than to enter an address and see if you qualify for that school.  This map applies to neighborhood and magnet cluster schools only (not magnets, gifted, classical, or academic centers.)

Q: How do I know if my neighborhood school is good?

A: “Good” is a relative assessment. If you like data, test scores can be a decent indicator of academic success. See here: http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/Findaschool.aspx.  Keep in mind that test scores only reflect those of kids in grades 3-8. Currently in Chicago, lower-income kids test lower than higher-income kids, so a school with a heavy population of low-income 3-8th graders may look low on test scores, but the younger students in Prek-2nd grade may be a different story.   Other ways to find out about schools are on npnparents.org discussion boards and greatschools.net. Take a tour of the school. Hang out at the school playground to talk to people whose kids are enrolled. An active parent or “friends of” group can be a good sign of support and involvement.  There are likely plenty of CPS schools that have a good principal and devoted teachers that just aren’t on people’s radar yet.

Some neighborhood schools have Magnet Cluster status, but that doesn’t mean they are like the other Magnet schools that use a lottery.  Magnet Cluster means the school has a special focus like Fine Arts or Literature.  See below for more info.

Q: If my neighborhood school isn’t good (or doesn’t have strong enrollment) can I do anything about that?

A: Yes, if you’re willing to bust your ass.  It’s not as simple as calling CPS and demanding change/resources.  But one of the great changes that has happened in the past few years in CPS is that groups of neighbors have gotten together to help their neighborhood schools flourish.  This includes fundraising, getting on the Local School Council, marketing the school to help attract other families, and working with the school’s principal to offer support and resources and to let them know that a group of local parents will be holding them to high standards.  Getting involved in your neighborhood school can be a great experience – you can really create a sense of community by working together.  And there’s nothing better than having all the kids in the neighborhood go to school together.  It’s worth all the effort but takes a couple high energy yet diplomatic people who can lead the troops.

Q: What is there beyond the neighborhood school?

A: For elementary, Chicago has Magnet, Charter, Gifted, and Classical programs/schools.  (And something weird called Magnet Clusters but those don’t really count.)  For 6th and 7th grade there are Academic Centers.

Magnet – These schools admit students in part based on a lottery system and in part based on neighorhood proximity (this was new for the 2010/2011 school year.)  Students from anywhere in the city can apply for the lottery spots.   These schools tend to have higher test scores because they attract families who are willing to send their kid out of the neighborhood for more academic rigor.  The Magnet schools get a few extra resources than the neighborhood schools do (such as full day Kindergarten guaranteed.)  Some magnet schools are very difficult (impossible) to get into because so many kids apply each year.  (Note: For the selection process for Magnet schools for school year 2010/2011 CPS tried out a new way to balance students where more spots were given to in-neighborhood kids and siblings.)  See more info here: http://cps.edu/Pages/newadmissionsplan.aspx.  As of Sept 2010, we’re waiting to see if the policy will be revised for the 2011/2012 school year.  The applications will be read on 10/1/10 and for the first time, there will be on CENTRAL application that you mail to the Office of Academic Enhancement (OAE.)  You can apply to up to 20 magnet schools on that one form.  You should NOT sent applications directly to the schools any more.  This is a thing of beauty as in the past, school offices were known to be black holes at times and applications disappeared.  http://www.cpsmagnet.org/index.jsp  has the applications.

Charter – These are schools that are allowed to operate outside the normal CPS rules, even hiring non-union teachers.  I realize I have no idea how one gets their kid into a charter school or how hard it is to get in.  Have to look into that one…..

Gifted – These are schools or programs within schools that kids have to test into based on logic and reasoning abilities.  Most kids enter in Kindergarten or 1st grade and are then guaranteed a spot until 8th grade.  Classes are taught at 1-2 grade levels above the standard CPS curriculum and the kids are *theoretically* given projects and work that is more in-depth.   Testing is done by the GEAP office.

Classical – These schools are geared to kids who excel in reading and math and the classes are taught at 1-2 grade levels above the CPS curriculum.  Kids test into these program (on a GEAP test that is separate from the Gifted test.)  Kids enter in Kindergarten.  The curriculum is more classical/traditional and Latin is taught.  Some of the Classical schools go up to 6th grade only which require you to find a spot for 7th and 8th grade.

Magnet Cluster – These are neighborhood schools that have a specific focus like Art, Writing, or Math.  By having Magnet Cluster status, the school get an extra teaching position in their specialty topic and may even give that topic a bit more focus in the curriculum.  These still enroll as neighborhood schools though.  So you are guaranteed admission if you live in the boundaries and if you don’t, you have to lottery in.  I wish they’d get the word “magnet” out of the name — it’s misleading.

Other Neighborhood Schools – Some neighborhood schools have extra room to accept students.  As a school is “up-and-coming” there is often room to lottery into the school as they need to keep growing.  Typically after a few years when these schools get popular and people seek them out or move into the neighborhood they stop taking out-of-hood kids.  This is what’s happened at North side schools like Nettelhorst, Burley, Blaine, Waters, Coonley, and other.  Getting into a growing school where parents are involved is often a great way to get your foot in the door in a school with like-minded parents who want to help their local school flourish.  These schools often attend the NPN school fair as they’re more actively seeking students.  Some that come to mind on the North side now are Pierce, Jahn, Hamilton, and Prescott.  Let me know if there are others you know of outside my little sphere of knowledge.  In the past, you could butter up a principal to get into neighborhood schools (meaning show you’re really committed to helping the school) but CPS has cracked down on Principal Discretion so that’s a bit more iffy these days.  In the end, if a school has open seats and you want in after school begins, there is usually a way to make that happen.
You apply to other neighborhood schools using the mail-in application for magnet schools.

Applications for magnet/gifted/classical schools will be available Oct 1, 2010.  The application period ends (meaning applications postmarked) on Dec 17, 2010.
Applications are here under the Apply tab : http://cpsmagnet.org/

There is an annual Options for Knowledge school fair.  This year’s was on Oct 2nd at Malcolm X college.
Details here: http://www.cpsmagnet.org/apps/events/show_event.jsp?id=0&REC_ID=707342

NPN (Neighborhood Parent’s Network) also holds a big school fair each year.  This year’s will be Sat Oct 15 2011.  You must be an NPN member to attend ($40 annual membership which also give you access to their lively discsussion boards.)  Info at http://www.npnparents.org/index.asp.
As a note, there were not that many public schools exhibiting at the fair this year (2010.)  It appeared to be mainly religious/private schools, but there *were* a few of the “up-and-coming” CPS schools there.  The charter schools have their own fair run by CPS.
**As of March 2011, NPN has a great new school directory that is free to download by members. It includes details on public and private schools by area, include test scores, tuition, etc. For new parents looking for a pre-school or elementary school, I think it’s well worth the price of an NPN membership (plus the discussion boards are a great resource for nannies, sitters, hairdressers, handymen, kid-friendly restaurants, etc.)

Q: How do I know when school are giving tours or having open houses?

A: Here is a calendar that posts open house dates.  I’m assuming that it’s up to the schools to give this information to CPS, so not every school may be on here.  Also, call to double-check beforehand in case of last minute changes.  Other than that, you will need to call the schools one by one.  Some schools have a highly organized web site (usually thank to a motivated parent who is willing to keep it up-to-date.)  Many people take kids or babies on the tours, but some can be long, so be sure to bring snacks, toys, books, etc.
http://www.cpsmagnet.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=146013&id=0

Q: Is there any other way to get my child into a school?

A: One option is to pick a pre-school based on where you want to stay for elementary.  Some schools let out-of-neighborhood kids stay on so PreK can be a good way to get your foot in the door.  Some have free Pre-School For All, while others have only Tuition-Based Pre-K (such as Alcott.)

Also, principals have a few spots each year that they can use at their discretion.  If you can get to know the principal and show that you are very interested in the school (and getting involved) you may be able to secure a spot.  (Note: In 2010, principal discretion was suspended for the time being.  It may or may not still be going on, but it not officially sanctioned right now.)  Gifted/Classical schools do not select their own students (this is done through GEAP.)

Q: When do I apply to the schools?

A: For the Options schools (magnet, gifted, classical, other neighborhood schools) you apply during the Fall of the school year BEFORE your child will attend school.  For many people, this is the year your child is age 4 (their 2nd year of Prek.)  Applications are usually due the 3rd week in December (see the CPS site for the exact date.)  So yes, you are forced to think about what school your current 4-year-old might excel in when they are an 8th grader – a concept that can fry a parent’s mind.

The application process for this year is Oct 1  – Dec 17th, 2010.

Q: How many schools can I apply to?

A: In the past, there has been no limit to the number of schools to which you could apply.  This year, the magnet/neighborhood form limits you to 20 schools (we’re waiting to see if 20 is an actual limit or if you can submit 2 forms per child.)  The number of gifted/classical schools to which you could apply has traditionally been 6 total.

Q: What do I need to do to apply?

A: Starting this year (Fall 2010) there is a new applicaton procedure for the the magnet and neighborhood schools (outside your own neighborhood.)

From CPS: For magnet, magnet cluster, and open enrollment schools, complete the STANDARD application and send it to the Office of Academic Enhancement, 125 S. Clark St., 4th floor, Chicago 60603.  (This is a NEW process. Do not send the application to the school(s) to which you are applying.)  You will need only one application per child, and you may apply to up to 20 schools.
(We’re still waiting for CPS to specify whether you can submit more than one form per child.)

For the gifted/classical schools and academic centers (5th – 6th grade) you don’t send anything to each school.  You submit the test application form to the GEAP office and they (quite efficiently) handle it all.  For the first time, you can now apply online.   (If you choose to apply online, I would try to get some kind of confirmation that your application has been received.)

From CPS: For Regional Gifted Centers, Regional Gifted Centers for English-Language Learners, Classical Schools, Academic Centers, and International Gifted Program schools, you must complete a Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES) application (formerly GEAP) and follow the directions on the application. You may obtain this application throughout the application period (October 1st through December 17th) on the www.cpsoae.org website, from any SEES school, or by mail upon request from the Office of Academic Enhancement at (773) 553-2060. Only one SEES application is needed per child.  You will also be able to apply online, if you wish.

There are 2 tests your elementary child can take – Gifted and Classical that measure different skills.  When you select your top 6 schools n the form, they determine which test/s your child will take based on which schools you chose.  In theory, it’s worth selecting at least 1 of each type so your child takes both tests before Kindergarten.  Even if you don’t like the current options, who knows what CPS might open at the last minute?

Q: Can I  just apply to all the schools and tour the ones I get into?

A:  No – of course it can’t be that easy.  Some of the schools offer very limited or even NO tours after the notification dates.  So you might be offered a spot and need to make a decision in 48 hours but you can’t get a tour in that timeframe.   There is a collossal waste of human time as parents ned up touring tons of schools, only to get a spot in 1 or 2 (or none) of them.  But overall, I am a fan of touring schools if you have time.  It will help you evaluate a school on short notice and also help you assess your neighborhood school in comparison.

Q: What are the odds of my child getting into a magnet school via the lottery?

A: It depends on the school, but overall, getting into one specific school you want is pretty slim.  For instance Hawthorne had over 1000 applications for 2 Kindergarten classes (56 spots.)  Many people who get their lottery ranking don’t even get a number – just a “no.”   Naturally, the more magnet schools you apply to, the better your odds of getting into one.  Further, in the current system, there are 2 lotteries per school – one for Caucasian students and one for Minority students (Af-Am, Asian, Hispanic, Other.)  You decide how to identify you child and nobody checks on it from what I hear.  The % of spots for Caucasians is a max of 35% per class.  As a result, if your child is Caucasian, a school like Hawthorne probably has 20 spots possible for your child (10, if you take gender into account.)

Q: What are my child’s odds of getting into a Gifted/Classical school?

A: That totally depends on their test scores.  The GEAP offices ranks the kids  by test score and hands out the spots going down the list, based on the preferences you listed.  Kids who score in the 97-99% percentile (meaning they scored better than most of the kids in the country) are typically offered a spot somewhere.  Lower than that, your child may be offered spots as they open up throughout the summer or at the very begining of the school year.  For each school there are 4 ranked lists, by socio-economic Tier.

Q: Do siblings get priority in the schools?

A: In neighborhood schools, a sibling in the neighborhood gets in automatically of course.  If the older sibling is out-of-hood, the younger will *usually* be given a spot by the principal, but there is not a total guarantee. Always best to keep up with the principal to see how enrollment is looking.  They have to give priority to the neighborhood kids, so any out-of-hood kids get second priority even if they have a sibling in the school.

In magnet schools, as of 2010, younger siblings are guaranteed a spot.  Twins in the same grade do not get any preference (meaning if one Twin gets in for K, the other twin is not guaranteed a spot.)  I know, don’t get me started…. CPS may issue revised policies for the next school year, but this haven’t been announced as of Sept 2010.

In gifted/classical/academic center schools, there is NO sibling preference at all.  The younger sibling must test in, just like the older one did.  Which is simultaneously fair and inefficient as families with several smart kids may end up with them at different gifted/classical/neighborhood schools.

Q: Can I sign my child up at 2 CPS schools and decide later which one I will send them to?

A: No, you can only be registered at 1 CPS school at a time.  If Magnet school X calls to offer you a spot and you accept, you will be un-enrolled for next year at your current school.  Make sure you plan it out strategically.

Q: Is the gifted/classical testing accurate?

A: From what I’ve read, testing at the preK level can be a crapshoot, depending on your child’s mood that day.  I’ve heard that if a kid tests well, they probably really ARE very smart, but many smart kids won’t test well for a variety of reasons.  So there are many false negatives, but few false positives.   Testing before 1st grade is probably a bit more reliable since kids are less shy and less apt to be having a random meltdown the day of the test.

Q: What is on the Gifted/Classical tests?  How can they test kids so young?

A: That is one of the best-kept secrets in the city (in a city where not much is kept secret any more.)  For some reason the kids don’t talk afterwards and nobody in CPS will divulge any details.  My personal best guess is that the Gifted test is the Sanford-Binet (an IQ test,) but that is just speculation and I can’t find any samples of that test online anywhere.  I imagine that the Classical test is checking pre-reading and math skills since that is the emphasis of the curriculum.

NOTE: A local parent will be holding 2 live sessions where you can learn more about navigating CPS.  Info is here:

http://cpsobsessed.com/2010/09/17/abcs-of-cps/

121 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Kinder Mom  |  March 31, 2009 at 10:40 am

    My daughter tested into SkinnerNorth for next year – should parents be concerned about the location of the new school? We are not originally from Chicago but I read that the new location will either be at the current OGDEN location or at the old Schiller School location?

  • 2. Mom of 2  |  March 31, 2009 at 3:32 pm

    If it helps, my 4-year-old took the gifted test and told me that it was a lot of pictures and questions like “which one doesn’t belong?”

  • 3. KF  |  April 1, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    My son also tested into Skinner North. I got the call that it will be at the Schiller location. I don’t particulary like the location, as it is right across from the Cabrini-Green projects, but ultimately, it is about what goes on inside the school. The building is nothing to be desired. Kids from the projects went there, so you can imagine aesthically, it isn’t appealing. No upkeep. I hope this changes for the families of Skinner. It is a rapidly changing area, though. The projects are being demolished and townhomes are going up. You should not have anything to worry about. Skinner is a GREAT school . My son won a spot at Hawthorne, which is about 10 minutes from our house. So he will be there. The best of luck to you!

  • 4. Kinder Mom  |  April 3, 2009 at 3:19 pm

    My husband and I attended a Skinner North Open House today – many parents are very concerned about the safety issues of the neighborhood since the location is likely to be Schiller. The principal assured everyone that police presence would be increased! would feel better if police presence wasn’t necessary at all….

  • 5. SS  |  April 16, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    I wouldn’t worry about the Schiller location. I lived in that area from 2000-2005 (when it was REALLY the ‘hood) and it is a great up-and-coming area. Further, I worked as a softball coach in Cabrini…The kids there are wonderful and many of the parents are too. It’s all about your attitude. The people who live there are families with kids and some hard times…There are some rough folks there too but most of that is gone. There is also a police department (Halsted and Division) and fire department right there. All will be fine.

  • 6. andrea  |  September 21, 2009 at 10:18 am

    What would you suggest someone in my situation do?

    My daughter is in first grade in Florida, we’re thinking of moving within the next year to Chicago… would like to live in the city, but would consider the ‘burbs if it didn’t work out.

    Our 6 year old is bright and being tested for the gifted program in our local school, but not until Winter Break.

    Behind her, I have two boys… 3 year old in private pre-school (that’s the only option here) and a baby. I’d like them all in the same school eventually.

    Do we start the whole process NOW just in case? if we don’t move next fall, and she *is* accepted into a school and we say “no”, will that hurt her for the NEXT round of admissions or do we just start all over again. I would also need to prep. my 3 year old for testing as well, right?

    Any neighborhood suggestions for a young family of 5?

  • 7. cpsobsessed  |  September 22, 2009 at 11:15 pm

    Hi Andrea – give me another day or 2 and I’ll respond. I’m in the middle of a remodeling project and need a few more days until sanity returns!

  • 8. andrea  |  September 23, 2009 at 10:06 pm

    Thank you, I completely understand and do appreciate it!

    FWIW, I thought it was a PITA to work through the Florida bureaucracy… this seems like it might become a part-time job for me. Fun! (not at all)

  • 9. cpsobsessed  |  September 28, 2009 at 7:23 pm

    Andrea – I would definitely get in on the testing if you can. Would you come up here for it? Or is there a way to arrange it from a distance? There is no penalty for taking the test and turning down a spot. Tons of people do it every year – mainly because their child gets in a school that isn’t close to their home so they turn it down. Nobody in CPS keeps track.

    There isn’t anything you’d need to do to prep your 3 year old except to make them smart (ha ha.) Kids get test when they’re 4 for entry into the Kindergarten gifted classes. Most people don’t do any prep at that age, but if the child is bright it probably makes sense to push them into reading 2/3 letter words if at all possible (for the classical test.)

    Getting 3 kids into one gifted/classical school is pretty hard since they each need to test in (no sibling pref given.) That’s why it’s nice to go with the schools that have a gifted and a neighborhood program in case one of the kids has an off day when testing.

    As for neighborhoods, I’m mainly familiar with the north side and the good kid places tend to be around the “good” schools. There are now a lot so you need to decide what type of neighborhood you like combined with what conveniences you want, and availability of transportation for your work.

    Schools like Nettelhorst and Blaine (Lakeview) are close to more shops/restaurants whereas Ravenswood Manor and Old Irving park are a little more family-oriented, which is nice but you don’t get as “urban” a feel. Mainly you gotta just check them out and see what seems to fit (along with the local school.) Good luck and let me know if you have any more questions!

  • 10. andrea  |  September 29, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    Okay, make him smart… got it! ;) I’m taking notes, reading (reading and more reading) and am wittling down the neighborhoods (we’re sticking to the North side, I think…). I am grateful for your blog and opinions. Looooove mom-pinions – they’re very helpful for outsiders like me. Thank you for your help!

  • 11. Dan Z  |  September 30, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    This is incredibly helpful. Would you consider adding some information, if you know it, about how preschool slots are determined?

  • 12. amy  |  November 13, 2009 at 1:29 pm

    does anyone know anything about Audubon’s lottery? if it is difficult to get in?

  • 13. IJB  |  March 22, 2010 at 3:26 pm

    This is a comment on the testing for Kindergarten: After my daugher finished her testing she told me in detail what the testing was like. I asked her several weeks later and she told me basically the same thing. Firstly she noted there were puzzles but not real puzzles. She said there were three workbooks. One had pictures of what didn’t belong. The second book was words without pictures for her to read. The third she said had different numbers in rows. Sounds like the OLSAT to me.

  • 14. Anxious Dad  |  March 26, 2010 at 2:28 pm

    I’m happy to report that my kid got accepted to the South Loop Regional Gifted Center. The sense of relief that has overcome me makes me feel like I’m in a Calgon commercial.

  • 15. Julie  |  April 13, 2010 at 8:31 am

    Does anyone know anything about Budlong? It’s our neighborhood school and I have an almost 4 year old and I’m starting to stress about kindergarten!
    Thanks!

  • 16. Edna Navarro-Vidaurre  |  April 28, 2010 at 12:10 am

    You mentioned magnet school principals being able to get siblings in. In the past this was called principal picks. Is this practice still available? The following situation is why I ask:

    My situation is this: my son has gotten into the pk program at a pk-8 school, but I’m not happy about pulling him from his current pk cps program because the program he got into is not the same quality program that he is currently in. The problem is that I’m worried about losing our K spot if I don’t enroll him at the pk level. However he is a sibling and if we chose not to send him to the lower quality pk program, we take a chance of not getting in for K. What’s your advice?

  • 17. howie  |  May 10, 2010 at 11:40 am

    It is indeed somewhat commonly believed that, in fact, it is the CLASSICAL test that is the Stanford Binet. The scores line up perfectly with my son’s independent testing and NU, as well.

    I am not sure why the distinctions are made that the Classical school kids are not ‘truly gifted’. They, in fact, very much are just that. Most, however are so much so that they are opposed to the Linear thinking of the Gifted Test. I know my son was. He is one of the ‘few that spoke’, lol! And speak he did, about how the ‘tester guy’ was a ‘doofus’ because he showed him pictures of cat, dog, bone and asked which two pictures went together. Ds said ‘cat and dog’. The ‘correct’ answer was ‘dog and bone’. My son apparently argued with ‘tester guy’ (lol, HIS words, at age 4!) that dogs like to chase cats, so that he in fact was ALSO correct. Um, that was his ‘last question’ for the Gifted. (ds also pointed out that of course he picked Cat, because CATS are his FAVORITE animal! A common story-thread in Classical students, fyi.) He is currently at Decatur.

    I also strongly believe many test higher on the Classical because that test is admin’d by IIT, rather than CPS. IIT ‘officials’ are far, far more invested than the beaurocracy of CPS employees. As a product of the ‘intital’ GEAP programs at Kellog (1981, grade 4) and Morgan Park High School’s 7th and 8th, and IS for HS (1984-1990) I must say the programs have improved, if the politicism has not. Most children in my son’s testing year had such OBNOXIOUS ranges btwn their Classical and or Gifted scores… almost NONE did well on the Gifted that year. Strange as it was… it was the common denominator. Hence the theory of CPS tester and or testing times being responsible. I know this… don’t give a kid the Classical test at 6pm on a Tues, and have him return the very next morning by 7am for the Gifted. Totally uncouthe when dealing with small children!

    I would not be so sure that GEAP principals get NO say in a ‘few lil PTA picks’ for their schools. I am sorry but at Decatur EVERY LSC and or PTA ‘officer’ get’s ALL their subsequent children in. LITERALLY and statistically impossible. Maybe other schools do not practice this but I would bet Ms. K @ Decatur Classical indeed does!!!

  • 18. Amy  |  June 11, 2010 at 10:26 pm

    @howie I totally agree with you about this decatur thing..I know a number of parents whose all 2- 3 kids are at decatur and they are either on LSC or PTA!!! They will say”we were just lucky” and my second child did not make it even with a high score…as I work full time and i cannot put in any time at school even if I want to.

  • 19. Holly  |  July 12, 2010 at 8:45 pm

    This has been a great resources to me. thanks. after leaving chicago 9 years ago we’re thinking of buying a home back in chicago with the hope of moving “home” at some point with two small children in tow these days we’re trying to iron out the school details in advance of a move back so many thanks for the effort here.

  • 20. Jennifer  |  September 16, 2010 at 11:49 pm

    I also wanted to say thanks, this site has been a great source of info for me. We’re currently weighing up whether our 1st grader would do better in a classical school than her one-size fits all north shore school before taking the plunge on moving back to the city.

  • 21. Adam  |  September 21, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    For someone who has two boys 10 months apart with Aug & Sept birthdays and ideally would like to keep them in separate grades, are there options?

    We’ve been told that CPS’s 9/1 cutoff lacks flexibility, but we are desperate.

    We’ll do anything (write letters, get in front of people, etc, etc, etc.

    We REALLY want to encourage our boys’ sense of identity and we think keeping them in separate grades will help in that.

    Thanks in advance for your help and suggestions.

  • 22. Maureen  |  September 24, 2010 at 1:15 am

    There is no law that you MUST start the child if they are 5 by September 1 — you could keep them both back a year and start them just as they turn 6 (they’d be a year apart but both on the older end of the spectrum for their class/year).

    I think that would likely be better for them both long term…it’s not good to be the youngest in a class and boys tend to mature a little bit slower than girls at that age, so it might be a good solution. Of course, it would require you to pay for an additional year of pre-school/child care, but it’s an option.

    Good luck!

  • 23. Kathy  |  September 28, 2010 at 8:59 pm

    There is no law that a child must be 5 when he/she start school, but I was talking with the clerk at my school who registers kids for school and I asked her if I came to register my six year old for kindergarten would that be okay. She basically told me that CPS wants to keep kids with the appropriate age group so basically my child would be put into first grade even though he did not attend kindergarten (if I helf him back) So basically that changed my mind about holding my child back a year. I didn’t want to take that chance of him missing kindergarten. My son has a end of July birthday and felt he could benefit from starting a year later. Oh well. I am sure there are always ways around it. Good luck!

  • 24. priti  |  October 21, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    i am looking into preschool montesorri program at oscar mayer magnet school for my 3 year old.
    Would love to hear all your reviews about that school.

  • 25. Mary Szyjka  |  November 2, 2010 at 5:36 pm

    *OPEN HOUSE* Peirce School of International Studies will hold its fall Open House on November 9th from 9:15 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Peirce is a neighborhood CPS school located at 1423 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. This is a great opportunity to meet teachers and parents and learn about Pre-K – 8th grade programs including the IB (International Baccalaureate) and enrichment programs (Art, Music, Language, Sports). Tours of the school will be offered. Please call the office at (773) 534-2440 to let us know you plan to attend.

  • 26. Kim  |  November 4, 2010 at 11:25 am

    I have a question about children advancing (or “skipping”) a grade in CPS. My kindergarten son has undergone assessments in his school which show he is academically at a first grade level for math and second grade level for reading. Based on this, as well as his mid-September birthday and discussions with his teacher and principal, he is moving to the first grade class for instruction. He has been in that class for his reading block since the second week of school, but will now spend all day there. However, we were also told that CPS will still officially consider him to be in Kindergarten.
    I cannot find any regulations on this and wonder what this means in the future. We were told that when applying for GEAP or magnet schools, we would still be required to list him as being in Kindergarten.
    Does anyone have any insight into what this would mean later in his school life if he continues to receive instruction in classes a year ahead of his official grade level, but is not formally moved up? I know that there is a long time between K and 8th grade and things could change, but if they don’t, would he basically repeat 8th grade before moving on to H.S.?

  • 27. cpsobsessed  |  November 4, 2010 at 11:28 am

    @Kim – I have just been reading about some new policies on letting kids start K early. It’s buried in a lot of other CPS info. Let me try to dig it up…

  • 28. Elaine  |  January 24, 2011 at 4:26 am

    Thanks – your website has been a wealth of good information for me as we are planning on moving back to Chicago this coming summer. We are originally from the city but moved overseas 2 years ago. Our 6 year old will be starting 2nd grade in the fall. Do you or any other parents have feedback about comprehensive gifted programs within a neighbourhood school? Do these programs teach the same materials/curriculum as the regional gifted centers? It will be too late for us to have our child tested for the RGC and Classical schools for this fall so our best bet is to go to our neighbourhood school and hope that he will be selected into the comprehensive gifted program.
    Thanks in advance!

  • 29. Lakeview Mom  |  February 17, 2011 at 10:20 pm

    Just stumbled upon your website after reading an issue of “Time Out Kids” that randomly appeared in our mailbox. This is hands down the clearest and most concise information on CPS, and I can’t thank you enough! I have been breaking into a cold sweat with my approaching-4-years-old daughter and knowing I have to figure this out…..soon.

    I heard somewhere that you can make a case for enrolling a child into kindergarten if he/she is just on the wrong side of September 1, IF you can show that the child has been enrolled in a certified preschool program. Is this true, or just a vicious rumor. Our daughter was born in September and a third year of preschool for all of her fifth year, and then enrolling into kindergarten a couple weeks shy of 6 years old seems a little nuts….though I do understand there needs to be a cut-off somewhere.

  • 30. misty625  |  February 28, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    Can I enroll a child in a neighborhood school that is not MY neighborhood school? I live on an attendance-boundary border, and my neighborhood school has atrocious test scores but the other neighborhood school 3 blocks away is great. Not talking about Magnet schools, just neighborhood schools.

  • 31. IB&RGC Mom  |  March 12, 2011 at 12:33 am

    @30 – See if they are in the Options for Knowledge Guide. I believe if they are they may allow applications that they will hold a lottery for if there are any seats open after the rest are filled with the attendance area kids. The best thing to do would be to call them and see what they say. Maybe they can put you on a waiting list now if they don’t hold a lottery.

    My suggestion is to apply to as many schools as you can. Gifted, magnet, classical, etc. You need to select any schools you would even remotely consider. If researching all of the schools is overwhelming don’t worry about doing it until you get the responses. Before my kids were at the schools they are at, I sent in probably 15-25 applications for both of them each year (including some neighborhood schools that were in the book). It was a while ago so maybe it wasn’t that many (but then again maybe it was more before I knew as much as I do about each school) and obviously this was before they consolidated the application, but the number of acceptances is slim if you are lucky to get an acceptance right away so you need to keep an open mind especially if you don’t want them to attend that neighborhood school! Good luck.

  • 32. teachermom  |  March 22, 2011 at 2:16 pm

    I am wondering if anyone has information about waitlists. If a student is #1 on a waitlist how likely is it that she will get into the school? The school is an up and coming school on the North side.

  • 33. Michelle  |  March 22, 2011 at 4:50 pm

    teachermom- I’m wondering the same thing. We are wait listed to every school we applied and our neighborhood school is not an option. However, we are much further down on the waitlist…#28 for our school of choice. This is our first time with the cps experience and we hopefullly don’t have to go through this year after year.

  • 34. JB  |  March 28, 2011 at 11:18 pm

    Great site. Just wanted to clear something up. It says here that once you test in for kindergarten you’re guaranteed a spot through 8th grade. I haven’t been able to confirm that anywhere else. Is this really the case?

    My daughter got into Coonley RGC, (which was our second choice after Edison) but we were unable to attend one of the school tours. Any other Coonley parents out there with any info, comments, opinions, etc. on the school would be very helpful. Thanks.

  • 35. IB&RGC Mom  |  March 29, 2011 at 9:48 am

    Yes. I am not a Coonley parent, but my daughter is in an RGC in 6th grade and has been since 1st grade. The parents that have pulled their kids out over the years have done so by their choice as either their child couldn’t keep up, they didn’t like all the homework that was given, or they found another option that better suited their child.

  • 36. Kim  |  March 31, 2011 at 2:31 pm

    @cpsobsessed … a follow-up to my comment #26 here … my Kindergartner has now been offered a spot at Lenart (we accepted) so that should take care of his need to be taught at a higher level.

    Also, just wondering if you’ve considered adding a section to your blog about afterschool programs or maybe a place where parents can rate/review/recommend programs. I will have my older son at Lenart and my younger son at Poe this fall and now I need to figure out what to do about afterschool.

    Thank you for this blog!!

  • 37. DIH  |  April 7, 2011 at 10:27 pm

    @teachermom – I’ve heard that if you are 15 or lower on a waitlist, it is likely you will get a call before the school year starts. The principal at our school gave this same advice. We were 5 on a waitlist and have already been called for a spot.

  • 38. Kerry  |  April 25, 2011 at 4:39 pm

    Thought this might be helpful for @Kim. The laws regarding the age for kindergarten didn’t change for CPS, however, the law did change this past year if you believe your child is ready for kindergarten and can find a private school that will accept your child into Kindergarten prior to the september 1st cut off. Private schools can legally accept your child based on a review of your child’s readiness for school for kindergarten. CPS wouldn’t budge on it. The law for 1st grade school entry was changed to reflect this: children who have attended a non-public preschool and continued their education at that school through kindergarten, were taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher, and will attain the age of 6 years on or before December 31 of the year of the 2009-2010 school term and each school term thereafter may attend first grade upon commencement of such term, and in grade schools shall not be under 6 years. It was a fight for us, but we were able to make it happen for our son. Here is the link. http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/97/HB/09700HB3281ham002.htm

  • 39. Denise  |  May 16, 2011 at 3:05 pm

    I have a question that I hope you can help me with. I plan to move to Chicago summer of 2012. Looking at the Roscoe Village area, anyways how early do you have to register for a neigborhood school in order to guarantee a spot. I mean since im moving in the summer will i have enough time to have my son enrolled for the Fall. Also can testing be done for some of the other schools if I live in the suburbs currently…

  • 40. cpsobsessed  |  May 17, 2011 at 12:37 am

    @39 Denise: You can register at any point if you are in the neighborhood boundaries, even the first day of school or any point in the school year. Obviously, it’s better to register sooner than later so the school can plan for the appropriate number of students. Teachers are allocated based on the number of students so it helps the school to plan ahead and get positions.

    You CAN test for schools while in the suburbs, but the testing process for the Fall 2012 school year is already over. Testing takes place during the previous school year and you have to sign up by around mid December then test in the Fall/Winter.

    Good luck!

  • 41. Bev  |  May 19, 2011 at 11:40 am

    What is the likelihood that a student who is #1 on the waitlist at Audubon actually gets a call?

  • 42. cpsobsessed  |  May 19, 2011 at 1:54 pm

    @Bev – typically a kid in the #1 spot has a good chance at a school, but at Audobon which has become very popular with the neighborhood, they probably won’t know how many kids have actually enrolled from the neighborhood until close to when school starts. I think it could truly go either way. They are probably aiming for a nice mix of 2 classes, each with about 28 kids and it just can vary year by year. My son’s school that is also very popular in the neighborhood ended up giving out a couple spots this year and had room for siblings at the last minute — but they just can’t give them out until they’re sure all the neighbors have spots and the classes aren’t overcrowded. I’d try to keep up with the school over the summer to see if you can find out how things are progressing and also to stay top of mind to them. Good luck!

  • 43. Jennifer  |  May 24, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    My daughter is in 1st grade at Dore Elementary School. Dore is a magnet cluster school focused on math and science. It is small and their test scores are amazing. My daughter loves it there! The teachers care and the parental support is awesome. My daughter is learning about the history of Chicago, how to read an email, and other things.

    Here is the website: http://www.dore.cps.k12.il.us/

    We applied to Andrew Jackson (rejected), Sheridan (rejected), Gunsaulus (accepted) and Dore

    I picked Dore over Gunsualus because of the test scores.

    I am glad I picked Dore. The majority of parents in the neighborhood send their kids to Catholic Schools, but I don’t care Dore is excellent and I recommend anyone to take a look.

  • 44. Jeanne  |  August 1, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    I’m confused re:#29 and #30. I thought testing for the 2011/2012 school year is completed, but the testing for 2012/2013 school year (“fall 2012″) won’t happen until this fall/winter. Right?

  • 45. Ma  |  August 1, 2011 at 5:39 pm

    Jeanne – you are correct, testing took place Fall/Winter 2010-2011 for the 2011-2012 school year.

  • 46. Jill  |  August 13, 2011 at 3:10 pm

    I am so frustrated with how cps is operated and organized and I find it ridiculous that I have a child who tested mid nineties percentile can’t get in to a decent school!

    frustrated mom of 3 girls the oldest starting kindergarten this year and is not in ANYWHERE!

  • 47. Mom  |  August 13, 2011 at 4:32 pm

    #46 – don’t give up. We also had pretty good scores, but didn’t get in anywhere. We did get a magnet school call in mid-august. This is a good time to call your top magnet/neighborhood schools and express your continued interest. Get something in place for K and then you can test again for 1st. Good luck!

  • 48. Lindsay  |  September 6, 2011 at 9:07 pm

    Forgive me if this issue has already been addressed. I am really struggling with what to look for in a school–that is, how to determine if it’s a “good” match for my son (who will be starting K in 2012). What sorts of questions should I be asking at open houses? What should I be looking for in the schools? I just don’t feel like I have a good point of comparison (aside from test scores, which are not all that informative). Any guidance you can provide would be extremely helpful!

  • 49. MJ's Mom  |  October 17, 2011 at 1:39 am

    I am currently looking at the different RGC & Classical options. We are in the Ogden school district. How do the RGC’s and Classical schools compare? I keep hearing that Ogden is a good school, but would I be better served to try to get into an RGC or Classical school?

  • 50. CPSDepressed  |  October 17, 2011 at 8:30 am

    Here’s what I’d tell you, MJ’s Mom: is your kid gifted? I know, that’s a loaded word. Having a few years of experience with kids and school, I believe that very few children are truly gifted and that it is a learning disability of sorts. That’s why they have special programs for them.

    In a lot of school systems and social circles, “gifted” gets thrown around to mean “above average”. My kid is in his school’s comprehensive gifted program, but so are half the kids in his grade. Big whoop. He likes to say he’s “gifted”, because it’s a status thing at his school (which is not good, and I blame the administration for fostering those divisions, but that is another story for another day.) I know better. He’s no slouch, but he’s not some freaky off-the-charts Junior Doctor House.

    If your kid is really and truly gifted, he or she should be in an RGC or classical school. So take the test and see what happens. If your kid is a little smarter than the average bear, and the school has good teachers who will stay on top of the situation, and you are willing to supplement as necessary, any of the better CPS schools – like Ogden – should work.

  • 51. cpsobsessed  |  October 17, 2011 at 8:54 am

    CPSDepressed said exactly what I was going to say. My son (not truly gifted but bright enough) got into a RGC that’s about a mile from our house so it worked out. Would I send him on a 40 min busride there? Nah. If he had been reading chapter books at age 3 or showed some other traits of thinking way beyond his age or showed the “rage to master” which is a trait some kids possess as a sign of giftedness it would be a different story.

    Also, if your neighborhood school isn’t acceptable and a gifted or classical ends up as your best choice, I’d take it. But there a lot of smart and even gifted kids in all CPS schools. Sometimes parents just need to push the teachers a bit.

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 52. Gifted kids and CPS  |  October 17, 2011 at 9:37 am

    If your child is truly gifted, a CPS gifted program won’t at all be sufficient. Believe this from someone who has been there. A gifted child (I’m not referring to a child who scores a 145 on the CPS test, I’m talking about one that goes in the testing room and basically tests the tester) requires a different type of teaching. Much different/sophisticated than the CPS method of simply teaching one grade level above.

    When I went through this I was astonished to learn the CPS gifted teachers usually have no special training in teaching gifted kids. Many of the gifted kids I now know where bored to death and actually depressed in CPS gifted programs. They are usually considered “odd” as it is, and being in an inappropriate learning environment can make things socially worse.

    Science and Arts Academy is a great option. Also contact Northwestern’s Centre For Talent Development and participate in their offerings if you can. It isn’t easy raising a child who needs to be challenged in a different way than most, but meeting other parents at NW helps you through it.

  • 53. MJ's Mom  |  October 18, 2011 at 3:26 pm

    My child is not a savant by any means if that is what you are referring to CPSdepressed, and of course, don’t we all think our kids are special? :) I believe she is of the testing the tester variety of student. She grasps things very quickly and has an ability to make connections that I wouldn’t necessarily think are so obvious. So do the RGC’s really challenge the kids to strive for more? Maybe that is more of a rhetorical question. I am just finding it difficult to find an enviornment that will truly be a challenge and not just simply – get x score on a test to succeed. I don’t really think that is the definition of success.

  • 54. IB&RGC Mom  |  October 18, 2011 at 4:34 pm

    I think most CPS schools are largely about the numbers, and some of the other CPS schools may not be challenging enough so if you are looking for the most challenging option WITHIN CPS I think RGC or Classical is the way to go. I know some of the teachers my daughter had were trained specifically in gifted education and understand the special needs of these kids, but I don’t know if the all were or if that is even true of most. You will have good teachers and bad teachers along the way no matter what school or program you choose. One thing to note is that often there is only one gifted class per grade so if there is a teacher that you don’t want or doesn’t mesh well with your child, you are stuck.

    If your child is entering K or 1st and gets accepted into one the RGC’s I would give it a chance because you can always leave and go private, but the same is not true of the reverse. Once kids get in they often don’t leave so seats in these programs opening in a grade other then the entering grade is not very likely. I do appreciate the education my daughter has received in the RGC. I don’t know how much of it was teaching to the test, and there was a lot of work and effort involved on her part (she is advanced, but I wouldn’t say truly “gifted”), but I still value that she was able to go to a very good public school.

  • 55. Trying to figure this out  |  October 25, 2011 at 8:06 pm

    This blog is full of amazing information. Thank you so much for taking the time to create this! I have a question regarding statistics: is there anything on the CPS website (or elsewhere) that shows the number of students who apply to specific magnet schools and the number or percentage of students that are actually admitted (from those that apply)? I have seen the number of overall applicants from last year and the number of seats available for the entire CPS district but would like to see a breakdown of these numbers for specific magnet schools. If this isn’t available anywhere would the schools we are interested in freely give out this information?Thanks!

  • 56. cpsobsessed  |  October 25, 2011 at 8:16 pm

    @55 – I’ve never seen those number published, unfortunately. I have a document that has them but it is probably close to 7-8 years old now (it was part of a report that I purchased online.) I think a lot has changed since then.

    I’d be curious to know if the school even knows that information, as it is now housed centrally at CPS. We have tried to piece it together by seeing what numbers people have for waiting lists for the magnets, but we can’t tell if there are multiple lists by Tier or neighborhood etc. I believe the top magnet elementary schools get up to 1000 applications for kindergarten, but that could have changed with the central application process. I might be even easier for someone to check off 20 magnet schools, whereas in the past you had to apply school by school.

    Also, the number is not fully meaningful because with the central app process many people opt into lotteries for schools and they don’t even know where they are – only to discover once they get in that it’s way too far to travel to.

    I’ll see if I can find out though….

  • 57. B. Lou  |  December 3, 2011 at 6:43 am

    I do not think there are two lotteries, one for whites, and another one for minorities, as mentioned above. This might be outdated information, although, they do still ask for ethnic information for their demographic data. Does anyone know?

  • 58. CPS uses tiers not race I think  |  December 3, 2011 at 10:03 am

    CPS asks for race but DOES NOT use it to place students in schools. They use the tier system now which is supposed to be based on other factors.

  • 59. Kristi  |  December 12, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    My family is now looking for a home in the northwest area of city. Portage Park, Irving Park. Maybe Galewood or Belmont Craigin. I am at my wits end with trying to figure out how to know where to move if we can’t find a decent school. Most of the homes we like have neighborhood schools that rate (on greatschool.org) as 3 or 4.
    Has anyone had success with getting into another neighborhood school if you are not in the boundaries?

    Does anyone have experience/knowledge on any of these schools: DisneyII, Thorp, Chicago Academy, Sayre, Prussing, Smyser, Beaubien, Bell, Coonley, Murphy, Reinberg, Gray, CICS -Irving Park. Are there any I should steer clear of?

    Oh, any word on 90 minute extension for next year? Is it solid? I cannot believe how short the school day is. Not enough time for learning! I am a teacher, therefore I cannot leave my job to pick my children up in the middle of the day. It seems many schools do not have after school programs. At least it is very hard to find them. Any advice on that? Do most moms stay home? or have an after school nanny?!
    I can’t wait to hear back… I am submitting my online application by Friday.
    thanks!

  • 60. cpsobsessed  |  December 12, 2011 at 11:11 pm

    What grade are you applying for? Kindergarten?

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 61. Mom  |  December 13, 2011 at 10:14 am

    @59

    In the northwest I would check out Edgebrook, Sauganash, Solomon & Wildwood schools.

    You might want to join npnparents.org for input on neighborhoods and schools. A really good resource.

  • 62. cpsobsessed  |  December 13, 2011 at 10:46 am

    @59: DisneyII gets great reviews but is magnet, so odds are slim. Bell and Coonley don’t take out of neighborhood except perhaps in the higher grades (4+.)
    I would check about entry out of neighborhood into Edgebrook and Saganash (I am unfamilair with Solomon and Wildwood) as they have been highly in-demand neighborhood schools that I believe are quite full.

    There tend to be “up and coming” neighborhood schools that are easier to get into (Pierce for a few years, perhaps Prescott now, but typically they get full within a few years as parents flock there.

    CICS-Irv Park sounds fabulous but is also getting harder to get into as word gets out.

    For Kindergarten and even 1st grade most neighborhood schools (even those that are not gentrified-parent-approved are probably fine if you make sure your child is learning the basics. then you can keep applying to other schools/magnets/gifted if you want. Most people land somewhere within a year or 2 of applying. A friend of mine has turned down about 4 “good” schools at this point over 3 years.

    As for the longer day, Brizard himself says “it will happen.” Plenty of people in the city, organized by the Raise Your Hand group are pushing for a longer day, but not the super-long day that CPS wants.

    Aftercare, total drag. My neighborhood school worked out a deal with the YMCA to run a program at the school and they only required 12 kids to start. You could see about that. The school has a new provider now and I can get you the name if you want. Always worth suggesting to a school – if you want care, chances are other people do too! Otherwise, I think people just hire a sitter to pick up the kids and take them home. Very expensive though….

    Good luck!

  • 63. Mom  |  December 13, 2011 at 10:58 am

    @59, I recommended those schools (Edgebrook, Sauganash, Solomon & Wildwood) as areas to move into an attend as a in-neighborhood option since you seem to be in the midst of selecting a place to live. Your child most likely will not get into them if you live out-of-neighborhood.

  • 64. cpsobsessed  |  December 13, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Ah yes, moving into a neighborhood is DEFINITELY the way to go and certainly reduces one’s stress level.

    And uh… I have a house for sale in Ravenswood Manor in the Waters district. Or you can buy Blago’s house if you have $1 million. :)

  • 65. Kristi  |  December 13, 2011 at 2:03 pm

    Thanks everyone for the comments!
    I am applying Kindergarten.
    I have heard of the far north schools as being great and nice neighborhoods. The problem is the commute. I work in Oak Park and husband will be at 63rd/Halstead. We cannot find anywhere in the middle or south that is decent or affordable. I honestly don’t like the Urban feel… I’d prefer as far as possible. (Oh, we are required to move to Chicago because of his new job).

    With all that said, do any of you bus? It kinda freaks me out to send my 5 yr old on a bus half way across Chicago everyday. No idea how long the ride would be. Is it worth it to do it or just make it work in the less-than-par neighborhood school? hmm… That is the question!
    So, the areas I mentioned… does anyone think they are bad or what? What about as a “nice place to raise a family”? (Portage Park/Irving Park)
    As for after school. I am hoping to be an involved parent and possibly start a group(ymca)… but since I work much longer than the school day, I find it hard to be involved.

    Thanks! I truly appreciate your opinions and I will also look into the NPN link.

  • 66. IB&RGC Mom  |  December 13, 2011 at 3:04 pm

    I live in the Portage Park area and it is a great area for affordable homes to raise a family in. At least as far as the city goes. As does any neighborhood it does vary from block to block at times, and there are complaints about it “changing” whatever that means, but overall there are plenty of tree lined streets with single family homes where people have kids or have lived there for many years.

    My kids do not attend our neighborhood school so I can’t say anything about them. I am much closer to Thorp than my neighborhood school, but because it is magnet they would have had to get in via lottery which they did not. Thorp from everything I have heard is a good school. We know a lot of kids that go there.

    My kids get bussed to their schools. It honestly depends on the school and how many kids are on the bus. I have had them at schools where the buses were packed and the kids were unruly and they were very young at the time. Now one of my daughters goes to Wildwood which is a wonderful school and she takes the bus and there are only a few kids on it. She was lucky enough to get in via lottery. I would love to live in the neighborhood, but it is more expensive then Portage Park.

  • 67. IB&RGC Mom  |  December 13, 2011 at 3:47 pm

    Also for after school options, Portage Park has a Park Kids program which is a very affordable after school option, but the kids either get bused there from there magnet or selective enrollment schools which provide busing or picked up from Portage Park school since it is across the street. The Irving Park Y also has an after school program and I believe a bus of there own.

    Some of the CPS schools offer their own after school options which often times is different activities or sports through out the week. Some are free or relatively inexpensive and others are fee based programs. Wildwood has some great ones, but often that only keep the kids there till about 4pm.

  • 68. local  |  December 13, 2011 at 3:51 pm

    Kristie – Consider Beverly.

  • 69. Mom2S  |  December 13, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    I live near Old Irving Park (in between Irving Park and Portage Park) and our neighborhood school is Belding. My children are too young for school just yet but I know a few families who send their children to Belding and are happy with the school. My husband and I toured and learned that there is an active parents group and met the principal, who seems really great. Belding seems to be getting a lot of “buzz” as an up and coming school so definitely something to look into. Tour and see what you think. OIP is great for families and is close to the expressway, the blue line and Metra.

  • 70. Portage mama  |  December 13, 2011 at 4:16 pm

    Born and raised in Chicago, have a good feel for neighborhoods growing up in Lakeview, now living in Portage Park. We commute to Lakeview for magnet school.

    You have obviously done your homework. Kuddos to you!

    Portage Park – lots of great bungalows, brand new playground. Recommend homes north of Irving. If you stay east of Central you get into Portage Park School. Do recommend Park Kids program and students are transported there. Call the park to find out exactly 773-685-7235. If you move west of Central and north of Irving, I believe it is Smyser. My neighborhood school, but my kids don’t go there because of half-day kindergarten. No outside after school program. Chicago Academy – good school. Must live within 1.5 radius to get in. The closer to the school the better chance to attend. They do fill spots for 3 & 4 yr old pk – so spots are limited for K. Reinberg – nope, Gray – nope,

    Belmont-Cragin have some ify areas, but they opened a new school Camras in a old high school bldg. Do recommend Belmont between Diversey and Central and Austin area.

    Irving Park – east of pulaski pricy, but east of Elston more affordable. Murphy good option and there is the YMCA and KidWatch for after school options. CICS -Irving Park good option, separate application (charter, not cps magnet). Disney II, but it is magnet, still have proximity lottery as a plus recommend Addison & Pulaski area.

    Galewood very similar to Portage Park, great and affordable bungalows, close to Oak Park. Sayre is a neighborhood school and heard it is good.

    North Center – Bell and Coonley great if you can afford to live in the area. Not sure about after school.

    Jefferson Park – nice area, great for commuters w/ Jeff Park train station, Beaubien good school. Prussing – not sure.

    A lot of the schools on the NWside do not offer full day kindergarten, so make sure you double check that. Our family thought that was important so we looked outside our neighborhood. Another option on the NWside are private, Catholic schools. There are many in the area and they do try to do a good job of offering after-school options. Sometimes public schools get money for after-school but it is not offered throughout the entire year, so check it out.

    A great place that offers after school is JCYS (Jewish Council for Youth Services). They are connected to several magnet schools and care for children until 6pm.

    Good luck and sorry for the long post!

  • 71. anonymous  |  December 13, 2011 at 6:47 pm

    I would double check on which schools offer full day kindergarten these days. Many previously half day programs changed over to full day programs about a month into this school year. (at least a dozen schools) There was little to no advertisement about this and the current info in the options for knowledge book is incorrect for many schools. In fact, you may have to call each school directly for the info because I am not sure if the people downtown all have the correct info.

  • 72. different perspective  |  December 13, 2011 at 9:27 pm

    If your husband will be working on the South Side, then I agree with the poster who suggested Beverly. It’s an extremely nice area–looks more like the suburbs than any other part of Chicago. Sutherland is a good neighborhood school–Kellogg is a real good school but may be magnet.

  • 73. Kristi  |  December 13, 2011 at 11:20 pm

    Beverly does sound great! I suspect it would take me 45-min to an hour to get to Oak park (at school driving hours-rush hour). Anyone ever make the drive?

    Thanks to Portage Mama & IB/RGC for taking the time to break down info on each neighborhood! Super helpful.

  • 74. local  |  December 14, 2011 at 11:32 am

    @ 73 – Depends on where you are in Beverly and need to be in Oak Park, and at what time you travel. One way is out 95th, then up Harlem. Another is up the Dan Ryan, then out the Eisenhower. Not sure if the Tri-State is an option. At 8:30 a.m., it takes me about 30 minutes max from door to door Beverly to Chinatown. Less if starting out at 8:45 a.m. Do deep research on Beverly, especially high school options, before settling down.

  • 75. RL Julia  |  December 14, 2011 at 3:52 pm

    Lindsey – this is all I know about the school’s you listed:

    DisneyII – Magnet. Rolling up so if you have kids in higher grades, it won’t work.
    Thorpe – very strict which is harder for younger kids -esp. boys sometimes.
    Beaubien – mixed neighborhood and test in program. Have only heard great things.
    Bell – ditto Beaubienb -although maybe with a little more pressure/expectation. Was the hot school a few years ago.
    Coonley – as cpsobsessed mom. Have heard mixed (but unverifiable) things about the neighborhood program and/or the integration of the gifted program in the school – but really have idea.
    Murphy -You probably won’t get into Murphy unless you live in the district or make an effort. Its a neighborhood school first and foremost. Nice school. Some arts programming. Starting a gifted program but only in the upper grades (6,7,8).
    CICS -Irving Park – Charter – good hours for working parents.

    Hope this helps.

  • 76. CPS Teacher  |  December 14, 2011 at 6:25 pm

    As a resident of the Beverly area, and a CPS teacher , I can tell you that Kellogg is not a magnet school, but is a great little gem. All of our area schools, Sutherland, Clissold, Kellogg ,Mt. Greenwood and Cassell (the latter 2 located in Mt. Greenwood due West of Beverly) have very good scores and caring and supportive teachers and administration. There are many local students who attend Lenart or Annie Keller gifted schools.
    Options are limited for high school. Morgan Park is our local high school, and as a parent, I chose not to send my children there, and opted for the rather expensive local Catholic Schools. The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences (Mt. Greenwood) will be changing their open enrollment from 40% neighborhood students to 50% in the 2012-2013 school year.
    The Beverly neighborhood is a very close knit community with a small town feel. It is my biased opinion that our community is worth looking into.

  • 77. SusanU  |  December 20, 2011 at 6:56 pm

    Kristi –

    My family has lived in the north end of the Hermosa neighborhood for about 10 years. We like the quiet neighborhood, bungalows and the neighbors a lot – but our kids don’t attend our neighborhood school (Barry).

    My son attended preschool at Reinberg some years ago. I found their teachers caring but the school is overcrowded. I don’t know their current test scores.

    Disney II is good if you can get in. Llorca is a brand new school – maybe worth a look? CICS also gets good reviews from people I know. But many people in my neighborhood that have the opportunity send their kids outside the neighborhood to school, as do we.

    BTW – my husband grew up in Portage Park. It is a good neighborhood for families too.

    There are some great housing bargains around us now though. It is worth checking out the area between Diversey and Belmont, 4200-4500 West. But schools are a concern.

  • 78. dave4118  |  December 22, 2011 at 7:32 am

    Hi all,
    I didn’t know where to put this, but I feel the information is important and is a change(large? small?) worth noting. Fellow parents at our duaghters school are both CPS employees and they mentioned to us a few weeks ago that CPS will start to implement a different standardized testing system, which replaces the ISAT. This new system is being referred to as COMMON CORE. We subsequently spoke with a family member that is a former CPS principal, she now works for a consulting agency that tutors CPS administrators/teachers; she confirmed that Common Core is a reallity and will soon be rolled out(next academic year maybe). It seems that this has been planned for several years nationwide, with every state gearing up to participate, except for Alaska and Texas-two obstinate hold-outs.

    Common Core is supposed to be a bit more rigorous, and a bit more uniform, for standardized testing purposes. here is the link to the website…http://www.corestandards.org/…it is a bit frustrating that not one peep had been mentioned about this new program being considered. I’m told that programs like the U.of C.’s “everyday math” will seemingly be tossed, for a more standardized teaching system. Has anyone heard about this before?

  • 79. RL Julia  |  December 22, 2011 at 12:43 pm

    Hi dave,
    I don’t know much about the Common Core but my LSC started hearing about it and CPS’s adoption of it either this fall or over the summer. I personally like the idea of a national test as opposed to every state having its own criteria. Who knows how Chicago will fare but I don’t think there will be any surprises – if every kid is taking this test v. the ISAT, systemic adjustments will be made across the board. As it is NCLB standards are more than challenging and the state/CPS are already making adjustments on who is failing since by the current percentages pretty much everyone is. Hope this helps.

  • 80. karen  |  January 12, 2012 at 3:15 pm

    I would like to to pull my child out from kindergarten to homeschool him 2 days each week. He comes home almost every day complaining he’s not learning anything new. We’ve applied for gifted programs and magnet schools with gifted programs for next year, but I don’t want him to be academically bored for the rest of the year. His teacher agrees that this would be greatly beneficial for him. The school principal is not supportive, however, and said she will be marking his absences as unexcused. I understand she can’t make exceptions for every child, so my question is, since compulsory attendance does not occur until age 7/1st grade, will unexcused absences affect his chances of getting into high school later? I would prefer not to pull him completely because he’s made a lot of friends this year! Thank you in advance for any information you can provide!

  • 81. RL Julia  |  January 20, 2012 at 5:54 pm

    Karen – It might effect his being promoted to 1st grade but since Kindergarten is not mandatory, I don’t think that this will stick (especially if he switches schools). It certainly won’t be held against him for high school. Before you start homeschooling twice a week, I guess I’d ask about what sort of in-school accomodations could be made to keep him engaged at school – and if the teacher thinks that socially and emotionally if your son is age appropriate or mature for his age. If he is mature enough, why not have him go to first grade for some subjects or think about skipping him. If he is not particularly mature maybe the “boredom” he is experiencing is also a little bit of social anxiety. I know that’s how it played out with my son in Kindergaren at least. Good Luck!

  • 82. karen  |  January 20, 2012 at 6:25 pm

    Thank you! I have spoken with the principal, but she feels it is up to my son’s teacher to give him one-on-one instructional time which I think is absurd considering there are 30 kids in his class and no assistant. My husband and I discussed having him tested to skip a grade as you mentioned, but he is on the shy side and although he’s made friends this year, the process was slow. It would be something to consider again for next year though. We’re just crossing our fingers that he gets into a different school. Even though it sounds like all schools have their issues, we’re hoping to find a better match for our family. Thank you again for all your information. This site has been an amazing help!

  • 83. Victor A.  |  January 23, 2012 at 4:45 pm

    I recently found the blog and I must say there is a lot of good information. Great job to all! So, I have a question: Is anyone aware or has challenge CPS school boundaries? How was the process and was it worth your time and effort?

  • 84. let's go charter  |  January 25, 2012 at 6:10 pm

    That one was LAST year’s. This is for 2012: http://www.newschoolsnow.org/expo/

  • 85. jen  |  February 3, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    Hi – relocating to Chicago this summer. If I move to a rental in Burley or Bell or Audubon or Blaine for a couple years (son will be in 1st grade next year) and move out before my daughter starts (K in fall 2014) will she def get in due to sibling preference?

  • 86. Chris  |  February 3, 2012 at 2:11 pm

    “Hi – relocating to Chicago this summer. If I move to a rental in Burley or Bell or Audubon or Blaine for a couple years (son will be in 1st grade next year) and move out before my daughter starts (K in fall 2014) will she def get in due to sibling preference?”

    No. No official “sibling preference” for out of neighborhood kids. Indeed, your son wouldn’t be *guaranteed* to be able to remain (assuming neighborhood division), if the school is over capacity.

  • 87. mil mom  |  February 3, 2012 at 2:40 pm

    85-in any of these schools it is likely you would have to move your kids out if you move out of that district as they are all near or at capacity. If you get into a neighborhood school from outside of the neighborhood through the options lottery you can stay til the kid graduates but if you live in the neighborhood to begin with and then leave the neighborhood you could not continue going there after the current school year unless there was space at the school.

  • 88. jen  |  February 4, 2012 at 11:03 am

    ‘relocating to chicago’ again. Geesh. Bad news for me – I guess I was used to NYC. I emailed CPS and haven’t heard, but does anyone know how I’d apply from out of town (we’re staying here til they finish school, then moving in the summer) to that ‘options lottery’ you refer to for fall 2012? Seems like everyone already has their applications in. Thank you all in advance you are an extremely great help.

  • 89. CPSDepressed  |  February 4, 2012 at 11:13 am

    For your neighborhood school, you simply have to show up with proof of address. The schools very much prefer that you do this long before the first day of school (and it would be less chaos for your kids, IMHO), but legally, you can show up that very first day.

    What you want to make sure, then, is that your apartment is in the attendance area of the school you want to attend. Check the address on the CPS site: http://schoollocator.cps.k12.il.us/, as real estate agents have been known to exaggerate.

    I think the lotteries are now over, yes? So you may be too late for that.

  • 90. cpsobsessed  |  February 4, 2012 at 11:17 am

    Some of the charter schools may still be taking applications, but as stated above, choosing a neighborhood with a good school is your best bet.

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 91. Soontobemom  |  February 7, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    We are thinking of moving and our new neighborhood school would be Prescott. Does anyone know about this school? What are the chances of getting into Burley if we are on the border?(one block out of attendance area for burley) thanks for your help! We are very stressed about this.

  • 92. j  |  February 14, 2012 at 9:45 am

    Do you have to reprove residency every year for neighborhood schools? How do they know people stay in the neighborhood after the entry point years?

  • 93. Chris  |  February 14, 2012 at 12:39 pm

    “Do you have to reprove residency every year for neighborhood schools? How do they know people stay in the neighborhood after the entry point years?”

    Depends. Would you trust *all* the other parents to not rat you out? Would you list your former address in the school directory? No land line?

    You could do it, but you could end up with your kid(s) needing to change schools mid-year, too.

  • 94. cpsobsessed  |  February 14, 2012 at 1:01 pm

    Schools do not ask everyone to prove residency every year. And it depends a lot on the school. Most CPS schools tend to slowly lose students over time as families move to the suburbs etc (at least that is the way it used to be.) So they tend to become more lax about caring about residency over time. Most have a “once you’re in, you’re in” policy.
    Even Bell, which is bursting at the seams, I’ve heard parents grumble about wanting to remove out-of-district kids but it takes a certain tough principal to crack down on this, which I believe Bell has never resorted to.
    So for the most part, you are probably safe after year one. School offices are WAY too busy to check every address and to recognize one that is out of the zone.

    I imagine a school *could* enforce this if they felt it was necessary. My son’s school has become very full in the course of 3 years and they sent a note saying that all students outside the options programs must be in the neighborhood. but they did nothing to enforce this that I can tell (other than for entering Kindergarte/PK kids and possibly other crowded grades.) Many kids in the older grades are out-of-zone but those grades are very very sparsely populated so I’m sure they aren’t checking anything.

  • 95. RL Julia  |  February 14, 2012 at 1:37 pm

    At my neighborhood school they actually are aware of who is out the boundary etc… but families can move around a lot and most people want to keep their kids at the school they are used to and/or where the other kids in their family are going. The trick then is for the oldest kid in an out of boundary family. If you are entering in Kindergarten or 1st grade (which are the fullest) the answer is probably not as likely to be yes as it would be if your child is looking to enter later and/or in a smaller class. Given that you are talking about Burley and it is my understanding that Burley is a desirable school to go to, I would think that in this case you should assume that being one block outside of the catchement area is not any better than being six blocks from the catchement area. A brief google search of Prescott would indicate that it is also a lovely school to go to. Perhaps a visit would allay your fears.

  • 96. Tamara  |  February 29, 2012 at 5:23 pm

    Anyone have any info on before/after school care in the Beverly area? My daughter will be attending Sutherland in the fall for kindergarten but her spot in the full-day program is not guaranteed. Both me and my husband work full time and need before and after school care for her. Unfortunately her pre-school doesn’t offer it. Any suggestions would be much appreciated!

  • 97. Liz  |  March 17, 2012 at 6:24 pm

    Has anyone heard any news lately about Jahn? They were at the NPN school fair this year, and very impressive to talk with live. The school seems to be inputting many great new programs and partnerships with museums in the city. However, the test scores are not great. And the attendance as well is lower – meaning – you can definitely get in, without even worrying about the lottery. People are not banging the doors down to try to get in through the lottery. What I do like, there are many spanish speaking kids there, so while not immersion, there is great access to spanish language. And I believe they offer spanish classes as well. It was referenced above in the Q & A about other neighborhood schools, saying:

    “As a school is “up-and-coming” there is often room to lottery into the school as they need to keep growing. Typically after a few years when these schools get popular and people seek them out or move into the neighborhood they stop taking out-of-hood kids. This is what’s happened at North side schools like Nettelhorst, Burley, Blaine, Waters, Coonley, and other. Getting into a growing school where parents are involved is often a great way to get your foot in the door in a school with like-minded parents who want to help their local school flourish. These schools often attend the NPN school fair as they’re more actively seeking students. Some that come to mind on the North side now are Pierce, Jahn, Hamilton, and Prescott. Let me know if there are others you know of outside my little sphere of knowledge.”

    However – not sure if that means it is up and coming or simply that they attended the NPN school fair, which Jahn did, but may or may not be actually on an upswing. Thoughts? Any good word out there about Jahn? I am rooting for it.

  • 98. Emily  |  March 25, 2012 at 9:03 pm

    Is there any data available on tracking students who attend Blaine or Burley to see where they apply & attend high school? Are they going to Walter Payton? Whitney Young? etc…what percentage? I am not curious about the “neighborhood” high school, but instead the statistics on what high schools students test into after attending these elementary schools.

  • 99. not an expert  |  March 27, 2012 at 3:30 pm

    I just spoke with someone from OAE (Zack Phillips – so nice) and from what I understood, they don’t really use the classical percentile scores to determine the rank. They use the raw score. The percentiles are quite indicative but, for example – if you’re in the same tier as someone else and get the same percentile marks, it doesn’t necessarily mean you got the same exact score. There could still be as much as a ten point difference in the raw score.

    He also confirmed that in the event of a tie, the math score is used to break the tie.

  • 100. Tier4Worrier  |  April 8, 2012 at 6:08 am

    I hope I’m posting to the right area. My 6th grade, private school daughter was not accepted to any Academic Center, tier 4, score 817. We are thinking of transferring her to our local public school which is Ebinger. (We know the private schools aren’t geared for success on ISAT, which actually is why we chose a private school; to avoid the huge pressure of performing on a test.). We are second guessing ourselves as high school looms ever closer. Ebinger has solid scores for a neighborhood school, but I was hoping someone may have insight to the new principal, academic rigor, bullying, student and parent community within the school. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

  • 101. RL Julia  |  April 8, 2012 at 7:17 am

    @100 – what did you think when you visited Ebinger? Probably the best way to get answers to some of your questions is to schedule a meeting with the principal and/or assistant principal and then talk to someone on the PTA or LSC. Ask if the school uses any sort of “social curriculum” ( I like Responsive Classroom but there are lots out there). Ask how bullying is handled. You should be able to get an idea if the school would work for your daughter with their answers. Good luck and be sure to post your findings/results!

  • 102. WRP Mom  |  April 8, 2012 at 7:57 am

    100 Tier4Worrier-A score of 817 is above the tier 4 cutoff for Lane and also would have given her a rank spot at Taft. Not a bad score at all. I’m thinking you didn’t put down either of these schools on your application or your daughter would have received a 1st round offer. Whether you have her stay at her present school or not, I strongly suggest that when you apply for high schools, you “cast a wide net”. The top tier SEHS’s like Northside are not the only acceptable choices out there, as has been discussed on other threads. Don’t rule out the various IB programs, Von Steuben, CICS Northtown etc. Many families go to open houses during the fall of 7th grade.

  • 103. HS Mom  |  April 8, 2012 at 9:14 am

    Ebinger looks like a very good school. I’m not sure what your current situation is and why you are looking to make a move. Just as a warning, there is a real danger transferring schools at 7th grade. I’m not saying that this is your case but I have seen kids transfer from private to public assuming that they will get straight A’s and don’t for various reasons. As far as schools teaching to the test, I guess it depends on the school, but for the most part, any good school has some test prep but the program is not exactly “geared toward success on ISAT”. The majority of time is spent on academics – essays and writing projects, labs and science fair, constitution exam and history fair, accelerated reader, sometimes language. These would all be good inquiries to make at your school. If test prep is what you’re looking for, best to take a class outside of school. Keeping up with the academic projects and assignments and prepping for tests are extremely consuming, no cake walk at the better CPS schools. Best of luck to you and others with 7th graders. Now – back to the threads about adding more SE and IB programs so that families don’t have to feel pressured to groom their kids with test prep and selecting schools based upon the perceived HS chances.

  • 104. cpsobsessed  |  April 8, 2012 at 12:05 pm

    @frawgs: the private school have a good rate of placing kids in the SE high schools. If you like the current school, I agree with the previous poster who suggested supplementing with test prep materials and/or classes.

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 105. cpsobsessed  |  April 8, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    @WRPmom: great to re-iterate the “cast a wide net”. That should be this blog’s motto!

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 106. Tier4Worrier  |  April 8, 2012 at 8:16 pm

    Thank you all very much. I will make the contacts at Ebinger that were suggested; parents, LSC, (some of which I’ve already started) etc. I’ve seen “Buckle Down” ISAT practice books, and know some schools use those. I’ll also look into classes.

    We are rethinking CPS because we’d like our daughter to go to a SEHS (it’s that or move- our local HS is Taft), and who better to prepare her than a Chicago elementary school or academic center. (Right?) We are hoping that Ebinger may be a good fit.

    We did apply to the academic centers at Taft and Lane (and Whitney Young). No offers but a letter saying first responses are due back by April 13 and that a second round will be sent out afterwards. The letter also stated it was best to make alternate plans. So, definitely not holding my breath for any late offers. Thank you again. CPSO has been a life line!

  • 107. WRP Mom  |  April 8, 2012 at 10:33 pm

    Something doesn’t sound right. If your daughter’s score was 817, you should have received an offer from Lane. The cutoff for tier 4 is 814.4. Maybe you should call OAE for clarification.

  • 108. Kat P.  |  April 11, 2012 at 7:34 pm

    Hi, does someone know if I can get my sonin the neighborhood school where I work?

  • 109. BurleyBound???  |  April 12, 2012 at 9:28 am

    Prescott School….any thoughts or comments?

  • 110. RL Julia  |  April 12, 2012 at 10:36 am

    I would give Taft a second look – especially at the IB program before completely discounting it. It has a lot to offer. With an 817 – your daughter should have also been offered a spot at Taft AC. Might be worth a call to the central office -or at least to the Taft counselor (Ms. Eischen) /AC program director (Ms. Asvos) to see what’s up.

  • 111. Albany Park Mom  |  April 19, 2012 at 6:42 pm

    Does anyone have any info on two new elementary schools on the NW side: Lorca & Camras? I believe that they both opened last year. Thanks!

  • 112. KS  |  April 25, 2012 at 10:25 am

    Hi guys. My daughter is 3 yr. old and we live in the Nettelhorst neighborhood. I started looking more into it and I am not quite comfortable with the academic performance/scores at Nettelhorst. In addition, I have serious issues with them using Math Trailblazers. I have a graduate degree in mathematics and this seems like “math for kids who will never do anything serious with math.” How many other CPS schools are using this approach to teaching math? Do they use Trailblazers at Blaine, Bell, Lincoln Park?

    Anyway, I know there has been a lot of good publicity about Nettelhorst, and I love the idea of supporting the neighborhood school , but wanted to see what parents have to say about it. Also, do we know where kids end up after 8 years at Nettelhorst? What high schools do they get into?

    Thank you!

  • 113. RL Julia  |  May 3, 2012 at 9:43 am

    For a neighborhood CPS school (and several non-neighborhood schools) Nettelhorst actually has good test scores.

    Every math curriculum has it good and bad points, it supporters and those who can’t stand it. Lots of CPS schools use Everyday Math.

    Since I believe a group of parents from Nettelhorst wrote a book about revitalizing the school and “taking back” the neighborhood etc… I’d imagine that it might be hard to find an unenthusiastic parent easily. I’d say you are pretty lucky.

    Remember a school might have an awesome early education component but not such a strong middle years component

    Its hard to predict what the high school enviroment will be in eight years. Honestly, what is going on there now might not even be relevant in eight years. Eight years ago Northside College Prep and Payton hadn’t even graduated their first class of students.

  • 114. Albany Park Mom  |  May 3, 2012 at 10:50 am

    Hi all,
    Thinking about moving to the Dunning neighborhood on the far NW side. Any feedback on the elementary schools there? Locke? Bridge? Canty? Dever?

    Thank you!

  • 115. RL Julia  |  May 3, 2012 at 11:09 am

    Have a co-worker with two kids at Bridge -she likes it.
    Locke has a Middle Years IB program.

  • 116. jrwillliams  |  May 19, 2012 at 10:43 pm

    Let me start by saying kudos on your site. It’s great.

    My husband and I started researching preschools for our son in April. It seems like everything had to be in for CPS last October. We went to our neighborhood school and they said they had a 200 person waiting list! Are our only other options an expensive private school or waiting until 2013 to get him into kindergarten? What other suggestions, if any, would you have?

    Thanks!

  • 117. cpsobsessed  |  May 19, 2012 at 10:46 pm

    I am somewhat out of the preK loop now, but the park district used to be the go-to option before Blago gave us free preK. Yes, 5 years ago, everyone paid for preschool!
    There is at least one co-op program called Families Together. Perhaps others?
    Also, some preKs may offer 3 day options that are less pricey than every day options.

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

  • 118. Working mommy of 2  |  May 20, 2012 at 1:27 am

    We sent our 3-year-old to a park district Pre-K program this year and have been mostly happy with it. We had applied to our local CPS school but there wasn’t space for him. I wasn’t sure I wanted him to go to school five days a week at age 3 anyway, so I wasn’t too disappointed about getting shut out of CPS.

    Some pros about park district: 1) Variety of times/days to choose from. The schedule comes out at the end of July. Some programs allow you to register for the entire year, others for just one session (fall) and then you have to keep re-registering. 2) Cost. It is definitely the cheapest option of the pay options.

    Some cons about the park district: 1) I don’t think the “teachers” are actually certified teachers. They will do ABCs and numbers and shapes but they lack the depth that some of the better CPS schools offer. That said, it can vary from park district to park district. For our son’s first year, I really just wanted him to get used to separating from me (it wasn’t fun at the beginning) and it definitely allowed us to do that. He is a different kid for sure than he was in the fall. 2) It’s just as competitive to get into as CPS. Better be ready to hit the button at 9 a.m. sharp on registration day.

    I also have friends who were happy with the YMCA program. It’s more $$$ than park district but less than the private schools.

  • 119. jrwillliams  |  May 20, 2012 at 7:30 pm

    Thanks for your help cpsobsessed and Working mommy of 2! I’ll look into those programs.

  • 120. Albany park mom  |  May 20, 2012 at 7:41 pm

    Co-ops are a good option. Our child goes to North Park Covenant Church co-op. While it is in a church, the school is secular. We love it there! Depending on your child’s age, there may or may not be a wait list. It certainly isn’t 200!

  • 121. cpsobsessed  |  May 20, 2012 at 7:43 pm

    Joining NPN (neighborhood parents network) costs about $40 but can be a good investment when searching for pre-k. They maintain a list, plus the message board is great for info.

    Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

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