Chicago · Selective Enrollment Elementary · 2027-28 admission · Checked November 1, 2026
CPS gifted and classical testing,
with 2026 cutoff scores
Chicago’s Regional Gifted Centers, Classical schools and Academic Centers all need an admissions test. Here is what each test measures, when testing happens, how offers are made by rank and tier, and the official minimum scores from 2026.
Independent guide. iMasterly is not affiliated with Chicago Public Schools (CPS), Illinois. Every fact below links to the district's own page.
Quick answer
How do Chicago gifted and classical school admissions work?
Apply on GoCPS (September 9 to November 13, 2026) and schedule the test before the deadline; testing runs from October into January or early February. Regional Gifted Centers use a reasoning test, Classical schools use a reading and math test. Scores become points: the top 30% of seats go by points alone, and the other 70% are split equally across four tiers. Offers come out March 12, 2027.
Source: GoCPS admissions testing and GoCPS selection process · Updated
Chicago at a glance
Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES): Regional Gifted Centers, Classical Schools, Academic Centers
| What the district says | |
|---|---|
| Regional Gifted Center (RGC) test | Reasoning: abstract thinking and solving problems with new information. Composite plus Verbal and Non-Verbal scores. English only |
| Classical test | Achievement in math and reading, reported as standard scores and percentiles. English only |
| EL Regional Gifted Center test | Reasoning, given in Spanish or Polish. One composite score |
| Kindergarten | One-on-one with an examiner; Classical and RGC tested in one session |
| Grades 1-8 | Paper-and-pencil in a group; Classical and RGC on separate days |
| Retakes | None. Once a child has seen the test, they cannot retake it for that year |
Key dates for 2026-27
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| September 9, 2026 | GoCPS application for 2027-28 opens (10:00 AM) |
| October 14 - December 11, 2026 | Single-subject and whole-grade acceleration application |
| October 2026 - early February 2027 | Admissions testing (by appointment; must be scheduled before the application closes) |
| November 13, 2026 | GoCPS application closes (5:00 PM) |
| Mid-to-late January 2027 | Academic Center testing (grade 7 entry) |
| March 12, 2027 | Initial offers released, with test scores |
| Spring 2027 | Testing window for families who missed fall, for rolling waitlists |
Which test your child takes
It depends on the programs on your application. The Regional Gifted Centers and the Academic Centers share one reasoning test. The Classical schools use a reading and math achievement test. The Regional Gifted Centers for English Learners have their own reasoning test in Spanish or Polish.
Kindergarten applicants take the Classical and RGC tests together, one-on-one, on weekday afternoons (Tuesdays and Thursdays) or Fridays. Grades 1-8 test in groups on weekends from late October or November, at the Illinois Institute of Technology; EL RGC testing is on select Saturdays at Orozco, Pulaski or Greeley.
For grades 5-8, a child can only test with a minimum GPA from the previous year in reading, math, science and social science: 3.0 for Classical and RGC, 2.5 for Academic Centers and EL RGC.
How offers are made
Test scores (plus last year’s grades, for Academic Centers) are turned into points. Applicants line up in point order for every program they listed.
The first 30% of seats go to the highest point totals regardless of tier. The remaining 70% are split equally among the four tiers, and in each tier the highest points get the seats. Tier only matters at the entry grade: kindergarten for most programs, grade 1 at Beaubien and Keller, and grade 7 for Academic Centers.
A child can get one offer in each of three categories: Academic Centers; Classical and Regional Gifted Centers together; and EL Regional Gifted Centers. Getting your highest-ranked program removes you from the line for programs ranked lower.
Tiebreakers
When point totals tie, CPS breaks the tie in this order:
- Classical: math standard score, then reading standard score (grades 1-8), then lottery
- Regional Gifted Centers: Non-Verbal score, then Verbal score, then lottery
- Academic Centers: composite, Non-Verbal, Verbal, then lottery
- EL Regional Gifted Centers: composite, then lottery
Minimum point totals from 2026 offers
These are the lowest point totals that received an initial offer for 2026-27 at each school, by rank (seats filled by points alone) and by tier. Regional Gifted Centers are out of 300 points; Classical schools add reading and math, each out of 150.
| School | Rank | Tier 4 | Tier 3 | Tier 2 | Tier 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RGC: Beasley | 192.5 | 172.5 | 172.5 | 167.5 | 162.5 |
| RGC: Beaubien (entry grade 1) | 232.5 | 210 | 210 | 150 | n/a |
| RGC: Bell | 262.5 | 252.5 | 230 | 200 | 180 |
| RGC: Carnegie | 182.5 | 172.5 | 172.5 | 162.5 | 160 |
| RGC: Edison | 252.5 | 247.5 | 230 | 210 | 167.5 |
| RGC: Keller (entry grade 1) | 230 | 202.5 | 215 | 212.5 | 180 |
| RGC: Lenart | 227.5 | 200 | 205 | 195 | 182.5 |
| RGC: McPherson | 242.5 | 235 | 222.5 | 182.5 | 152.5 |
| RGC: Morton | 212.5 | 210 | 175 | 170 | 150 |
| RGC: National Teachers | 220 | 200 | 192.5 | 165 | 190 |
| RGC: Pritzker | 245 | 240 | 227.5 | 202.5 | 152.5 |
| Classical: Bronzeville | 230 | 207.5 | 208.8 | 208.8 | 177.5 |
| Classical: Decatur | 241.3 | 233.8 | 215 | 182.5 | 157.2 |
| Classical: McDade | 206.3 | 196.3 | 191.3 | 183.8 | 171.3 |
| Classical: Poe | 202.5 | 190 | 191.3 | 176.3 | 160 |
| Classical: Skinner | 236.3 | 233.8 | 217.5 | 208.8 | 202.5 |
| Classical: Skinner North | 257.5 | 238.8 | 223.8 | 210 | 191.3 |
| Classical: Sor Juana | 180 | 158.8 | 157.5 | 171.3 | 156.3 |
Source: GoCPS "SEES Initial Offer Point Totals", offers released March 13, 2026, updated May 5, 2026. Kindergarten is the entry grade except where noted. CPS says each year’s minimums depend on that year’s applicants and seats, so use these as a guide only. To join a waitlist, a child needs at least 150 of 300 points for Regional Gifted Centers, and at least 75 of 150 in both reading and math for Classical schools.
What to do as a parent
- Apply on GoCPS between September 9 and November 13, 2026, and rank only programs you would accept.
- Book the test in the application, then submit the application within one hour, or the test booking is deleted. Book early: sessions fill first come, first served.
- For grades 5-8, check the GPA minimum before booking.
- Do not take a sick child to the test. Reschedule in the portal if the deadline to schedule has not passed, because there is no retake.
- Offers and scores arrive March 12, 2027. If you miss fall testing, a spring window feeds the rolling waitlists.
Try a few general reasoning puzzles
CPS does not publish its test and does not endorse any prep. These are original reasoning items in common gifted-test styles, not CPS questions, so they only take away the surprise of the format.
Questions parents ask
What score do you need for a Regional Gifted Center?
What is the difference between a Regional Gifted Center and a Classical school?
Can my child retake the CPS selective enrollment test?
Does CPS recommend any test prep?
How do tiers work?
Can my child get more than one offer?
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from Chicago's own pages, read on November 1, 2026. Dates can change during the year, so confirm anything you plan around. Last reviewed .
Other district guides
More districts, with testing windows and referral deadlines: gifted testing dates 2026-27.
Know the format before test day
Short practice in the real question types, with every wrong answer explained, so test day holds no surprises.