Chicago Selective Enrollment Scoring for 2026–27: What Is Confirmed

The change to the PreACT 9 Secure has created understandable confusion about Selective Enrollment scoring. Some websites still display the previous 900-point conversion as though nothing changed. CPS has confirmed the overall weighting but has not yet published every calculation detail for the new format.

What CPS has confirmed

For applicable points-based high-school programs, selections will continue to use 50% final seventh-grade marks and 50% HSAT scores. Selective Enrollment placement also considers available seats, the order in which the student ranks programs, and the student’s assigned tier.

What is still pending

CPS says further details about how test points will be calculated under the PreACT 9 Secure format will be shared near the beginning of the 2026–27 school year. The GoCPS resources page indicates updated scoring materials are expected later in August.

Why the old 900-point calculators are misleading

Several long-standing Chicago admissions resources still display a 900-point breakdown built around the previous exam's percentiles and subtests. Plugged into the new PreACT 9 Secure format, those calculators can produce a confident-looking number that has no official basis. Until CPS publishes the conversion for the current format, any specific projected point total should be treated as an estimate at best. Parents are better served planning around the confirmed structure — half grades, half test — than around a precise number the district has not endorsed.

How CPS selection actually works

For points-based Selective Enrollment programs, CPS orders eligible applicants by total points on each program they rank. Roughly 30% of seats are offered on rank-order merit citywide, and the remaining 70% are distributed across four socioeconomic tiers based on the applicant's home census tract. A student receives one best offer based on their ranking of programs and seat availability. This is why two students with identical scores can receive different outcomes: tier, the specific programs they ranked, and how they ordered those programs all factor in. Ranking strategy is a real part of the process, not an afterthought.

What families can control right now

• Seventh-grade grades. They are half of the framework and are already being earned. Protecting core-subject marks is the highest-leverage thing a family can do before any test score exists.
• Broad, honest test preparation. Prepare all four PreACT 9 sections, including the science-data reasoning that is unfamiliar to many students.
• A balanced, well-ordered school list. Build the list on genuine fit and realistic reach, and pay attention to the order in which programs are ranked.
• Patience with the rubric. Review the official CPS point documents and worksheets when they are released, and treat unofficial projections until then as speculation.

When the details are expected

CPS has indicated that the specific point calculations for the new format will be shared near the start of the 2026–27 school year, with updated scoring materials expected on the GoCPS resources pages. Because this is exactly the kind of detail that changes, families should confirm current figures on the official GoCPS high-school resources page rather than relying on any third-party summary, including this one.

PreACT, ACT, CPS, GoCPS, HSPT, and the Archdiocese of Chicago are referenced for informational purposes. Elevate Academic Prep is not affiliated with or endorsed by ACT, Chicago Public Schools, Scholastic Testing Service, or the Archdiocese of Chicago.