How we calculate this

Data sources and year

• GoCPS school admissions pages: last cycle's applicants and offers for each program (retrieved Nov 2026).
• Illinois Report Card 2026: state ratings and class sizes.
• CPS school data for SY2024–25: school type, location and student mix.

Counts can cover all entry grades, not only kindergarten. Some schools have no counts, so we use a rough estimate.

What we model

• Starting point: last cycle's offers ÷ applicants for each school.
• Sibling: an older brother or sister at that school (K or above) raises the chance there.
• Close to home: living within 1.5 miles of a magnet school that uses this priority.
• Tier: your tier (1 to 4) at magnet and selective schools.
• Your whole list: a high end that treats each lottery as separate, and a more careful low end. Many families apply to the same popular schools.

What we don't model

• How many families apply this year. This changes every year.
• Exact seat counts per tier or per program.
• Test-in programs, special education seats and other special rules.
• Waitlist movement after offers go out.

CPS makes all decisions

Only CPS decides who gets an offer. This tool is not affiliated with Chicago Public Schools. Rules can change each year.