A Quick Refresher: CPS tiers & 2025-26 SEHS Exam Score Cutoffs

CPS tiers are determined using three key factors:

• Four socioeconomic statistics from the census

• Percentage of people over 25 by level of education attained

• Public school composite ISAT scores, weighted by population of each school

Essentially, tiers are a way to measure CPS’s diversity. When competing for  a spot in a Selective Enrollment School, students compete with others only from their tier. These schools set aside 70% of admissions slots using the tier system. The other 30% are reserved for the highest scoring students regardless of residence, otherwise known as ‘rank’. Each individual school will then determine a cutoff score, which is the lowest total score a student from a specific socioeconomic tier will need to receive an admission offer. Further down are Selective Enrollment Schools and their cutoff scores.