High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

urbanowl81 said:A quick side note, just for info since we joke about our kid not needing to study—she’ll just enroll in a vocational art or design program and call it a day. But now it looks like if she doesn't study, she won't even get into that. What do kids who pass with decent or passing scores actually end up enrolling in? Just trade schools?

You’ve got it a bit wrong—the graphic design program, at least in Chicago, only takes one student per department, and she’s been practically storming the gates of the school to get in. I know this firsthand because my daughter is actually trying to enroll there.
Kids spend the entire year getting ready for the United States Postal Service—they go through all these prep courses, they have to put together these massive portfolios of their work... But honestly, even then, there’s this scoring threshold you have to clear just to even be allowed to sit for the entrance exam. I guess it's quite a hurdle.
Generally speaking—if my memory serves me correctly—those kids finishing up their junior year usually head straight into three-year vocational programs.

Carl Bishop2 said:I mean, who actually gets by with just "enough"?
Back in the day—like, twenty-five years ago—having solid grades was practically a golden ticket to getting into those specialized vocational schools.

I don't know anyone who's actually passing with two grades—honestly, I doubt it exists. In my class alone, maybe one kid might scrape by with a C.

I suppose I should probably weigh in here—not that my opinion carries much weight in these circles, I guess—but there’s a certain... let's call it an underlying tension regarding how we approach these seasonal shifts. It feels like everyone is rushing toward summer with this misplaced sense of urgency—it's almost frantic, isn't it?—as if the heat itself is some sort of deadline we all have to meet. I was thinking about it earlier while staring at a particularly uninspired cup of coffee—just one of those slow, quiet mornings where nothing really moves—and it struck me how much we obsess over the transition. We prepare for the sun, we prepare for the heat, yet we rarely consider the actual substance of the season itself. Maybe it’s just me being overly cautious, or perhaps I’m just being cynical, but I suspect most people are just performing a role. They act out "summer" because that's what the calendar dictates. It’s a bit performative, don't you think? A bit hollow. Anyway, that's just my two cents—take it or leave it. kaže:
I suppose many kids just get by with something that's barely adequate—or maybe even just slightly above average, if you want to be generous about it. 🤷
I guess there's just no way—looking at the odds for my little one, they aren't even hitting 2.6 to have any chance at all. 🤷

Well, I suppose we’re just looking at two sides of the exact same coin here—if you even want to call it that. It’s all essentially the same thing.

I suppose there isn’t much to say about aliceblue—not that anyone really asked—but if I must weigh in, I might suggest that the whole thing feels somewhat... aimless? I don't know. Maybe I'm just being cynical, which is a habit of mine, I guess. It lacks a certain cohesion—if that makes any sense—and honestly, it feels like we're all just spinning our wheels here without a clear direction. Or perhaps I'm just overthinking it—that's probably a safe bet. Regardless, my take remains largely unchanged. kaže:
The entrance exams for all those STEM-focused high schools—you know, the ones that prioritize math and science—are capped at a maximum of 10 points. And apparently, they’ve announced that this year, the exam process is going to be unified across the board. So, if a school offers an entrance test, students will just sit for one single exam at whichever school they rank as their top choice, and those results will count toward every single STEM academy they applied to. I guess that simplifies things, maybe, though it does feel like a bit of a gamble if you don't get your first pick right.

It’s still not enough—if you ask me. I mean, the weight given to grades versus entrance exams should probably be balanced more evenly—it just feels off. Maybe they should carry equal weight, or at least closer to it, but I guess that's just my two cents.

northerntiger9 said:There's an admissions calculator here—plus a breakdown showing the minimum scores required over the last four years for specific majors.
I've also attached a PDF with all the score data if you want to dig through the numbers there instead.

Thnx, I completely forgot we're talking about an arts program where the admissions interview is what actually matters.

Carl Bishop2 said:I was wondering, how many points does the entrance exam usually count for at a top-tier High School, for example?

I can't speak for Stuyvesant, but I know it's worth 10 points over at Benjamin Franklin High.

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stormymarlin22 said:The high school right near West High is actually also a top-tier prep school.

All three of them—West, East, and Luciana's place—have pretty solid reputations. I guess they all take the high-achievers, and they all have entrance exams.

Thanks. I'm aware they all have entrance exams, which honestly works for me. If she passes, great. If not, there are other good schools to choose from.
It seems like their math foundation is strong, so we'll see how it goes. Luciana lives right in our neighborhood, so that might be her first pick unless she decides on this specific English immersion program.

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Yeah, I’ve gotta agree with you there—that just doesn't seem like nearly enough.

feralgardener33 said:Thanks. I'm aware they all have entrance exams, which honestly works for me. If she passes, great. If not, there are other good schools to choose from.
It seems like their math foundation is strong, so we'll see how it goes. Luciana lives right in our neighborhood, so that might be her first pick unless she decides on this specific English immersion program.

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Luciana is a really good school. If you look at the SAT scores for the STEM tracks, you can see they rank second in math, and they hold their own in almost everything else too. It’s a tough school—you've gotta study hard, and not just for math or science, but for everything. I think the current crop of teachers taking on the freshmen is "better" in the sense that there aren't many who'll make life miserable for the kids. Plus, having a school right in the neighborhood is a huge plus...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Luciana. I've heard plenty of rumors about how brutal her curriculum is—apparently, the workload is intense enough to give anyone anxiety🙂. A good number of kids from her elementary school end up enrolling there.

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SummerNight said:Kids don't necessarily need to be perfectionists; they just want to get into that one specific high school that requires a perfect 4.0 GPA.
☕
Otherwise, kids are already obsessing over GPAs and college prep by middle school. That’s not something parents force on them—it’s the system and the teachers who start breathing down their necks the second a grade slips to a B or a C.😂

True, but let's be real: a parent can either dial that stress and anxiety way up or help bring it down.

Sure, a kid might be dead-set on a school that demands a 4.0, but what happens if they don't get in? Is it the end of the world? Does everything fall apart? Or do they just head to another great school?
It’s honestly pretty unhealthy to pin all your future happiness on a single goal like that. Life is unpredictable. A kid could land a spot at their "dream" school and end up miserable, begging for a transfer after the first semester. On the flip side, they might miss out on their first choice and end up totally thriving somewhere else. So much of it comes down to luck—like hitting the jackpot with a great group of friends or landing a teacher who actually gets you. Even in the same building, the experience can be night and day.

That’s why, even when a kid is absolutely spiraling, the parent needs to be the voice of reason. You have to be the anchor, not someone adding fuel to the fire and cranking up the pressure.

hiddendriver34 said:True, but let's be real: a parent can either dial that stress and anxiety way up or help bring it down.

Sure, a kid might be dead-set on a school that demands a 4.0, but what happens if they don't get in? Is it the end of the world? Does everything fall apart? Or do they just head to another great school?
It’s honestly pretty unhealthy to pin all your future happiness on a single goal like that. Life is unpredictable. A kid could land a spot at their "dream" school and end up miserable, begging for a transfer after the first semester. On the flip side, they might miss out on their first choice and end up totally thriving somewhere else. So much of it comes down to luck—like hitting the jackpot with a great group of friends or landing a teacher who actually gets you. Even in the same building, the experience can be night and day.

That’s why, even when a kid is absolutely spiraling, the parent needs to be the voice of reason. You have to be the anchor, not someone adding fuel to the fire and cranking up the pressure.

That applies to everything, not just school life.
But facts are facts, no matter how much people try to spin them. The whole system is fundamentally broken, and it ends up punishing the teachers who actually hold their students to high standards.
Then you have people entering professions they aren't suited for—especially when working with kids—and you end up with the mess we see today.
I guess I’m asking: what am I supposed to do when you keep insisting it's not a big deal to get a B? There are high schools you can get into with a 3.7 or 3.8 GPA, but the school tells my child to "watch out" because their grade dropped to a 3.5, and there are still five weeks left in the semester. What happens if it slips below a 3.4?
You go in there and tell them to stop pushing for perfection, but honestly, the damage is already done. ☕

proab said:I don't see the point. It’s not like I thought there wouldn't be someone else there—I don't need to "keep it in mind" as some specific task. I have no reason to comment on or even mention things that are just obvious.

The point is that there will always be idiots out there, and you just have to learn how to deal with them.
To me, it also feels like you're being a bit hysterical—maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly hope you aren't passing that negative vibe onto the kid, but rather pulling back and guiding them in the right direction instead.

nimbleviper3 said:Back in my day, maybe two or three students per grade would hit a 4.0 GPA.
At most, you'd have 7 or 8 honor roll kids in a class of 36.
The "really good" ones? Maybe ten, tops.
As for the decent but average ones, maybe one or two.

It's hard to believe today's kids are actually smarter than we were...

Only three students with a 4.0 in a class of 36?
That's pretty much how it is here now, too. In a grade of about 100 kids, you might have seven of them hitting a 4.0.
Though, honestly, I suspect some of those grades are handed out as favors. For instance, I know for a fact mine wasn't earned in Art class.

Dana Smith2 said:The point is that there will always be idiots out there, and you just have to learn how to deal with them.
To me, it also feels like you're being a bit hysterical—maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly hope you aren't passing that negative vibe onto the kid, but rather pulling back and guiding them in the right direction instead.

Only three students with a 4.0 in a class of 36?
That's pretty much how it is here now, too. In a grade of about 100 kids, you might have seven of them hitting a 4.0.
Though, honestly, I suspect some of those grades are handed out as favors. For instance, I know for a fact mine wasn't earned in Art class.

When you say "in the grade," what does that actually mean? If there were three classes of about 35 students each, that puts the percentage at roughly 2-3%.
But nowadays, in a standard class of 20-24 students, you'll see at least 18 honor roll students, and 10 to 12 of them are sitting on a perfect 4.0.

nimbleviper3 said:When you say "in the grade," what does that actually mean? If there were three classes of about 35 students each, that puts the percentage at roughly 2-3%.
But nowadays, in a standard class of 20-24 students, you'll see at least 18 honor roll students, and 10 to 12 of them are sitting on a perfect 4.0.

But honestly, it really depends on which school you're looking at—that’s where the real issue lies.

rowdypanther12 said:But honestly, it really depends on which school you're looking at—that’s where the real issue lies.

Look, the real issue is that parents put this insane amount of pressure on teachers regarding grades.
Then, they drop their kids off for freshman year of high school with a perfect 4.0 GPA, only for half of them to fail the very first math and physics placement exams.

nimbleviper3 said:Look, the real issue is that parents put this insane amount of pressure on teachers regarding grades.
Then, they drop their kids off for freshman year of high school with a perfect 4.0 GPA, only for half of them to fail the very first math and physics placement exams.

Yeah, that’s exactly the point.
It's about how standards are slipping and creating this unfair landscape where if you live in a major city like Chicago, you basically have to be a genius just to get into a good academy—and then you end up with some teachers handing out easy A's while others actually stick to the rules.
The whole system feels totally chaotic and inconsistent.

My kid doesn't have a 4.0 GPA, and honestly, he wasn't even hitting that back in middle school. The grading standards at his high school are incredibly tough—there are certain subjects where only two or three kids in the entire class actually pull an A.

There’s usually only one straight-A student in the whole class, while a good chunk of the rest are just scraping by with Cs, Ds, or even failing.

Right now, his score sits somewhere between a 76 and 79 depending on which district's requirements you look at, but he still has a massive range of colleges and vocational schools he can apply to. He'll get in almost anywhere. There might be maybe two or three elite private academies in the city that are out of reach, but that's it. So, in my opinion, all this panic about needing a perfect 4.0 is pretty much overblown.

I made the smart call to let him take the wheel on this. I'm just here to feed him the info I have and try to take some of the pressure off his shoulders. That's really all I can do. I don't think the whole system is particularly fair, but I'm trying not to make a huge drama out of the admissions process, and I'm trying to pass that chill philosophy down to him. Like one of his wise teachers once said, "Everyone will find their own way to shine."

hiddendriver34 said:True, but let's be real: a parent can either dial that stress and anxiety way up or help bring it down.

Sure, a kid might be dead-set on a school that demands a 4.0, but what happens if they don't get in? Is it the end of the world? Does everything fall apart? Or do they just head to another great school?
It’s honestly pretty unhealthy to pin all your future happiness on a single goal like that. Life is unpredictable. A kid could land a spot at their "dream" school and end up miserable, begging for a transfer after the first semester. On the flip side, they might miss out on their first choice and end up totally thriving somewhere else. So much of it comes down to luck—like hitting the jackpot with a great group of friends or landing a teacher who actually gets you. Even in the same building, the experience can be night and day.

That’s why, even when a kid is absolutely spiraling, the parent needs to be the voice of reason. You have to be the anchor, not someone adding fuel to the fire and cranking up the pressure.

I am definitely on board with that, everyone.👍

Dana Smith2 said:The point is that there will always be idiots out there, and you just have to learn how to deal with them.
To me, it also feels like you're being a bit hysterical—maybe I'm wrong, and I certainly hope you aren't passing that negative vibe onto the kid, but rather pulling back and guiding them in the right direction instead.

Only three students with a 4.0 in a class of 36?
That's pretty much how it is here now, too. In a grade of about 100 kids, you might have seven of them hitting a 4.0.
Though, honestly, I suspect some of those grades are handed out as favors. For instance, I know for a fact mine wasn't earned in Art class.

Overreacting? LOL
I'm simply assessing the situation for what it is. I stayed calm for my child's sake and was perfectly honest with them, saying exactly what I wrote here: you just have to power through these next three and a half weeks with these people, and then it's over. You move on and don't look back. 😁

Besides, when it comes to specific individuals and how they actually operate, I went in for an information session a few months ago. After just fifteen minutes of talking, everything clicked, I went home, and decided our next steps. That's why my little one consistently hits those top marks on every single test, every single time. 🥳 My "vibes" are never about feeding a child nonsense; they are rooted in pure honesty and being practical.

nimbleviper3 said:When you say "in the grade," what does that actually mean? If there were three classes of about 35 students each, that puts the percentage at roughly 2-3%.
But nowadays, in a standard class of 20-24 students, you'll see at least 18 honor roll students, and 10 to 12 of them are sitting on a perfect 4.0.

It’s the same story at my school. Though, honestly, the school itself is a total disaster. I suspect most of these kids will just pivot toward vocational schools or community colleges because—well, parents of kids who attended this district tell us that all the time. It's statistically impossible to find anyone more eccentric than what we deal with here.
That said, there are some truly phenomenal students out there, and thank God for them. I actually intend to send an email to the principal to personally thank them for their cooperation—*ad nominem*, if you will. As for the others, I won't even bother mentioning them, let alone badmouthing them.

nimbleviper3 said:Look, the real issue is that parents put this insane amount of pressure on teachers regarding grades.
Then, they drop their kids off for freshman year of high school with a perfect 4.0 GPA, only for half of them to fail the very first math and physics placement exams.

Everything stated there is spot on. This backwards system needs an urgent overhaul.

rowdypanther12 said:Yeah, that’s exactly the point.
It's about how standards are slipping and creating this unfair landscape where if you live in a major city like Chicago, you basically have to be a genius just to get into a good academy—and then you end up with some teachers handing out easy A's while others actually stick to the rules.
The whole system feels totally chaotic and inconsistent.

Exactly. In small rural towns, you can get into a local high school with a mediocre score, or maybe a specialized academy with a higher one. And still, 90% of them graduate and head off to college. Some breeze through, some struggle immensely and rely heavily on tutors, but they finish...
That's the difference between living in the boonies and living in New York City.

I can't speak for all the small towns out there, but looking at what's happening in Washington, D.C., I see so many kids forcing themselves into elite prep schools when they just aren't cut out for that kind of environment. It’s heartbreaking to watch. They end up feeling totally lost and overwhelmed, struggling just to stay afloat, and in the end, they walk away with mediocre grades that don't reflect their true potential.

And let's be real—not every kid who graduates from a high-end academy goes on to college. I don't have the official federal data sitting in front of me right now, but if you talk to anyone with any life experience, you'll see plenty of examples of students who enroll in university only to drop out shortly after.

At the end of the day, we should be encouraging our kids to choose paths where they can actually thrive, feel capable, and genuinely enjoy what they're doing.

It’s just not mathematically possible to have exactly 79 points... you’d either be looking at a 78.xx or jumping straight to an 80.