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GoCPS

The plan — which will be finalized this summer — will prioritize improving students’ daily experiences in the classroom, addressing staffing and funding, and collaborating more closely with school communities.

Martinez said the district is working to find other options for transportation, such as adjusting bell times, but CPS has struggled to hire more bus drivers.

They’re responding to signals that Johnson and the school board want to shift resources to neighborhood public schools.

The move puts in motion Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise to reinvigorate neighborhood schools.

The admissions process has built up a reputation for being stressful on families, but many value the ability to choose a school they see as the best fit for their child.

The district will reschedule the test for eighth-graders who couldn’t finish.

Families use the application for entry to a variety of schools, including selective test-in schools and neighborhood schools outside of their attendance boundaries.

Four-year-olds will get priority, but officials say more than 30,000 spots are available across Chicago Public Schools and community-based early childhood providers. Families are encouraged to apply before May 2 to get an offer by May 19.

Applications for next school year are due Thursday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. Students can apply for magnet, gifted, selective enrollment, charter, and neighborhood schools through the GoCPS portal. Offers will be made in the spring.

The upheaval forced the district to make temporary changes, but some families and advocates worry about what the high-stakes ritual might look like next year and beyond.