Portrait of Our 8th Grade Graduate

• The eighth-grade year is important but can be stressful when choosing your high school. Below are some helpful hints to help navigate this final year of middle school: 

• Attend “shadow days” at prospective schools. 

• Attend open houses – and visit again if necessary to get a better feel for the culture. 

• Attend events at prospective schools - sporting events, plays, etc.

• Schedule one-on-one with Ms. Blazkow, St. Benedict School Counselor, or Ms. Deletioglu. 

• Prep for the enrollment tests - http://selectiveprep.com/ 

 Helpful Links: 

• Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic High School Admissions and Registration Parent Guide 

• Through the “Invest in Kids Act,” Illinois children from median- and low-income households who want to attend private schools have access to scholarships: https://schools.archchicago.org/applying-for-a-tax-credit-scholarship

• CPS FAQs 

 Catholic High School Application Process 

Many families are interested in continuing the Catholic education process for their child into their high school years. Recent St. Benedict Prep alums attend several area Catholic high schools such St. Ignatius, Loyola Academy, DePaul Prep, Fenwick High School, Notre Dame High School and St. Patrick High School, to name a few. 

 Some items for students and parents to consider when applying for area Catholic high schools: 

• Each school has unique applications procedures. 

• Application process often discussed with parents on test day while your student is testing 

• The application process begins on test day. 

• Students may only apply or test for one school. 

• Acceptance letters for all schools are typically mailed before February following the test. 

For more information, please visit the Archdiocese High School page, where you can search by geographic area. 

 Chicago Public School (CPS) Application Process: 

•  There is ONE application for all CPS schools, and a single entrance exam for all selective enrollment high schools. 

• CPS provides specific directions for non-CPS students interested in applying.

• You may rank up to 20 CPS choices, including 6 Selective Enrollment High Schools. 

• There is ONE entrance exam in order to apply to any CPS school

• The results of the selection process are sent in late Spring. Applicants who have been selected for admission also receive an information packet from the schools that selected them. 

• Applicants have approximately two weeks to accept an offer of admission. Failure to respond to the selective enrollment high school by the deadline date results in a loss of admission to that school. 

• CPS administers its own version of a standardized test/entrance exam and does not release the type/name of the test. 

• The entrance exam is approximately 3 hours long. 

• The exam includes reading comprehension, vocabulary, language arts (grammar) and math word problems. 

• Calculators are not allowed (unless it is an accommodation on the student’s IEP).