Academic Center Overview

Some of the Chicago Public Schools' best kept secrets are its Academic Centers. These are middle schools that offer accelerated programs for 7^th and 8^th graders and a guaranteed path into their associated high school. These schools are (in alphabetical order):

• Harlan Community Academy
• Kenwood Academy
• Lindblom Math and Science Academy
• Morgan Park High School
• Taft High School
• Whitney Young

Academic Centers offer increased academic challenge, the opportunity to earn early high school credits, and a path towards an excellent high school.

Competitive Intensity

Many parents are relatively unaware of Academic Centers. Since most elementary schools run through 8^th grade, school counselors may not proactively provide parents with information about Academic Centers and the Academic Center admissions process. Additionally, CPS generated information is sparse.

This situation is changing as parents increasingly seek out advanced programs. Competition for a seat at the best Academic Center (Whitney Young) is already fierce. Each year over 1,200 students apply for Whitney Young's 120 seats, so less than 10% are accepted. For 2009-2010, the Whitney Young cut-off (e.g., the lowest score of an accepted student) was 900 on the old 1,000 point scale, making the average score of an accepted student around 950-960.

Academics

Four of Chicago's six Academic Centers rank among the top 50 middle schools in the State of Illinois and their rankings are continuing to improve, as shown below.

Top Illinois Middle Schools, 2008-2009*

* Rankings based on a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of
ISAT and PSAE reading and math scores.

On another yardstick, the EXPLORE test, Academic Centers also do well. The EXPLORE is a test taken by 8^th and 9^th graders that helps assess college readiness. The EXPLORE has four sections: English, Math, Reading and Science. Mean composite EXPLORE scores achieved by each of the Academic Centers surpassed both City of Chicago and National scores by a comfortable margin as shown in the chart below.

8^th grade Composite EXPLORE, 2008*

8^th grade Composite EXPLORE Percentile, 2010

Converting these composite scores into percentages yields the following:

In sum, Academic Centers are among the best schools in the State of Illinois. If your 6^th grader is not being challenged in his/her current school, you should consider applying to an Academic Center.