Jones College Preparatory School

Contact Information

Admissions

The average score of an admitted student has jumped dramatically from 860 in 2004-2005 to 923 in 2009-2010 (+ 63 points) on the 1,000 point admissions scale. This past year admissions scores increased dramatically (+23 points) on an adjusted basis (taking into account the new lower 900 point admissions scale to 853.

Programs

Jones College Prep opened as Jones Academic Magnet in 1938, then morphed into a business-focused school, first as Jones Commercial High School then as Jones Metropolitan High School of Business and Commerce. Jones College Prep, currently a member of the Chicago Public High Schools Magnet Program, became a Selective Enrollment High School in 1999. In ten short years, Jones has attracted the highest number of applicants for freshman spots of any Selective Enrollment High School.

Activities/Clubs/Sports

Currently Jones has no local sports facility, except for the school's fitness center which contains athletic and workout equipment. Most other athletic activities take place at the Near North Gym and Athletic Field located several miles away. Despite the lack of an on-site gym, Jones students participate in a variety of sports including baseball, basketball, bowling, cheerleading, cross country, rowing, soccer, softball, track & field, and volleyball. However after years of litigation, the Pacific Garden Mission next door has been demolished to make way for Jones College Prep's million expansion project. There are two competing plans, one that would enroll 900 Selective Enrollment students and a second that would add an additional 300 students from the neighborhood.

Students can choose from over 50 clubs including ethnic (e.g., African American Club, Asian Culture Club, Association of Latin American Students, German Club, Irish Club, Jewish Club, etc.), academic (Debate Team, History Fair, Math Team, National Honor Society, Science Club, etc.), civic (e.g., Close-Up Washington, Democracy Matters, Diversity Club, Eco-City Club, Student Council, etc.) and cultural (e.g., Band/Community Orchestra, Collage Art Initiative, Eagle Dance Team, Filmmakers Club, Gospel Choir, Jazz Club, Theatre Production, Writer's Club, etc.)

Academics

The ACT is the most widely used college admissions test, so its scores are a useful guide for comparing high school academic performance. The test contains four sections: English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science, a composite score is the average of these sections. The score of any of these sections and the composite range from 1 to 36.

Selective Enrollment High School students achieved an average composite score of 24.1 (77^th percentile nationally) in 2009. This compares to Jones' 2009 composite of 24.5 (77^th percentile nationally) and Chicago's 17.6 (30^th nationally).

Jones' 2009 composite ACT scores are significantly above both the national and the District (City of Chicago) average as shown below.

Trends in ACT Scores

From 2005 to 2009, Jones' composite ACT score has moved up slightly from 71^st percentile in 2005 to 77^th percentile in 2009 as shown below. This is less than one may have expected given the dramatic increase in admissions scores among incoming freshman.

Jones' State of Illinois Ranking

• State of Illinois rank: 11. In 2009, Jones College Prep was ranked 11^th in the state, based on a Chicago Sun-Times analysis of average 11^th grade reading and math scores on the Prairie State Exams. This is down from 9^th in 2008.
• Percentile: 76.27%. The percentile of students statewide who scored the same or worse than the average student at Jones rose from 67.72% in 2007 to 76.58% in 2008 but declined slightly in 2009 to 76.27% in 2009.

For additional academic information about Jones, click here for a state report card.