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CPS Selective Enrollment High School

Whitney M. Young Magnet High School

Near West Side · 2,200 students

Admission cutoff scores

Approximate published cutoffs for the 900-point composite (450 HSAT + 450 7th-grade GPA).

Tier 1
813
lowest socioeconomic group
Tier 2
838
Tier 3
858
Tier 4
870
highest socioeconomic group
Rank-all
880
top 30% across all tiers

About Whitney Young

  • Largest of the top SEHS programs.
  • Strong arts, academic decathlon, and athletics.

Official school website →

How to prep for the Whitney Young cutoff

Whitney Young requires near-perfect performance to clear the rank-all (top 30%) cutoff. Focus on:

  • Strong 7th-grade core grades (A in English, Math, Science, Social Studies = 450 GPA points).
  • HSAT preparation that reaches the 430 HSAT-points target (96% of the HSAT max).
  • Multiple full-length timed mocks under real-test conditions before the October test.
  • Vocabulary mastery — the Reading section relies on academic vocabulary heavily.
  • Mental math fluency — no calculator on test day.

Cutoff data is approximate and changes year to year. Treat as a target, not a guarantee. The official source of truth is the GoCPS portal at cps.edu/gocps.