Requirements
In order to apply for Early Entrance to First Grade, students must:
- Turn six years old between September 2 and December 31 of the school year for which they are applying.
- Have attended preschool and kindergarten at the same non-CPS school (daycare centers do not qualify for this process).
- Have been taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher.
- Be deemed ready by the non-CPS school to work at the first grade level.
Early Entrance to First Grade Information Sheet
Steps to Apply
1
Email a required letter to gocps@cps.edu. Families also interested in applying for Selective Enrollment programs and/or participating in the initial round of the GoCPS application process must submit a qualifying letter on or before Friday, December 13, 2024 at 5 p.m.
2
The parent/legal guardian needs to obtain a letter signed by the principal or director of the student’s current school which verifies that the student:
- Attended the school for both preschool and kindergarten.
- Was taught in kindergarten by an appropriately certified teacher.
- Is ready for first grade work.
Note: If the student is interested in Choice/Selective Enrollment schools, this letter must be submitted to the Office of Access and Enrollment at gocps@cps.edu no later than 5 p.m. on December 13, 2024.
3
If the letter meets the requirements of the process, the Office of Access and Enrollment will contact the parent/guardian to select schools they wish to apply to. Note: If there is interest in applying to any Selective Enrollment program, the Office of Access and Enrollment will contact the parent/guardian to schedule a test.
If your child does not satisfy the requirements, or if the qualifying documentation is not provided upon enrollment, any first-grade seat awarded through the GoCPS application process may be forfeited. Your child will not be automatically entitled to receive a kindergarten offer to the program at which a seat was forfeit.