Frequently Asked Questions
About the Chicago International Charter School (CICS) Enrollment Process
Q: WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR MY CHILD TO BE ENROLLED AT A CICS CAMPUS?
A: The Chicago International Charter School is a non-selective school, which means that we do not evaluate grades and test scores prior to admission. CICS does not require that students have a minimum grade point average or test score. The only requirement is that your family lives in Chicago and the student is age appropriate for the grade he/she will be enrolling. If your family lives in a surrounding suburb, your child will not be eligible to attend any CICS campus.
Q: HOW MANY OPENINGS DOES EACH CICS CAMPUS HAVE EACH YEAR?
A: The number of available spots for students at a campus depends primarily on how many currently enrolled students choose to stay enrolled at that particular campus. Each year, CICS administrators determine how many open seats each campus will have after each enrolled student submits a form that tells Chicago International whether the student intends to return to the campus. These forms are due in January for high school students and in March for elementary school students.
Q: WHAT HAPPENS IF THERE ARE MORE APPLICANTS FOR A CAMPUS THAN THERE ARE AVAILABLE SPACES AT THAT CAMPUS?
A: If this happens, students who are not accepted via the lottery are placed on the waiting list in the sequence determined by the lottery. These students remain on the waiting list until the first official enrollment count date by Chicago Public Schools in late September. After that point, CICS enrollment will be closed and the waiting list purged. The CICS waiting list will not carry over from year to year, so you must complete a new application each year if you want your child to participate in the CICS lottery the next academic year.
Q: HOW DO I OBTAIN AN APPLICATION?
A: Parents interested in applying to CICS can obtain an application by calling CICS at (312) 651-5000. We will mail or fax it to you. You may also visit a CICS campus to obtain an application, or click here to download a copy. Please note: The completed CICS application must be submitted to our main office at: 228 South Wabash, Ste. 500, Chicago, IL 60604, or faxed to (312) 651-5001.
Q: HOW DOES CICS ADMIT STUDENTS?
A: Chicago International's main office manages the admission process for the eleven CICS campuses. CICS students are admitted each year through a lottery process, which ensures that each student is treated fairly. Students are not admitted
on a first-come, first-served basis. In order for your child to be included in the CICS lottery, you must submit a complete application to the CICS main office by the lottery deadline printed on the application. During the lottery, students are randomly selected through a computerized process to fill the seats available for each grade on each campus. If a child's
name is picked during the lottery, that child will be accepted. If a child's name is picked during the lottery and their first choice campus was filled, the student would be admitted to their second choice. If the second choice was filled, the child would be admitted to their third choice and so on. Children who are not accepted during the lottery are randomly placed on a waiting list.
Q: I WANT MY CHILDREN TO ATTEND THE SAME CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS. DO YOU GIVE PREFERENCE TO SIBLINGS?
A: Siblings of students currently enrolled on a CICS campus are given preference when applying to Chicago International. Sibling preference is not a guarantee of acceptance into the campus. If there are more siblings interested in attending a particular Chicago International campus than open seats, the siblings are placed in a random lottery and accepted in the order indicated by the computerized lottery programs. CICS gives siblings preference only if their applications are received before the lottery deadline. No preference is given to applications received after the deadline has passed.
Q: WHEN WILL I RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF WHETHER OR NOT MY CHILD CAN ENROLL?
A: The lottery is open to the public and parents are welcome to attend. Additionally, the results of the lottery are mailed to all parents the day following the lottery. The lottery takes place in February for high school students and April for elementary grades.
Q: I RECEIVED A LETTER THAT MY CHILD IS ON THE WAITING LIST. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
A: That letter explains that your child was not accepted during the lottery and was placed on a waiting list. If seats become available at CICS during the enrollment period, we will admit students from the waiting list, in numerical order, to fill the available vacancies. Parents will be notified of the student's acceptance either by phone or mail.
Q: HOW LONG WILL MY CHILD BE ON THE WAITING LIST?
A: The waiting list becomes active on the date of the lottery and expires on the first Chicago Public School late enrollment date, near the end of September each year.
Q: MY CHILD WAS NOT ACCEPTED OFF OF THE WAITING LIST. DO I HAVE TO REAPPLY OR DOES THE WAITING LIST CARRY OVER TO THE NEXT SCHOOL YEAR?
A: Yes, if you want your child to participate in our lottery next year, you must complete a new application and submit it by the lottery deadline. The waiting list is purged each year.
Q: I HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD. DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR EACH CHILD?
A: Yes. A completed application and the additional required documentation must be submitted to CICS for each child.
Q: I HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD WHO IS APPLYING TO ATTEND CICS. BEING THAT YOU ADMIT BY LOTTERY, WHAT HAPPENS IF ONLY ONE OF CHILD IS ACCEPTED?
A: Due to the random nature of a lottery, it is possible that only one child will be accepted and the other sibling will be placed on the waiting list. CICS understands that this scenario is a problem for parents. In an attempt to alleviate the problem, we have enacted the sibling preference policy. An applicant is given sibling preference when he or she has a brother or sister, (no cousins or other relatives will be considered siblings) who is currently enrolled at a CICS campus. If there are vacancies for the grade that the prospective student is applying for, siblings will be accepted before non-sibling prospective students to fill the available seats.
Q: I RECEIVED MY APPLICATION BACK IN THE MAIL WITH A LETTER THAT STATED I DID NOT SUBMIT EVERYTHING. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
A: At the top of the application, there is a list of all of the documents required. Applications submitted without those documents are considered incomplete and will be returned. Simply make copies of the documents that you were missing and send everything back to CICS's office before the application deadline.
Q: I MISSED THE APPLICATION DEADLINE. MAY I STILL SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR MY CHILD?
A: Yes, however your child will be placed on the waiting list in the order that we receive the application. If there are vacancies at CICS during the enrollment period, we will admit students off of the waiting list to fill the available seats. CICS will admit the students in numerical order. Parents will be notified of the child's acceptance either by phone or by mail.
Q: MAY I FAX MY APPLICATION ALONG WITH ALL OF THE REQUESTED DOCUMENTS TO YOUR OFFICE?
A: Yes. You may fax the completed application along with the requested documents to the CICS office. The fax number is (312) 651-5001.
Q: MAY I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION ALONG WITH ALL OF THE REQUESTED DOCUMENTS TO THE CICS CAMPUS THAT I WOULD LIKE MY CHILD TO ATTEND?
A: Yes. You may submit the application and additional documentation at a CICS campus. The school will then mail your information to our main office. Please note: Leaving your application at a CICS campus is a two-step process. We recommend that you send it directly to our main office via mail, fax, or drop-off to eliminate a step.
Q: CAN I DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION ONLINE?
A: Yes. The application is available to download from our Web site. Please note: You cannot submit the application online because we request additional documentation.
Q: WHAT IF I DECIDE TO WITHDRAW MY STUDENT FROM CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL?
A: You must complete and sign a withdrawal form that identifies the name of the school where your student will enroll. Chicago International then sends your child's file to the receiving school. A Chicago International staff member confirms that your child has enrolled in the receiving school and makes the changes in the CPS Student Information System.
Q: WHAT IF I WANT TO TRANSFER MY CHILD TO ANOTHER CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL CAMPUS?
A: You must fill out and sign a CICS transfer form. Students must have attended a CICS campus for one full year
before requesting a transfer to another campus. If the requested campus has space, the student transfers the following academic year.
For more information on enrolling your child, visit Application Information.
Or to download an application, visit Enrollment Application.
If you have additional questions regarding the admissions process, please call:
Chicago International Charter School at (312) 651-5000.
