Data sources
Last updated: September 20, 2026
In short
- School facts on SchoolNav come from the public sources listed below. They are not written by an AI model.
- Each school fact in the app shows its source and the date it was last checked, so you can judge how fresh it is.
- When a source has no value, the app says "unknown." It does not fill the gap with a guess.
- Cutoff scores are copied by hand from CPS documents, and some dates come from community reports. Treat them as context, not as odds, and verify in GoCPS.
This box is a summary. The full text below is what applies.
How to read the data
SchoolNav is not affiliated with Chicago Public Schools. The publishers below own their data, and SchoolNav credits each one where its data appears. Being listed here does not mean a publisher endorses SchoolNav.
New data is checked before it replaces what the app shows. If a refresh fails, the app keeps the earlier value with its earlier date. Likelihood bands appear only for programs that admit by points, because CPS publishes cutoff scores for them. CPS does not publish lottery odds or waitlist movement, so the app shows neither.
Community posts are separate from this data. They are parents’ own reports, shown as written, and they are not verified. Practice questions are original SchoolNav material, not CPS or ACT material.
CPS schools and programs
School directory: name, address, grades, and network
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools, on the City of Chicago Data Portal
- Source
- CPS School Profile Information dataset
- Used for
- School pages, search, and maps.
- Refreshed
- Each fall, when CPS posts the new school year.
Program directory: programs, grades, how students are selected, and applicants and seats
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools
- Source
- CPS school profile service (api.cps.edu)
- Used for
- Program lists, Compare, and applicants per seat.
- Refreshed
- Each fall, when CPS posts the new program year.
High school eligibility and selection requirements
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools
- Source
- GoCPS high school resources
- Used for
- What each program requires.
- Refreshed
- Once a year.
Attendance boundaries
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools, on the City of Chicago Data Portal
- Source
- Elementary and high school attendance boundary datasets
- Used for
- Neighborhood school lookup and the attendance-area points bonus.
- Refreshed
- Each fall.
Address lookup and CPS tier map
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools
- Source
- The CPS address and tier map services used by the GoCPS school search
- Used for
- Finding the tier (1 to 4) for a saved address.
- Refreshed
- Looked up live. The tier map changes once a year.
Community areas
- Publisher
- City of Chicago
- Source
- Chicago community areas boundary dataset
- Used for
- Neighborhood pages.
- Refreshed
- Rarely changes.
School performance and climate
Test results, growth, demographics, attendance, and state designation
- Publisher
- Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
- Source
- Illinois Report Card public data set
- Used for
- School pages and Compare.
- Refreshed
- Once a year, in late fall.
5Essentials survey levels
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools, on the City of Chicago Data Portal
- Source
- School Progress Reports dataset
- Used for
- School climate summary.
- Refreshed
- Each fall.
5Essentials survey measures
- Publisher
- UChicago Impact
- Source
- 5-essentials.org CPS reports
- Used for
- The detail under each climate level.
- Refreshed
- Once a year, after the survey.
Cutoff scores and dates
CPS does not publish these as data files. The figures below are copied by hand or gathered from announcements, so SchoolNav labels them as estimated context.
Selective enrollment cutoff scores, by tier
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools
- Source
- CPS "Initial Offer Point Totals" documents
- Used for
- Likelihood bands and cutoff history.
- Refreshed
- Once a year, after first-round offers.
Choice high school point totals
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools
- Source
- CPS Choice point total documents
- Used for
- Likelihood bands for points-based Choice programs.
- Refreshed
- Once a year, after first-round offers.
Application, results, and waitlist dates
- Publisher
- Chicago Public Schools, with past years cross-checked against chicagoschooloptions.com
- Source
- CPS and GoCPS announcements
- Used for
- Key dates and reminders.
- Refreshed
- Each cycle, as CPS announces dates.
Tour and open house dates
- Publisher
- Each school
- Source
- The school’s own website
- Used for
- Tour listings, each linked to the school’s page.
- Refreshed
- Weekly from August to January.
Schools outside CPS
Private schools in the six-county Chicago area
- Publisher
- Illinois State Board of Education
- Source
- Directory of Educational Entities
- Used for
- The fallback planner.
- Refreshed
- Once a year.
Private school enrollment and location
- Publisher
- National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Source
- Private School Universe Survey
- Used for
- Cross-checking the private school list.
- Refreshed
- Every two years.
Suburban public schools
- Publisher
- NCES, served by the Urban Institute Education Data Portal
- Source
- Common Core of Data school directory
- Used for
- The fallback planner.
- Refreshed
- Once a year.
Catholic schools in Cook and Lake counties
- Publisher
- Archdiocese of Chicago
- Source
- Archdiocese school directory
- Used for
- School websites and admissions links.
- Refreshed
- Once a year.
Deposit deadlines, tuition, and admissions steps for a set of private schools
- Publisher
- Each school
- Source
- The school’s own admissions page, read from the Internet Archive Wayback Machine copy
- Used for
- The fallback planner, in the school’s own words and linked to the page.
- Refreshed
- Once a year, between January and March.
See something wrong?
Email hello@schoolnav.app with the school, the fact, and where you saw the correct value. The Terms of Service explain the limits of this data.