Help more Chicago families choose a school with less stress
SchoolNav is a free structured walkthrough for choosing a CPS school. Most families find us because someone they know mentioned us. This page explains why that matters and the easy ways you can help.
Why your help matters
The free plan is for every family
Some families can pay for a consultant or a tutor, and many cannot. The free plan gives every family the same step-by-step guide, so knowing how CPS works does not depend on money or connections.
A clear plan leads to better choices
When a family knows the steps, the deadlines and the trade-offs, they choose schools on purpose instead of by rumor. A school that fits a child can change how that child feels about learning for years.
Less confusion helps everyone
Calmer parents ask better questions at tours, fill in fewer wrong forms and trust their own judgment more. Schools, neighbors and kids all gain when families decide with clear facts.
What every family gets for free
A family only needs an email address to sign up. The free plan includes:
- A 6-step guide and checklist for your child’s application
- Help for Pre-K, elementary school and high school
- Plain guides and simulators that show how CPS rules work
- School comparisons ranked by what matters to your family
- Tour planning, tour notes and questions to ask
- Shared views for co-parents and for every child
- Parent groups for your current and future schools
The plans page explains each one.
If you remember one thing: just ask
- The ask is the whole thing. Many people will not check it out even when asked. Nobody will if nobody asks. Your words do not have to be perfect. "Check it out" and "pass it on" are enough.
- Ask people by name. "Hey Maria, check this out" gets a reply. A post to everyone gets a scroll. Do both, but start with names.
- Say it when it comes up, not just today. The best moment is when someone mentions schools, tests, tiers or lotteries. A link that answers their question gets clicked.
- Always ask them to pass it on. Every note on this page ends that way. One mention reaches one family. A mention that gets passed on reaches a neighborhood.
Easy ways to help
Each one takes a minute or less. Copy any note below as it is, or change the words to sound like you.
Step 1: Tell everyone you know who has a tie to Chicago
Almost everyone in Chicago is one step away from someone going through CPS. That is why a mention to anyone, not just parents, helps. Every five seconds you spend dropping a mention helps a lot. Some people to think of:
- Parents of young kids, because they will apply soon.
- Parents of older kids, because they know families who are just starting.
- Friends without kids, because they have siblings, coworkers and neighbors who are parents, and they hang out in community groups full of parents.
- Grandparents, aunts and uncles, because they often help with school decisions.
- Friends who moved away, because they still know people in Chicago.
- Teachers, coaches, tutors, babysitters and child care staff, because parents ask them about schools all the time.
- Your coworkers, because many of them are Chicago parents too.
Step 2: Send a quick note
Pick the note that fits the person, then copy it, text it or email it.
A text to a parent you know
Oh! I promised I would spread the word about this: https://schoolnav.app. Free site that walks you through CPS applications step by step. Actually really good. Pass it on?
An email to someone you know
Hi! Quick one. I came across a site that makes CPS school decisions way less confusing: https://schoolnav.app. It is free, it walks you through the whole thing step by step, and I promised I would spread the word. It would be rad if you did the same. Good cause.
If a friend sent you this page
A friend asked me to pass this on, and it is actually worth it: https://schoolnav.app. Free site that walks you through CPS school decisions step by step, from Pre-K to high school. Check it out and keep it going.
A message in a work chat or parents channel
Chicago parents: heads up on https://schoolnav.app. Free site that walks you through the CPS application step by step, from Pre-K to high school. I promised I would spread the word, so here I am spreading it. Pass it along to anyone who is applying.
A note from someone who moved away
I am not in Chicago anymore, but I know plenty of you still are. If you or anyone you know is picking a CPS school, check out https://schoolnav.app. It is free and it makes the whole thing way less confusing. I promised I would spread the word, so pass it on!
Step 3: Post in your groups
Neighborhood Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups, school parent groups and Nextdoor are full of Chicago parents. Check each group’s rules first. Many Chicago groups welcome posts about local businesses, and some ask for one post a month.
A post in a Facebook, WhatsApp or neighborhood group
Just checked out a new free site that makes CPS school decisions way less confusing: https://schoolnav.app. Game changer for anyone applying this year, from Pre-K to high school. I am spreading the word because I think it could help a lot of folks in this group. They are also taking ideas from the community at ideas@schoolnav.app. Worth a look, and worth passing on.
The best time to share is when a parent asks a question about CPS. A reply with a link answers their question right away.
A reply when someone in a group asks how CPS works
Check out https://schoolnav.app/guides/how-the-cps-cycle-works. Free, and it walks you through the whole CPS thing step by step: the deadlines, the points, the tiers. Made it all way less confusing.
Step 4: Say it out loud
Parents talk about schools wherever they gather. You could say something like this:
Oh! I promised I would spread the word about this site, schoolnav.app. It walks you through the whole CPS application step by step, so it is way less confusing. It is actually pretty cool. Everyone should check it out and keep passing it on.
Good places to say it:
- Your kids’ sports teams, music lessons and after-school activities
- School pickup and drop-off
- Birthday parties and playdates
- Your book club, card club or running group
- Your place of worship
- Your block club or neighborhood meeting
The sharing page has a code people can scan with their phone camera, so they can take the link with them.
Step 5: Connect the people parents already listen to
Some people talk with dozens of parents a week. One note to them reaches more families than a hundred posts. Think of:
- A tutor or test-prep teacher
- A daycare or preschool director
- A coach, a music teacher or a scout leader
- A friend on a Friends-of group, a PTA or a Local School Council
- A pediatrician, a librarian or a pastor
We have free one-page handouts for schools, churches and child care centers, with their name on them, and a partnership program for tutors. Send them this note, and they can write to team@schoolnav.app to get one.
To a tutor, a daycare director, a coach, or a Friends-of or LSC friend
You talk with a lot of parents who are going through CPS applications. Have you seen https://schoolnav.app? It is a free site that walks families through the whole thing step by step. They have free handouts for schools, churches and child care centers, and a partnership program for tutors. Email team@schoolnav.app and they will set you up. And please pass it on.
Step 6: Start a conversation, and invite others in
The community has a group for every school (you need a free account to post). Ask a real question there, or answer one, and then invite a parent you know to join the thread. A group with a conversation going is worth a lot more to the next family than an empty one.
Step 7: Tell us what to build next
Your ideas shape SchoolNav. Write to ideas@schoolnav.app with a step that felt confusing, a fact you wish a school page showed, or a tool you looked for and could not find. The people who build the app read every message. And if you share SchoolNav and something comes back, good or bad, we want to hear that too.
Thank you for helping. SchoolNav is an independent guide and is not part of CPS.