Chicago Public Schools students are graduating from high school at near record-high rates, but only half who enroll in college will complete their credential within a decade, a new report says.
The overall college completion rate for CPS alumni is 48% — below the national average of 64%, according to an annual study from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project...
Chicago Public School students are enrolling in college at rates higher than the national average, according to a new report by UChicago's To&Through Project and Consortium for School Research.
Why it matters: Higher college enrollment rates can translate into higher earnings for CPS students, 71.8% of whom face economic disadvantages...
Freshman OnTrack is a data point that changed adults’ focus, school practices, and student outcomes—including high school credit accumulation, grades, test scores, and graduation rates, and college enrollment and graduation rates.
Educators in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have used Freshman OnTrack data, together with their own information and insights, to organize work and focus resources since the early 2000s.
"On track" metrics are now used in grades 3-12 in Chicago, and also used widely across the country.
This 2-page overview shares:
Amid growing calls for redefining the high school experience, there’s a critical missing link that is often overlooked: principals and assistant principals. Despite their influence over how time is used, which courses are offered, how teachers and counselors collaborate, and which business and college partners can engage with students, most school administrators simply aren’t trained, supported or held accountable for transforming their high schools.
Key Takeaways for Policymakers:
What can schools learn from their 5Essentials data and how can it be used to inform school improvement plans?
Hear from UChicago Consortium and UChicago Impact staff, a veteran Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal, and CPS data staff on how principals can make sense of their 5Essentials data and use it to strengthen school improvement planning.
This recorded discussion took place on November 19, 2025.
Almost a decade ago, No Child Left Behind was replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and with that change, Illinois overhauled its school accountability system. Instead of judging schools on how many kids passed a standardized test, we moved to look at many other ingredients of school quality. (Here’s a throwback to our cake video from that era!)
The Chicago Board of Education continues to grapple with handling charter school closures. Yesterday, the board approved an early termination of its charter renewal agreement with EPIC Academy, a high school in the South Chicago neighborhood. It also approved supporting EPIC with $1.4 million to ensure it can operate through the end of the year, preventing a midyear closure.