What to actually look for at a CPS open house

“If you could go back, would you pick this school again?”

“Was it hard to make friends freshman year?”

“What do freshmen do at lunch if they don't know anybody?”

“Do you feel safe here — and walking to the train?”

“What time do you wake up, and what time do you get home?”

“What's one thing you'd change about this school?”

“How much homework did you actually have last night?”

“Who do you go to when you're failing something? Name a person.”

A school where students can name an adult is a school with adults who are findable.

“What's the most interesting project you've done this year?”

“Name a club that exists because a student started it.”

“Do teachers answer emails? Do they stay after school?”

“What do people think about this school that isn't true?”

“How many years have you taught here? How many people left your department last year?”

“What's your largest class this year — how many students?”

“What does this school do when a freshman is failing in October — before they fail?”

A strong answer names a system that starts without the family asking. A weak one says families have to reach out.

“Which 9th-grade class do students struggle with most, and what's in place for it?”

“Did any AP or IB course get cancelled this year for low enrollment?”

“Can a 9th grader take honors, or do you have to place into it? How does placement work?”

“What happens when a student arrives below grade level in reading or math?”

“How much of your curriculum do you choose, and how much is handed to you?”

“What materials do you end up buying yourself?”

“How do you contact families, and how often do you actually do it?”

“What's the hardest part of teaching here?”

“What's a typical week of homework in your class — in hours, not adjectives?”

“How many students started 9th grade here last fall, and how many are still here now?”

Attrition is the question schools are almost never asked, and the answer is hard to spin.

“What's your Freshman On-Track rate, and what was it three years ago?”

“How many counselors for how many students? Would my child keep the same one all four years?”

“What's your teacher retention rate?”

“What share of last year's graduates enrolled in college — and how many were still enrolled a year later?”

CPS tracks enrollment AND persistence. Asking for both separates a school that gets kids in from one that gets them through.

“What are the three biggest challenges facing this school right now?”

“How are students placed into 9th-grade math and English?”

“How many students here have IEPs, 504s, or are English learners — and who coordinates that support?”

“What does a year here actually cost? Fees, uniform, activities, AP exams, trips, sports.”

“What time does the building open, and who supervises before first period?”

“When do activities end, and what's the transit situation at that hour?”

“How is conflict between students handled? Is there a restorative space, and who staffs it?”

“My child would commute about 45 minutes each way. Who else here does that, and what happens when transit makes them late?”