What score do you need to get into Jones College Prep?

In the last HSAT-era cycles (through 2025-26), approximate cutoffs on the 900-point composite were 814 (Tier 1), 836 (Tier 2), 853 (Tier 3), 866 (Tier 4), and 877 for the rank-all pool. Cutoffs shift year to year — treat these as historical reference, not a guarantee.

Has CPS published PreACT 9 cutoff scores for Jones?

No. The PreACT 9 Secure replaced the HSAT starting with the October 2026 administration, and the 2027-28 cycle is scored on a new 640-point system (the English/Reading/Math composite × 10 + 7th-grade GPA × 80) instead of the old 900. The historical cutoffs above are on the retired 900 scale and cannot be converted into a PreACT target. CPS will publish the first 640-scale cutoffs for Jones after February 2027 results.

Why does the Jones cutoff differ by tier?

CPS assigns every Chicago address a socioeconomic Tier (1-4). The top 30% of seats at Jones go to the highest scorers citywide, and the remaining 70% are split equally across the four tiers — so students compete primarily within their own tier, and each tier has its own cutoff.

What test do 8th-graders take to apply to Jones?

The CPS admissions test — officially still called "the CPS HSAT" — is now the PreACT 9 Secure by ACT: four sections (English 44 questions/35 min, Math 34/45 with calculator allowed, Reading 33/40, Science 32/35 with no calculator), taken online in a single sitting in October of 8th grade, in English only. Only English, Reading and Math feed the admissions composite.

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CPS Selective Enrollment High School

William Jones College Preparatory High School

South Loop · 1,933 students · grades 9-12

By the numbers

Graduate in 4 years

97%

district 86% (+11)

Enroll in college

87%

district 65% (+22)

CPS status

Good Standing

district accountability

CPS publishes no school ranking — it retired its 1+/1/2+ levels — so these sit beside the district average rather than a position in a list.

Admission cutoff scores

Approximate published cutoffs from HSAT-era cycles (through 2025-26) on the 900-point composite (retired; the 2027-28 cycle is scored out of 640 = the English/Reading/Math composite × 10 + 7th-grade GPA × 80). CPS won't publish 640-scale cutoffs until after February 2027 results — treat these as historical reference.

Tier 1

814

lowest socioeconomic group

Tier 2

836

Tier 3

853

Tier 4

866

highest socioeconomic group

Rank-all

877

top 30% across all tiers

About Jones

Modern downtown campus.
Wide range of AP courses and extracurriculars.

700 S STATE ST, Chicago, IL 60605 · 7735348600

Official school website →

Programs you can apply to here

You apply to a program, not just to a school — and several of these take no admissions test.

Visit it

Oct 24Selective Enrollment Open House · 10:00

What to look for when you go →

How to prep for the Jones cutoff

Jones requires near-perfect performance to clear the rank-all (top 30%) cutoff. Focus on:

Strong 7th-grade core grades — a 4.0 GPA in English, Math, Science, Social Studies is worth the full 320 grade points (GPA × 80).
Test prep: the English/Reading/Math composite counts × 10, so every composite point is 10 admissions points out of 320. Historical HSAT cutoffs cannot be converted into a PreACT target; the first 640-scale cutoffs arrive after February 2027.
Multiple full-length timed mocks under real-test conditions before the October test.
Vocabulary mastery — the Reading section relies on academic vocabulary heavily.
Mental-math fluency — a calculator is allowed in Math, but speed without it wins time.

Start with the diagnostic →·Build a 12-week plan →·Read the test day guide →

Frequently asked questions

What score do you need to get into Jones College Prep?: In the last HSAT-era cycles (through 2025-26), approximate cutoffs on the 900-point composite were 814 (Tier 1), 836 (Tier 2), 853 (Tier 3), 866 (Tier 4), and 877 for the rank-all pool. Cutoffs shift year to year — treat these as historical reference, not a guarantee.
Has CPS published PreACT 9 cutoff scores for Jones?: No. The PreACT 9 Secure replaced the HSAT starting with the October 2026 administration, and the 2027-28 cycle is scored on a new 640-point system (the English/Reading/Math composite × 10 + 7th-grade GPA × 80) instead of the old 900. The historical cutoffs above are on the retired 900 scale and cannot be converted into a PreACT target. CPS will publish the first 640-scale cutoffs for Jones after February 2027 results.
Why does the Jones cutoff differ by tier?: CPS assigns every Chicago address a socioeconomic Tier (1-4). The top 30% of seats at Jones go to the highest scorers citywide, and the remaining 70% are split equally across the four tiers — so students compete primarily within their own tier, and each tier has its own cutoff.
What test do 8th-graders take to apply to Jones?: The CPS admissions test — officially still called "the CPS HSAT" — is now the PreACT 9 Secure by ACT: four sections (English 44 questions/35 min, Math 34/45 with calculator allowed, Reading 33/40, Science 32/35 with no calculator), taken online in a single sitting in October of 8th grade, in English only. Only English, Reading and Math feed the admissions composite.

Closest other high schools

Noble - Muchin College Prep · 0.7 mi
YCCS- Innovations HS of Arts Integration · 0.7 mi
Perspectives - Rodney D. Joslin · 1.2 mi
YCCS-Jane Addams Alternative HS · 1.4 mi
Ray Graham Training Center High School · 1.6 mi
Chicago Technology Academy High School · 1.8 mi

Other CPS Selective Enrollment schools

School facts, graduation and college-enrollment rates come from the City of Chicago open data portal, refreshed 2026-09-12. Cutoff data is approximate and changes year to year — treat it as a target, not a guarantee. The official source of truth for admissions is cps.edu/gocps.

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