The Skinner West Classical, Fine Arts Magnet School offers three ways to enroll:
The Neighborhood program
The Selective Enrollment Classical program.
The Magnet program
The GoCPS website provides a complete overview to the applications process for all elementary schools within the Chicago Public Schools system
For more FAQs, please visit the CPS Access and Enrollment website
Students entering Kindergarten – 8th grade may automatically enroll in the neighborhood component of Skinner West if they live within the school boundaries.
The Skinner West neighborhood boundaries are:
Beginning at Ashland Ave. and Kinzie Ave. East - East Desplaines St South - Lake St. East - Chicago River South - Eisenhower Expressway West - Ashland Ave (east side of street) North - to starting point
Skinner West requires proof of residence at initial registration and may follow-up throughout your student's enrollment to verify the appropriate mailing address within school boundaries. If you move or are planning on moving outside of these boundaries, please contact the office for transfer paperwork to the next grade at your new school.
Please bring the following to registration:
4 proofs of address
1 must be a driver’s license or State ID
1 must be a lease or mortgage statement showing current address
2 utility bills showing current address
We also accept voter registration (if current address listed)
The Neighborhood enrollment process requires documentation related to the student's age, current address, and health requirements. Registration begins in late April for the following school year. Parents/guardians can register their children at the Skinner West front office from 8:30am - 4pm. During the summer, please contact the Skinner West front office for hours of registration - 773-534-7790.
To learn more about neighborhood schools, visit CPS Neighborhood School page.
Ready to enroll? Visit the Elementary School Registration Checklist for required documents needed to complete your registration.
Note, due to the popularity of the programming at Skinner, we may ask for additional proof of address to complete new student registration. This information will be listed on our website.
To view all school boundaries, use the CPS School Locator.
Students who are interested in enrolling in the Classical Program must submit an application and take an entrance exam to qualify for Classical grades Kindergarten – 8th grade.
Grades K-4: All age-appropriate students applying for kindergarten through grade 4 will be tested. Note that students must be able to separate from their parents to walk with the examiner to the assessment room. Parents are not allowed to accompany their child into the assessment area.
Grades 5-8: Testing eligibility for students applying for grades 5-8 (except for the RGC-ELs) will be based on the student's NWEA MAP scores in reading and math.
3 proofs of address
Please visit the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment Selective Enrollment for details about Selective Enrollment for Elementary Schools.
Parents who do not live in the neighborhood may apply to enter Skinner's Neighborhood Magnet component for Kindergarten – 8th grades. You have the choice of applying through the online application site or by using a paper application. There is no testing required for magnet cluster schools – students are selected via computerized lottery, in accordance with the tier system of the Chicago Public Schools.
Siblings of current Skinner West students are encouraged to complete this form also, by completing the sibling section. Siblings are entered into the sibling lottery for the magnet component only (not classical).
More information can be found on the CPS Access and Enrollment Magnet Cluster page