CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Once again, Walter Payton College Prep on the city's Near North Side has been named as the hardest Chicago public high school to get into.
New data released from Chicago Public Schools showed that five selective enrollment high schools located near downtown and on the North Side top the list of the most competitive schools in the city.
Northside College Prep, Jones College Prep, Whitney Young Magnet High School and Lane Tech College Prep follow Payton College Prep on the list.
There are a total of 11 Chicago public selective enrollment high schools. Gwendolyn Brooks College Preparatory Academy, Hancock College Preparatory High School, Robert Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. College Preparatory High School, South Shore College Prep, and Westinghouse High School round out the list.
The Chicago Public School system said nearly 27,000 students applied to get into the most competitive high schools in the city for the coming year; and more than 81 percent will be accepted to their first, second or third choice of schools. According to the data, the average student applied to seven of the 11 selective enrollment schools.
CPS released application results last week. Applicants were granted admission offers based on their elementary school grades, standardized test scores and an admissions test. The highest possible score is 900. CPS said 30 percent of all applicants are granted admission based on their entrance exam scores alone.
Payton College Prep, Northside College Prep, Jones College Prep, Whitney Young Magnet High School and Lane Tech College Prep all had applicants with perfect scores. The same five schools were the only ones to have applicants score a perfect 900 last year.
Students have until 11:59 p.m. on April 12 to accept or decline offers. Offers will be automatically forfeited if no action is taken.