Selective Success: A Comparative Analysis of Chicago's Selective Enrollment and Public High Schools. Issue Brief
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| Title: | Selective Success: A Comparative Analysis of Chicago's Selective Enrollment and Public High Schools. Issue Brief |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Renu Mukherjee, Manhattan Institute (MI) |
| Source: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 2026. |
| Availability: | Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. 52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017. Tel: 212-599-7000; Fax: 212-599-3494; Web site: http://www.manhattan-institute.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Selective Admission, Public Schools, High Schools, Enrollment, School Choice, Disproportionate Representation, Expenditure per Student, Minority Group Students, Equal Education, White Students, Asian American Students, African American Students, Hispanic American Students, Low Income Students, Achievement Gap, College Entrance Examinations |
| Geographic Terms: | Illinois (Chicago) |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | ACT Assessment |
| Abstract: | For years, progressive politicians in cities across the U.S. have tried to shut down selective enrollment high schools, which use standardized tests and grades to determine student admissions. These institutions offer academically gifted, public school students a rigorous education and other opportunities typically available only in private schools. Progressives and their teachers' union allies, however, oppose selective enrollment high schools. They claim that these schools contain few, if any, so-called underrepresented minorities, take resources away from traditional district schools, and further educational inequities between white and Asian American students, on the one hand, and black and Hispanic students, on the other. This issue brief evaluates the validity of these claims and others in the context of Chicago's selective enrollment high schools. Comparative analysis of the data from the Illinois Board of Education shows that selective high schools have succeeded in providing disadvantaged students with choices that help them flourish. Black-white, Hispanic-white, and low-income-non-low-income achievement gaps in ACT English and math are, on average, significantly smaller at the city's top eight selective enrollment high schools than at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) overall. |
| Abstractor: | ERIC |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | ED679610 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | For years, progressive politicians in cities across the U.S. have tried to shut down selective enrollment high schools, which use standardized tests and grades to determine student admissions. These institutions offer academically gifted, public school students a rigorous education and other opportunities typically available only in private schools. Progressives and their teachers' union allies, however, oppose selective enrollment high schools. They claim that these schools contain few, if any, so-called underrepresented minorities, take resources away from traditional district schools, and further educational inequities between white and Asian American students, on the one hand, and black and Hispanic students, on the other. This issue brief evaluates the validity of these claims and others in the context of Chicago's selective enrollment high schools. Comparative analysis of the data from the Illinois Board of Education shows that selective high schools have succeeded in providing disadvantaged students with choices that help them flourish. Black-white, Hispanic-white, and low-income-non-low-income achievement gaps in ACT English and math are, on average, significantly smaller at the city's top eight selective enrollment high schools than at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) overall. |
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