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• Each year, Ivy Garden runs a six-week training program for 6th-grade students aiming for admission to Academic Centers affiliated with seven of the Top 11 selective-enrollment CPS high schools: Harlan, Kenwood Academy, Lane Tech, Lindblom, Morgan Park, Taft, and Whitney Young.
   

• Because students accepted into an Academic Center are guaranteed a future spot in the affiliated high school, competition for Academic Center slots is fierce. Whitney Young Academic Center, for example, accepts only 120 students out of nearly 3000 talented applicants annually, or about 4%. That means it’s actually harder for an applicant to secure an Academic Center admission than a spot in the high school (when they apply in 8th grade)!
   

• The Academic Center entrance test is a big part of the challenge. Unlike the high school selective-enrollment exam, which measures students’ aptitude for general math and reading, the Academic Center test assesses their facility with numbers, visual figures, and verbal relationships. Even significantly above-average students find the test challenging.
   

• Ivy Garden’s program is tailored carefully to the Academic Center entrance test and students’ individual learning styles, to ensure students are fully prepared for the high-stakes exam.

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