Last verified Sep 4, 20262026–27 season
Archdiocese of Chicago HSPT test dates
Chicago and Cook and Lake counties, Illinois. Dates, fees, and policies below come from official pages; anything we could not confirm says “Check with the school.”
- Next test date
- Saturday, December 5, 2026
- in 80 days
- Registration deadline
- Varies by school
- Test fee
- $25
- Paid to the school administering the exam.
- Register
- Through the school
Test dates
| Date | What | Where | Register by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday, December 5, 2026 | Catholic High School Entrance Exam (common date)The archdiocese tests on the first Saturday of December each year. Registration opens at each school in mid-November (St. Ignatius and St. Laurence: November 13, 2026; Carmel Catholic deadline November 14).source | Taken at the student's first-choice Catholic high school. Students may test at only one Archdiocese of Chicago high school. Typical start 8:00 a.m.; about three hours. | — |
Registration, fees & policies
- How to register
- No central portal. Register online with the one school where the student will test; each school opens registration in mid-November. Merit scholarships are usually tied to testing at that school on the common date. source
- Fee
- $25Paid to the school administering the exam.source
- Retake policy
- One sitting at one school. Schools state that students may test at only one archdiocesan Catholic high school, and transferring scores between schools is not guaranteed. source
- How scores are used
- Reviewed together with the application for admission; also used for merit scholarship consideration and placement. source
- Scholarships
- Merit scholarships are generally tied to testing at a particular school on the common date, so students who test elsewhere may forfeit that school's awards. source
- Score reporting
- Check with the school
- Optional subtest
- Check with the school
Schools that use the HSPT
| School | City | Admissions |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Ignatius College PrepRegistration opens Nov 13, 2026; application due Dec 16; decisions Jan 29, 2027 | Chicago, IL | Admissions page |
| Carmel Catholic High School8:00 a.m. start; register by Nov 14; $25 | Mundelein, IL | Admissions page |
| St. Laurence High SchoolRegistration opens Nov 13; $25; on-site testers get scholarship priority | Burbank, IL | Admissions page |
| Loyola AcademyNot yet verified | Wilmette, IL | — |
| Fenwick High SchoolNot yet verified | Oak Park, IL | — |
Common questions
When is the Chicago Catholic high school entrance exam?
Saturday, December 5, 2026, the first Saturday of December. The exam is the HSPT, taken at the student's first-choice school.
Can my child take the Chicago entrance exam at more than one school?
No. Students test at one archdiocesan high school only, and scholarships are usually tied to testing at that school.
Nearby dioceses
Families near a diocesan border often apply to schools in more than one diocese.
- Archdiocese of IndianapolisNext test Sep 19, 2026
- Archdiocese of LouisvilleNext test Dec 12, 2026
- Archdiocese of MilwaukeeNext test Nov 6, 2026
- Archdiocese of St. LouisNext test Nov 14, 2026
- Diocese of Kansas City–St. JosephNext test Dec 5, 2026
Sources
- https://www.ignatius.org/admissions/admissions-process
- https://www.ignatius.org/admissions/admissions-faq
- https://www.stlaurence.com/entranceexam/
- https://www.carmelhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1800295&type=d&pREC_ID=1968042
Verified Friday, September 4, 2026. Policies change; confirm with the school before relying on any date or fee.