Last verified Sep 20, 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 35 days
- Registration deadline
- Varies by school
- Test fee
- $25
- Paid to the school administering the exam, online at registration (Marist, Resurrection) or the morning of the test (Fenwick). Nazareth Academy does not publish its fee.
- 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 on Friday, November 13, 2026 (St. Ignatius, St. Laurence, Fenwick, Marist, Resurrection; Carmel Catholic deadline November 14). Fenwick tests 8:00 a.m. to noon. Marist's extended-time documentation is due November 20, 2026.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. | — |
| Saturday, December 12, 2026 | Make-up dates (Nazareth Academy; also January 23, 2027)Most schools offer some make-up; ask the school where you applied.source | Nazareth Academy, La Grange Park, offers make-ups on Saturday, December 12, 2026 and Saturday, January 23, 2027, only for students who did not test at another Catholic high school. Marist offers a make-up on an unpublished date, arrive by 8:30 a.m. | —Register |
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, online at registration (Marist, Resurrection) or the morning of the test (Fenwick). Nazareth Academy does not publish its fee.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 AcademyDec 5, 2026 at Loyola per its page's search listing (site blocks readers); $25; confirm registration window on the page | Wilmette, IL | Admissions page |
| Fenwick High SchoolHSPT Dec 5, 2026, 8 a.m. to noon; registration opens Nov 13; $25 on test morning | Oak Park, IL | Admissions page |
| Marist High SchoolHSPT Dec 5, 2026; registration opens Nov 13; $25 online; accommodations due Nov 20 | Chicago, IL | Admissions page |
| Nazareth AcademyHSPT Dec 5, 2026; make-ups Dec 12 and Jan 23; CSJ scholarships of $6,000, $4,500, and $2,500 a year for top on-campus scores | La Grange Park, IL | Admissions page |
| Resurrection College Prep High SchoolGirls; HSPT Dec 5, 2026; register by Nov 13; $25; scholarship applications due Feb 5, 2027 | Chicago, IL | Admissions page |
| Mount Carmel High SchoolExam date not yet posted; open houses Oct 4 and Nov 15, 2026 | Chicago, IL | Admissions page |
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 Nov 7, 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
- https://www.fenwickfriars.com/admissions/applying-to-fenwick
- https://www.marist.net/admissions/entrance-exam/
- https://www.nazarethacademy.com/admissions/admissions-process
- https://www.nazarethacademy.com/admissions/tuition-and-financial-aid
- https://www.reshs.org/admissions/admissions-process
- https://www.mchs.org/admissions
Verified Sunday, September 20, 2026. Policies change; confirm with the school before relying on any date or fee.