As a campus of Noble Street Charter School, Rowe-Clark is non-selective and was created to raise academic achievement for all children. Our marketing efforts are aimed at all CPS students regardless of national origin, race, income level, or ability. To that end, we:

• Reach out to as many elementary schools as the calendar and manpower will allow.
• Provide materials in Spanish at all of our open houses and information sessions.
• Do not ask for information about test scores or special education status at any time during the application process.
• Take care to ensure that our application process is not threatening and will encourage students of all races, languages and abilities, including special education students to feel welcomed at our school.
• Adhere to a strict blind lottery selection process. Students must be residents of Chicago and pass 8th grade to be accepted for enrollment.

Admission & Lottery Information

The only pre-admission activity we expect of potential students is attendance at one of our Admission Information Sessions. The purpose of this activity is to ensure students and parents understand the focus and rules when they apply. Please contact Rowe-Clark in the early fall for dates and times of the sessions. Applications for admission are handed out at the conclusion of each Admission Information Session.

The lottery is conducted by printing all the names of students who have turned in applications, on 3 x 5 cards. Those cards are put in a rolling bin and the bin is put on the stage of our theater. We invite students and parents to attend to observe the lottery—typically, half the families attend. We offer enrollment to first names drawn (usually about 160) and then assign waitlist numbers in the order they are drawn from the bin. This continues until all the names are drawn out of the bin and then the waiting list is published. This assures that all names were in the bin and that no student receives admission through any method other than the lottery or their place on the waiting list that was determined by the lottery. Any applications received after the lottery deadline, are added to the end of the waitlist. This waitlist does carry over from year to year, though it is rare for the waitlist to be activated beyond the freshman year.