Apply to an Acero Elementary School
If you are interested in applying to an Acero high school please, click here.
Applications for the 2023-24 school year are now open! See below for details on applying.
Make sure to sign up for our email list for the most up-to-date enrollment information.
Click here to review our full Lottery Policy
Click here to read the full Early Kindergarten Policy
Find answers below to "Elementary School Application– FAQs"
How do I apply?
Applications can be completed online, on paper on in-school. For all applications, rank your school selection with #1 being your highest preference; at least one school must be selected. Only one application should be submitted per family.
Click the link below to begin your online application for the 2023-24 school year.
Acero Schools 2023-24 Application
* Please make sure you are selecting the correct school year: 2023-24
Note: Please click on the link at the top of the page to change the application language to Spanish.
If you prefer to submit a paper application, please download it below, print and submit to your nearest Acero school. Fill out the application in blue or black ink.
Use the links below to download a printable, plain-text version of the elementary school application for visually impaired users.
Plain Text ENGLISH 2023-24 Elementary Application
Plain Text ESPANOL 2023-24 Elementary Application
Acero Campus | Enrollment Staff Member | Cell Phone Number |
Brighton Park, Marquez, Santiago, Tamayo | Araceli Lara | 312.515.4192 |
Casas, Torres, Zizumbo | Maria "Lupe" Orozco | 312.350.9765 |
Cruz K-8 | Elizabeth Pulido | 312.342.4657 |
Fuentes, Idar, Paz | Cintia Cruz | 312.307.7698 |
Cruz 9-12, Garcia, Soto | Ivette Esparza | 312.282.5231 |
Clemente, Cisneros | Jesse Simental | 312.480.7083 |
What are the requirement to attend an Acero elementary school?
Applicants must reside in the City of Chicago. Applicants applying for kindergarten for the 2022-23 school year must be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2022.
Acero Schools has adopted an early kindergarten enrollment policy. To qualify, the child must turn five (5) years old between September 2 and December 31 of the year in which they wish to enroll and score in the ninetieth (90th) percentile on the Speed DIAL-4 screener administered and scored by Acero Schools school psychologists. (The Speed DIAL-4 screener will be administered in English or Spanish, depending on the child’s home language.)
Early Kinder applications for the 2023-24 school year must be completed by July 25, 2023.
How does the lottery work?
Acero Schools hosts an annual lottery to determine enrollment for grades K-8 for the upcoming school year. During the K-8 lottery, applicants are chosen at random for all available K- 8 seats. The lottery date for the 2023-24 school year is March 8, 2023.
Online applications must be completed by 11:59 p.m. and paper applications marked received by 3:00 p.m. on February 24, 2023, to be included in the lottery.
All applications received after the deadline will be placed into open seats or waitlist positions on a first-come, first-served basis through the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Families who applied before the lottery deadline will receive detailed communications via email, text and US mail concerning the status of their application and next steps regarding registration and/or their waitlist status beginning the week of March 27, 2023.
Applicants are given priority, if applicable, in the following order: if they have siblings enrolled at the school, were previously enrolled at an Acero school, or meet neighborhood boundary requirements if applicable (specific to applicants for Clemente, Fuentes and Tamayo).
How will I know if my student has been seated or waitlisted after I apply?
Applicants who apply before the lottery deadline will receive detailed communications via email, text and US mail concerning the status of their application and next steps regarding registration and/or their waitlist status beginning the week of March 27, 2023. All offers sent at this time must be accepted by April 7, 2023, or they will expire and the seat will be offered to the next applicant on the waitlist.
If a seat becomes available and your child is next on the waitlist, you will receive a phone call, text or email requesting that you accept or decline the seat within 48 hours. Applicants who fail to accept or decline within 48 hours will be moved to the end of the waitlist.
My student was seated at an Acero elementary school. What do I do next?
Congratulations! Please be sure to accept your offer. You will shortly thereafter receive information about registration and other required information. You will be required to complete student registration by a date that will be provided to you.
Offers from the 2023-24 school year lottery must be accepted by April 7, 2023.
Can I schedule a tour to visit the elementary school I’m interested in?
Please call your school of choice for appointment availability.
We strongly encourage you to explore the school you are interested in via their website. Click here for a directory of links, videos and social media channels for each of our schools.
Where can I find more information about Acero elementary schools?
We encourage you to explore school websites, Facebook pages, and informational Youtube videos. Click here for a directory of links.
I have more questions about schools, applications or enrollment.
You may reach Acero Schools Central Office at (312) 637-3900 or your contact preferred schools' enrollment staff member:
Acero Campus | Enrollment Staff Member | Cell Phone Number |
Brighton Park, Marquez, Santiago, Tamayo | Araceli Lara | 312.515.4192 |
Casas, Torres, Zizumbo | Maria "Lupe" Orozco | 312.350.9765 |
Cruz K-8 | Elizabeth Pulido | 312.342.4657 |
Cisneros, Clemente | Jesse Simental | 312.480.7083 |
Fuentes, Idar, Paz | Cintia Cruz | 312.307.7698 |
Cruz 9-12, Garcia, Soto | Ivette Esparza | 312.282.5231 |