CPS Score! – Develop Your Athlete Skills

Delivered with Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Park District, CPS SCORE! is a youth sports initiative aimed at creating opportunities for school-based sports and play!

The project is focused on ensuring that any student which wants to play has the opportunity do so, and features a no-cut policy, after-school practices, and guaranteed playing time for all.

Prior to SCORE!, only an estimated 10% of CPS’s 400,000 students participated in district sports programs, and there was no district-wide conference for 5th through 8th-grade sports.

About the Program

This program is offered to all students in grades 5 to 8 who attend CPS district-managed and charter schools, providing an excellent opportunity for young athletes to develop their skills and compete at the highest level.

The new elementary sports program, CPS Score!, is designed to ensure that all students have the opportunity to participate, regardless of their skill level. This no-cut policy is achieved by breaking the program into two different tracks – CPS Score! and CPS Score!+.

CPS Score! is focused on skill development and intraschool competition, providing students with the opportunity to compete within their own school. While CPS Score!+ is the competition-focused interscholastic league, that offers students the opportunity to compete against other city-wide elementary schools.

CPS Score!+ is geared towards student-athletes who want to compete at the highest level and will practice on Thursday and Friday, with game days on Saturdays.

The Athletic Program Administrator (APA) will create schedules for their specific networks and conferences, and teams will be divided into fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth-grade levels for both girls and boys. The seventh and eighth graders will have a chance to compete for the City Championship.

CPS Score! is a more inclusive and participation-based program, focused on skill development, sportsmanship, and intraschool competition. It will practice on Mondays and Tuesdays and will have intraschool game days to be played any day of the week. The coaches will create an intraschool schedule and teams will be divided into fifth/sixth and seventh/eighth-grade levels for both girls and boys.

Key Program Highlights

  • No cuts and guaranteed playing time for all students, regardless of skill level or physical ability
  • Saturday game days and after-school practices to ensure all CPS students have the ability to participate
  • High schools host games providing an accessible and positive game day experience
  • Service learning opportunities allow members of the community to get involved and build strong bonds with both youth and their neighbors

The CPS Score! the elementary sports program is an excellent opportunity for young athletes to develop their skills and compete in a supportive and inclusive environment.