Currently Enrolled CPS 7-11th Grade Students

Thank you for your interest in Walnut Hills High School. Students must earn qualifying scores on the CPS administered Iowa Assessment to be eligible for enrollment in Walnut Hills High School. Please see the information below to register your child for the Walnut Hills Entrance Exam (WHEE).

Please bookmark this website for all future Test dates and Registration news.

The following students have the opportunity to take the Walnut Hills Entrance Exam on Saturday test dates offered from September through December each school year:

CPS students grades 7 - 11.
Non-CPS students grades 6 - 11.

Students are permitted to test two times per school year. Students needing to retest must wait two months after the first attempt to take their second test. The highest Reading Total score and highest Math Total score from both attempts are utilized in creating the combined percentile rank (composite score). Students who test for the first time Saturday, November 15, 2025 or Saturday, December 13, 2025 may not retest during the 2025-26 school year for school year 2026-27 enrollment.

*WHEE test scores may also be reviewed for entrance to Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students.

Test Dates

Test Registration Fall (First Time) - Registration dates open Tuesday, August 5, 2025
Test Registration First Time & Retest (Winter) Registration dates open Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Test Registration Fall (First Time) - Registration dates open Tuesday, August 5, 2025

Saturday, September 13, 2025 Test Date @ Walnut Hills High School

Registration Deadline: 3:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Students who test September 13, 2025 can retest November 15, 2025 or December 11, 2025.
If you need results by mid-December 2025 in order to make educational decisions for your student, we recommend that you sign up for the September 13, 2025 test so you can have a retest opportunity on November 15, 2025.
Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled exam date to the email address listed in Focus. Exam results are not permitted to be given via telephone.

Saturday, October 11, 2025 Test Date @ Walnut Hills High School

Registration Deadline: 3:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Students who test October 11, 2025 can retest December 13, 2025.
If you need results by mid-December 2025 in order to make educational decisions for your student, we recommend that you sign up for the September 13, 2025 test so you can have a retest opportunity on November 15, 2025.
Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled exam date to the email address listed in Focus. Exam results are not permitted to be given via telephone.

*To complete registration - Upload and email required documentation to: whee@cps-k12.org. All required documentation and, if applicable, the $55.00 Out of District fee are due by 3:00 p.m. of the Registration Deadline listed above. Final confirmation with Testing details including time and location will be emailed one week prior to the scheduled test date. Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled Test Date via the parent/guardian email associated with your student in Focus.

Test Registration First Time & Retest (Winter) Registration dates open Tuesday, October 14, 2025

Saturday, November 15, 2025 Test Date @ Walnut Hills High School

Registration Deadline: 3:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Students who test for the first time Saturday, November 15, 2025 may not retest during the 2025-26 school year for school year 2026-27 enrollment.
Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled exam date to the email address listed in Focus. Exam results are not permitted to be given via telephone.

Saturday, December 13, 2025 Test Date @ Walnut Hills High School

Registration Deadline: 3:00 p.m. ET Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Students who test for the first time Saturday, December 13, 2025 may not retest during the 2025-26 school year for school year 2026-27 enrollment.
Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled exam date to the email address listed in Focus. Exam results are not permitted to be given via telephone.

Test Information

The Iowa Assessments are nationally normed achievement tests approved as gifted assessments in the State of Ohio. Cincinnati Public Schools administers the paper version of four parts of the Iowa assessments on select Saturdays to determine eligibility for enrollment into Walnut Hills High School. All questions on the Iowa are multiple choice format.

Admission to the program is based on student performance on these areas of the assessment:

Reading & Vocabulary (Reading Total score)
Mathematics & Computation (Mathematics Total score)

Reading:

Test content includes both literary and informational passages
Questions focus on identifying, interpreting, analyzing and extending the information in passages.

Vocabulary:

Questions emphasize general vocabulary words in the context of a short phrase or sentence.
Students select the answer that is the closest synonym for the given word.
Nouns, verbs and modifiers are included.

Mathematics:

Questions are drawn from the areas of number sense and operations, algebraic patterns and connections, data analysis/probability/statistics, geometry and measurement.

Computation:

Questions emphasize addition, subtraction, multiplication or division using whole numbers, fractions and decimals in alignment with on-grade level standards.

More detailed information on the Iowa Assessments can be found in the FAQ section.

The sum of the Reading Total and Mathematics Total national percentile rankings on this test must equal 140 or higher, and each individual test percentile ranking must be 65 or higher. A percentile rank score indicates the percentage of pupils in the national norm group whose scores fell below your student’s score. The national percentile rank scores of the Reading Total and Mathematics Total will be used to determine eligibility for the Walnut Hills High School Special College Preparatory Program that begins in 7th grade. Students must have a minimum composite national percentile rank score of 140 across the Reading Total and Math Total scores– with a minimum of a 65th national percentile rank on each part. Both scores (Reading/Vocabulary, Math/Computation) must be from the same school year. Parents will be notified by the Testing & Assessment Department approximately six weeks after the test date via the parent/guardian email associated with your student in Focus.

Documentation for WHEE Registration

*All applicable documents and payment must be uploaded by the REGISTRATION DEADLINE in order for the student to be confirmed for the test date selected. Confirmation emails are sent once provided information is verified.

1. Accommodation: IEP/504 plan/English Learner plan

If a non-CPS enrolled student is applying to take the Walnut Hills Entrance exam and the student has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), a 504 Plan or an English Learner (EL) plan, all required documentation must be emailed to: whee@cps-k12.org by the 3:00 p.m. Registration Deadline. This information is necessary to verify and confirm testing accommodations for the Walnut Hills Entrance Exam.

Accommodation: If a student has an accommodation (IEP, 504, LEP) and does not attend a CPS school, the plan must be submitted with the application to test. The accommodation plan must be active and have a date within the current 2025-2026 school year.

Students testing with an accommodation should arrive by 7:45 a.m. and begin testing by 8:00 a.m. We follow a student accommodation as listed in the provided IEP, LEP or 504 plan with the following exceptions:

Extended time accommodation is limited to 1.5x. Not 2x or unlimited.
Test booklets may not be written in (no highlighting or underlining). Scratch paper will be provided.
Calculators, if specified in the accommodation, will be supplied for the Math subtests. Calculators are not allowed for the Computation subtest.
Students will not receive read aloud accommodation on the Reading test.
Students with limited English proficiency, will be provided a word-to-word dictionary if it is specified in the LEP.

2. A payment fee of $55.00 per student application, only applies to students who live outside the CPS school district boundaries. All payments (non-refundable) must be made no later than 3:00 p.m. of the test date registration deadline *. The $55.00 fee must be made online through the Focus registration system (Only click once to avoid duplicate charges). We cannot accept payment over the phone.

Payment fee of $55.00 is not applicable if the following applies:

If your student currently attends one of Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS)
Lives in the CPS district - Please confirm your address by visiting: www.croppermap.com/cincinnati/
Parent/Guardian of student is a CPS employee (Registration with current CPS email is required)

3. Proof of Residence (REQUIRED for all non-CPS enrolled students who live in CPS school district boundaries)

CPS Proof of Residency

*To complete registration - Upload and email required documentation to: whee@cps-k12.org. All required documentation and applicable $55.00 Out of District fee is due by 3:00 p.m. of the Registration Deadline listed above. Final confirmation with Testing details including time and location will be emailed one week prior to the scheduled test date. Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled Test Date via the parent/guardian email associated with your student in Focus.

Retest Information

Students are permitted two test opportunities per school year. Students needing to retest must wait two months after the first attempt to take their second attempt. The highest scores from both attempts are utilized in creating the combined percentile rank.
Students who earned above the minimum score of 65 but below a 75 in a subject area (i.e. scores of 65-74) are encouraged to retest in that subject to give them the best chance of reaching a composite score of 140. (i.e. if a student earned a score of 67 in Reading and 60 in Math, the student should retest in both subject areas even though they met the minimum score for reading.)
Maximum score of each part from both attempts will be used for the composite score.
Only 1 retest is allowed per school year. (Retest must be scheduled at least two months after the first test.)
Both scores must be from the same school year.
Payment fee of $55.00 is only once per School Year, per student including the Retest.

NOTE: This Entrance Exam can qualify the student for the SCPP program at Walnut Hills, but it does not guarantee enrollment. That decision is made by Walnut Hills High School– parents must follow the registration instructions and deadlines set by Walnut Hills High School. Students entering after grade 9 must also be able to meet the SCPP (Walnut Hills) graduation requirements to graduate on time.

For complete Retest registration - email required documentation and if applicable $55.00 Out of District fee to: whee@cps-k12.org by 3:00 p.m. Registration Deadline. Final confirmation with Testing details including time and location will be emailed one week prior to the scheduled test date. Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled Test Date via the parent/guardian email associated with your student in Focus.

Walnut Hills High School Prospective Families

Eligible In-District Students:

For additional information regarding Walnut Hills High School in-district school enrollment guidelines for eligible students, shadowing programs, tours and/or academics, please visit their website or call 513-363-8400.

CPS welcomes Out-of-District Students, for more information, visit the CPS website:

CPS Open Enrollment Details

2026 Inter-District Open Enrollment Application for the 2026-27 School Year: Student Registration / Out of District Enrollment

Eligible out-of-district students must complete the Open Enrollment application in April and follow the Open Enrollment procedure to be considered for enrollment.

Once a student is Eligible based on scores from both parts of the test in the same school year, the student does not need to take the exam again. For example, if a student earns an eligible score while in 6^th grade, but does not enroll at Walnut Hills for 7^th grade, the student can still use the 6^th grade scores to enroll at Walnut Hills for 9^th grade. Please save the Eligible Letter for your records to provide a copy to Walnut Hills High School Registration.

Walnut Hills High School Probationary Enrollment Process

WHEE Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the test take?

Do you recommend any specific test preparation?

There aren’t any formal test preparation materials provided by the manufacturer or by CPS. The examination covers reading comprehension, vocabulary, mathematics and computation. It is multiple-choice, and is paper-based (not computer-based). There may be third-party materials out there – the Testing & Assessment Department has not vetted those products. Parents and guardians should proceed with caution. As this test is paper based, families are encouraged to work with their students to practice filling out a “bubble sheet” answer document as we have found this is a skill many students do not regularly use.

Which grade level Test will my student take?

What are the Iowa Assessments?

What materials do I need to bring?

How are exams scored?

When will we receive the Exam Results?

Exam results are emailed approximately six weeks after the scheduled Test Date via the parent/guardian email associated with your student in Focus. Results are not able to be given over the telephone.

Students who test September 13, 2025 can retest November 15, 2025 or December 11, 2025.
Students who test October 11, 2025 can retest December 13, 2025. If you need results by mid-December 2025 in order to make educational decisions for your student, we recommend that you sign up for the September 13, 2025 test so you have a retest opportunity on November 15, 2025.
Students who test for the first time Saturday, November 15, 2025 or Saturday, December 13, 2025 will not have an opportunity to retest the 2025-26 school year for school year 2026-27 enrollment.

My student passed one subject area but not the other. Do they need to retake both?

Students who earned above the minimum score of 65 but below a 75 in a subject area (i.e. scores of 65-74) are encouraged to retest in that subject to give them the best chance of reaching a composite score of 140. (i.e., If a student earned a score of 67 in Reading and 60 in Math, the student should retest in both subject areas even though they met the minimum score for reading. Maximum score of each part from both attempts will be used for the composite score.)

How many times can my student retest?

Contact Walnut Hills Entrance Exam Test Administration

Hours: Monday-Friday 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Phone: 513-363-0186

Email: whee@cps-k12.org

Supported by Cincinnati Public Schools - Family Technology Support Center