Weekend Enrichment Program

Locations 

Winter 2026:

• Chicago: Bronzeville Classical School - 8 W. Root St.
• Evanston: Northwestern University – Evanston campus

Course Environment

The following elements make the WEP environment unique:

• Extensive time is spent with one subject. Choosing a course that suits a student's strengths and interests is crucial to foster motivation and fuel lifelong learning.
• WEP courses are dynamic. Students communicate and engage in a variety of activities during each class session. Students work independently, in pairs, and in small groups.
• Classes are rigorous, designed to be up to 2 years academically advanced, and there is little unstructured time. This requires significant focus and energy on the part of the students. For more information about CTD enrichment courses and how CTD defines "enrichment," please visit this page. 

When you are ready to apply for a course or CTD program, you can do so by creating or logging into your MyCTD account found on the top right corner of this page. Once you have logged into your MyCTD account, please follow the prompts to enter required account information, apply for the course(s) of your choice, and submit additional application materials if necessary.

For detailed guidance on the application process, we encourage you to reference the following documents:

• Step by step course registration guidance: With screenshots
• Step by step course registration guidance: Text only

CTD courses for students age 4 (PreK) - grade 2 are at the Amber eligibility tier, which is open enrollment. There are no test scores or further documentation required for participation.  Students should be at the appropriate grade level. PreK students must be 4 on the first day of class.  

Please note that successful completion of CTD courses for students PreK - grade 2 does not qualify students to enroll in future classes above Amber Tier (e.g. Grade 3 – 4 Emerald Tier enrichment courses).

Weekend enrichment courses for grades 3 – 8, are at the Emerald eligibility tier. Please make sure to thoroughly read the admissions requirements in the individual course descriptions.

Students whose MyCTD profiles are not already at the Emerald Tier in the stated qualifying area or areas may demonstrate eligibility by ONE of the following methods:

• Students may apply with their grade report/unofficial transcript and our online teacher recommendation form if test scores are not available or are not currently at the 90th percentile or above.
• Students may apply by submitting grade-level scores, achieved within the last two years, at the 90th percentile or above in the stated reading or math qualifying area, on a nationally normed achievement test (e.g. NWEA/MAP, iReady, ACT, SAT, PSAT, etc.).

Once the tuition or tuition deposit has been paid, applicants may return to the home page of their MyCTD account.  Select “To Application” and then “Start Your Application” from the right side of the screen.  Once there, choose between “Request Teacher Recommendation and Upload Grades” or “Upload Test Scores”.

Requests for Grade Advancement/Acceleration

CTD course content is advanced, or grade-level accelerated, as reflected in course descriptions and the standard admission requirements. Though course content is advanced, students can engage with intellectual peers who are also age- or grade-level peers. Therefore, most students should apply for courses aligned to the grade-level in which they are currently enrolled. Still, for some students demonstrating a clear academic need for even higher level of instruction than CTD’s advanced and accelerated courses already provide, further acceleration may be an option. Visit the Requesting an Accelerated Placement web page for more information about the process, timeline, and required materials.

Tuition

$395 per each 6-week course.

Withdrawals

Please see CTD's withdrawal and refund information for policies.

Financial Aid

CTD offers need-based financial aid awarded as requests are received. Families are encouraged to apply early because the amount of aid available is limited. Please see the Financial Aid page for details. 

• The deadline to complete a financial aid application is two weeks prior to the start date of the class.
• You will receive the FACTS application link in your application confirmation email once the $65 dollar tuition deposit is paid and the application is submitted.
• It is imperative that you complete the financial aid application as soon as possible as it may take FACTS up to ten days to process your information.
• If you previously completed a FACTS application for the 2024-2025 academic year for CTD, you must still attach the 2025-2026 FACTS application to your FACTS account. You will be able to link your FACTS account to this new FACTS information. You may need to update financial information.

If you experience difficulties with the FACTS process please call the FACTS helpline at 866/412-4637.

All Weekend Enrichment Program students receive a brief narrative evaluation that includes comments on the student’s performance in class as well as recommendations for future study. An e-mail notification will be sent when the evaluation is available for access via MyCTD.

The health and safety of our students and staff has always been CTD's top priority. This year is no exception. Parents/caregivers are strongly encouraged to monitor their students for symptoms of illness prior to each class, keep sick students at home, and get them tested for communicable illnesses such as influenza, COVID-19, and strep throat.

• For questions regarding WEP admissions and financial aid, please contact:
  ctd-admissions@northwestern.edu
• For questions about current WEP enrollments, please contact:
  ctd-enrichment@northwestern.edu