Charter schools are public schools operated by independent companies. There are no academic requirements for admission to CICS Ellison. Applicants must be a resident of the city of Chicago to apply for admission to CICS Ellison. If there are more applicants than seats available at the school, a random lottery will be held to deterime admission.

CICS Ralph Ellison Campus admits students of any race, color, national, and ethnic origin to all the rights and privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, service scholarships, athletics, and other school-administered programs.

Unlike other public schools, a charter school is populated by students who have freely chosen to attend that school. Students who choose to accept the academic program of a charter school assume also the obligations imposed by the policies of the school.