Enrollment
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the chances of getting my
first choice of school?
When
there aren’t enough seats for all the students who
select a certain school, what determines who gets a seat?
Do
I have a better chance of getting the school I want if I
submit the application early?
I want to change schools
for both of my children.
I
have heard there are wait lists. How do I put my child on
one?
I
would like my child to go to a particular school. If I don’t
get it, I would rather keep the current school. Do I still
have to make three choices?
I
want to enroll my child in a Charter School. Do I use the
same form?
What are the chances of getting my
first choice of school?
Students registering for their Neighborhood Schools are given
priority over students from outside the attendance area whenever
space is available. Last year, 93 percent (more than nine
out of 10) of students were assigned to the school listed
as their first choice. 99.4 percent (almost 10
out of 10) of students received either their first, second
or third choice of schools.
When
there aren’t enough seats for all the students who
select a certain school, what determines who gets a seat?
If the school does not have seats for all the students who
apply, a random selection process (lottery) is used. It takes
into consideration whether or not:
• The child has a sibling already at the elementary
school if you fill in the Sibling ID information on the application.
Contact the school if you do not know the sibling’s
ID.
•
The child has been attending an elementary school that is
a feeder to a middle school. More information on this is
found in the Middle School profiles.
•
The child lives within the attendance area of the school.
Most Citywide Specialty Schools accept 55 percent of their
students into the entry level grades from their attendance
areas. This means that students who live near a Citywide
School have a better chance of getting into the school than
students from outside the area. Exceptions to this are noted
in the detailed school profiles.
•
The child lives in the transportation region
served by the school.
All of the above are taken into consideration when a random
selection process is used. For example, if there are three
seats open in an elementary school and there are five children
with siblings at the school, those five students’ names
would go into a lottery for the three available seats. The
selection process moves down the preference list until all
seats are filled.
Children who do not get a seat in the school that
is their first choice are put on a wait list that is created
using the same process.
Do
I have a better chance of getting the school I want if I
submit the application early?
No. Submitting the application early will not affect whether
or not you get your choice of schools. All applications
are processed after the due date according to the preferences
mentioned. This includes applications filed during the “Our
Lights Are On” evening.
I want to change schools
for both of my children.
What if they don’t get into
the same school? If your children are in grade levels above K5, they will
not be given sibling preference when changing schools. For
K3, K4 and K5 children only, if one of your children is
accepted in a school and the other is placed on the school’s
wait list, you must notify the school before January 31,
2008. The sibling from the wait list will then be accepted also.
I
have heard there are wait lists. How do I put my child on
one?
The names of children who do not get their first choice
are automatically put on the school’s wait list. The
wait lists for Charter Schools remain effective for one
school year.
Your child’s name is added to the wait list of the school that is your
first choice only, not the second or third choice. You can
add your child’s name to the wait list at other schools
by calling the schools.
If your child is selected from the wait list while attending
another school, the child must change schools immediately
or lose the seat. Wait lists do not carry over from one
year to the next.
I
would like my child to go to a particular school. If I don’t
get it, I would rather keep the current school. Do I still
have to make three choices?
No. Just write in the school that you would like your child
to attend as the first choice. Do not fill in the second
and third choices. If you don’t get that choice, your
child will remain in her/his current school.
I
want to enroll my child in a Charter School. Do I use the
same form?
Many of our Charter Schools have their own enrollment process.
Check the school listings in this catalog, then call the
school for more information. Not all Charter Schools are
part of MPS. Only MPS Charter Schools are listed on this
site.
