NEWS RELEASE
Application Window Opens for School Choice at San Diego Unified
Gives students the opportunity to attend district schools outside their neighborhood for 2025-26 year
September 24, 2024
SAN DIEGO – Is your child a budding actor, musician, or painter? Is learning to read, write, and speak a new language something your child may embrace? What about an intense focus on engineering, technology, or science?
Through November 4, families have the opportunity to enroll in San Diego Unified schools outside their neighborhood boundaries, including schools that offer highly specialized instruction that emphasizes everything from the arts and STEAM education to learning a second language and international studies.
All San Diego Unified families are eligible to submit a choice application for their children, as are parents of out-of-district students and those attending private or charter schools. More information about the 2025-26 choice window is available on the Neighborhood Schools and Enrollment Options website.
More than 10,000 students through all grade levels typically apply to San Diego Unified’s choice program, and last year roughly 85 percent who applied on time received a spot at one of their top three school selections.
School Choice enrollment is determined through a computerized lottery system. Weight is given to factors such as sibling enrollment and magnet program continuity. Priority is not given based on when the application is received during the enrollment window, provided it comes in by the deadline of Wednesday, November 4, 2024. After that date, applications will be processed in the order in which they are received, with the exception of active military families who will be given on time priority for applications submitted if they move into our district after the deadline. Click here to see specific programs offered by schools.
Families will receive an email notification by February indicating whether a student has been accepted or waitlisted to a school of choice.
Parent information sessions will be conducted via Zoom at 5:30 p.m. on October 2 and at 10 a.m. on October 3, in conjunction with our Family Engagement office. Login information is available at this link: https://www.sandiegounified.org/cms/one.aspx?pageId=28033813.
The district offers personalized consultations for families who wish to discuss their options with an enrollment specialist, or for those having difficulty with the application process. The multilingual staff at the Family Welcome and Enrollment Center is available in English and Spanish at (619) 260-2410 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Media Contact: communications@sandi.net
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