For general information, please visit the School Choice website, call the Office of School Choice at (713) 556-6734, or email Schoolchoice@houstonisd.org

Learn more about HISD Vanguard (G/T) programs or call the Advanced Academic s Department at (713) 556-6954

You may apply to a maximum of 10 programs with no more than five magnet selections.

Letters stating the status of your student’s application will be mailed on notification day if you submitted a paper application. If you apply online, you will receive an email notification. Parents can view the status of the application on the parent dashboard at any time.

Accept the offered seat either online (for applications submitted online) or in person. Upload or deliver required documents and sign the entrance agreement if applicable. For more information, contact the school directly. Complete the campus enrollment process.

Yes. If you were on a waitlist for a higher ranked school, you will be able to accept the new offer. You will have 72 hours from the date that the seat was offered to submit required documents to the school whose offer you want to accept and sign the entrance agreement.

If you have not exceeded 10 applications, you may consider applying to schools with space available.

Yes. You may reapply to a lower ranked school. However, your application will be considered in the phase of the new submission date. If you receive a new offer, you cannot hold two seats at the same time and would need to decline the higher ranked choice to accept the lower ranked school. You will have 72 hours from the date of the lower ranked offer to respond and deliver any required documentation to the lower ranked school.

For applications submitted after November 18, 2020, “in processing” means that your application is being processed by our system. No further action by you is required. If you are missing any documentation, you will be contacted. For applications submitted during Phase 1, “in processing” could mean the application was not completed or you live outside the HISD boundary map. Applications may also be left “in processing” for schools that have long waitlists and are no longer processing applications during Phase 2 and Phase 3.

An explanation of statuses is included at the bottom of the parent dashboard.

Use the “Forgot your password?” feature on the parent login website.

Information about different programs can be found on the School Choice website. For more information, contact the school of choice directly.

The zoned school, in conjunction with the area school office, would be able to inform you if the school no longer has space and direct you to the identified HUB campus.

Visit Find a School and enter your address. The Find a School tool will provide a list of your zoned elementary, middle, and high schools.

This is a campus-based decision. Please contact the school of choice for these dates.

Upon entering a School Choice program, a transfer is approved for enrollment. In the case of magnet programs, a thematic Entrance Agreement is signed by parent and student. If a student is having difficulties in either the magnet or program choice, the student transfer may be in jeopardy of non-renewal.

Send an email to schoolchoice@houstonisd.org or call the Office of School Choice (713) 556-6734, explaining in detail the issues you are having.

Yes. You do not have to attend a school for which you’ve been offered a seat. However, if your student attends the school of choice and leaves the program voluntarily before the end of the school year, he or she may only return to his or her zoned campus.

Typically, no. If the school is a Vanguard magnet program, you are required to apply. Some secondary programs have a qualification requirement for zoned and out-of-zoned students. Please contact the schools for more information.

If there is an extenuating circumstance that prevents the student from attending the first day of school, please contact the school immediately. When they arrive to enroll, if space is still available, their transfer will be accepted with approval from the Office of School Choice. If space is no longer available, they will lose their seat and must enroll at their zoned school.

Applications will be accepted by all programs beginning Sept. 10, 2021. Applications must be completed and submitted by Nov. 18, 2021, to be considered in the first round of screening.  Students who apply between Sept. 10 and Nov. 18 will receive equal opportunity.

Online. Your application is instantly processed, and you can print a copy of your selections for your records. Applying online will also give you access to the parent portal where notifications will be posted.

Go to the parent login. A paper application is not required if you use the online option. If you already have an account, you do not need to create a new one. Please only submit one application either online or paper.

Normally, students who were in HISD the previous school year and are currently enrolled in HISD are not required to submit any documents to apply to magnet programs. The District Matrix and Overall Core average will be automatically calculated and on the magnet application portal for students who apply online with their HISD ID#. However, there are several options this year to submit documents for students who were not in HISD last year or for those who are missing documents.

1. Upload directly online - This is the quickest option. You will see a list of documents that need to be uploaded. Each document only needs to be uploaded once, even if it is required for multiple applications for the same student.
2. Send by U.S. mail to the Office of School Choice - Send copies of the documents to
   
   Magnet Applications, Office of School Choice
   Houston Independent School District
   4400 West 18th Street
   Houston, TX 77092
   
   The copies will be kept for our records. In the online application system, you will see a confirmation once the documents have been uploaded.
   
   
3. Drop off at the Office of School Choice - You can leave copies of the required forms at our offices. Once you arrive at the address listed above, please check in at the reception desk by the main entrance to the building.
4. Email required documents to the Office of School Choice: Schoolchoice@houstonisd.org

We always encourage parents to apply online. If you choose to submit the paper application, fill out one application. Mail or hand-deliver the applications to the address below, along with required documentation for all school you are applying to. Please only submit one form of application, online or paper.

Magnet Applications, Office of School Choice
Houston Independent School District
4400 West 18th Street
Houston, TX 77092

The Student ID# is found on your student’s report card, progress report, test reports, and other communications from your student’s school. You can also find it online at HISD Parent Student Connect. If you are unable to find it, please contact your student’s current school.

Programs may evaluate students differently. Some schools have additional requirements, such as auditions and testing. Please visit the School Choice website, individual school websites, or contact the schools for more information.

Yes. Prior to applying to magnet programs, you may tour campuses on Thursdays during the Phase 1 period. If interested in program choice, contact the school directly.

During the Phase 1 applications, parents can apply to up to 10 School Choice Programs and must rank their selections in order of preference. After the Phase 1 lottery and students are offered a seat, any school ranked lower than the offered seat will disappear. For any school ranked higher than the school offered, the student will remain on the waitlist. For example, if you get accepted into your #1 ranked choice and applied to three programs, the #2 and #3 choice will be dropped.

Once lotteries are completed and schools offer students seats available, all other students will be placed on the waitlist in numerical order that the application was selected in the lottery.

Yes. You will need to carefully monitor your parent dashboard for any changes.

Applications move upward as students decline offered seats. Sibling priority may affect waitlist movement.

A space available list will be posted on the School Choice website.

In some cases, another transfer type can be requested for principal approval to keep siblings together. Please contact the Office of School Choice for more information.

Depending on whether the school has an entrance criteria requirement, the siblings, or other students that reside in the same home, of a special needs student can attend the same school.

Only siblings due to multiple births may share a lottery ticket. For twins, triplets, etc., you may apply for them to attend the same magnet program and be treated like other siblings. You may also choose for them to receive the same lottery position, meaning they will all be offered a seat or all placed on the waitlist. If they are on a waitlist, they will not be offered seats until there is room for all of them. Each sibling must have a separate application.

Per school guidelines, students who have siblings that will also attend the same magnet school will have limited priority in the application process for initial grade level. Sibling priority is only given in magnet programs.

Out-of-district applications will be considered at the beginning of Phase 3, once Phases 1 and 2 are complete. Applications from HISD residents will be considered first. Students of out-of-district employees are considered in-district applicants. After HISD resident applications are processed, out-of-district eligible students will be considered in the order that applications were submitted. For magnet-only programs (schools that do not have an attendance zone, such as the High School for Performing and Visual Arts) out-of-district magnet transfers must be approved by the superintendent of schools, and tuition may be required.

Yes. You may apply at any time, but out of district applications are only considered in Phase 3, after all in-district applicants.

Except for Pre-K, 4^th, 5^th, and 8^th grades, students will not need to reapply, and their transfer will “roll over” to the next school year. The school can choose to non-renew the transfer due to behavior, attendance, and for a magnet program not meeting the program theme requirements.

If you are new to HISD and your student did not attend an HISD school last year, then you can submit a student transfer application request. If your student attended an HISD school last year and your student is eligible for any of the following transfer types: boundary option, hardship, homeless, language of instruction, public education grant, special education, and VCV; a transfer application request can be submitted for principal approval. If your student is not eligible, then a transfer application request will need to be made during the student transfer application window for the following school year.

If you’re able to edit the incorrect information, you may update the application. If not able to edit, please contact the Office of School Choice at SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org or call 713-556-6734.

Students with disabilities are required to follow the HISD application process for School Choice programs. A student with disabilities who meets the specified school choice criteria and is accepted for admission is required to have an Admission, Review, and Dismissal/ Individualized Education Program (ARD/IEP) or Section 504 committee meeting prior to enrolling in the program to ensure that the student’s IEP or Section 504 plan can be implemented in the school choice requested program.

A student who meets the eligibility criteria and qualification for a specific program shall be granted a transfer when there are seats available, space, and principal approval. Some transfer types are discretionary to the principal or HISD Board policy.

Notifications and appeals are handled by the Office of School Choice. Parents can start the appeal process by emailing SchoolChoice@housonisd.org with their student’s name, HISD ID, and a detailed explanation as to why you are requesting the denial to be reconsidered. The Appeal Committee does not address appeals due to non-renewal of transfers.

The school can use what is called a Moved within Semester Transfer, with principal’s approval. This transfer will allow students that have moved from their zoned school to remain until the end of the semester. Parents should always secure a School Choice transfer to remain at the enrolled campus.

If you do not select the transportation option when submitting a student transfer application, your student may not be guaranteed transportation. Please call the Transportation Department Customer Care Team at 713-556-9400.

Vanguard (G/T) programs are designed for gifted and talented (G/T) students. So, when you see the word Vanguard, just think G/T. All schools have a Vanguard (G/T) program. Vanguard is one choice of magnet programs, just like fine arts or STEM. (Students must meet the entrance criteria.)

Yes. Only G/T identified students are offered a seat to a Vanguard program.

The “not qualified” status means that the student did not meet the Vanguard qualification requirements to be identified as gifted and talented.

Even if some School Choice programs fill up completely, there are usually similar programs at other schools with room. Additionally, many non-magnet programs provide quality opportunities for students.

If you have concerns about the lottery results, email schoolchoice@houstonisd.org .

School Choice prekindergarten guidelines match HISD’s Early Childhood Office, based on Texas Education Agency (TEA) policy.

To be TEA eligible, a student must meet the following criteria:

• Be four years of age on or before September 1 of the enrollment year
• Live within the boundaries of the Houston Independent School District, AND

Meet at least one of the criteria listed below:

1) Be unable to speak or understand English

2) Be economically disadvantaged

3) Qualify for the National School Lunch Program to include all children who meet any eligibility criteria for Head Start, not only those who meet the low-income eligibility criteria for Head Start. The TEC, §5.001(4), defines educationally disadvantaged as "eligible to participate in the national free or reduced-price lunch program." Consequently, all children who are eligible for Head Start are eligible for free prekindergarten, based on their eligibility for the NSLP. [1][1] Public Law 110-134, which amended 42 USC,1758

4) Be homeless

5) Student is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family code

6) Be the student of an active-duty member of the U.S. military or one who has been killed, injured, or missing in action while on active duty.

7) Be the student of a person eligible for the Star of Texas of Award as (1) a peace officer as defined in Section 3106.002, Government Code. (2) a firefighter under Section 3106.003, Government Code. (3) an emergency medical first responder under Section 3106.004, Government Code. The Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division honors recipients annually in September. A list of past honorees may be viewed on the Criminal Justice Division webpage.

The student will be placed at the bottom of the non-TEA eligible list.