How to Apply to a Magnet Program

STEP ONE

·        Review your student’s interests and needs and look for alignment with specific Magnet programs.

·        Use the information and links at www.HoustonISD.org/SchoolChoice.

·       Consider how you will rank your choices. You will have a limit of 5 choices. (It is recommended that parents weigh their options carefully and consider the following: if you apply to 5 Vanguard programs, and a student has not been identified as G/T prior to the Phase I deadline and subsequently does not qualify as G/T, the student will not be considered for any of the Vanguard programs you applied to.)

·        Visit selected programs on School Choice Thursdays

STEP TWO

Visit www.HISDChoice.com to apply online.

·        If you have used the system before, please use your previous account.

·        Paper applications are available online, at any Magnet program, or from the Office of School Choice. (Online applications provide more options for tracking and staying up-to-date.)

·        Make sure to sign and submit your application.

·        Qualified applications submitted Between Sep. 28 and Dec. 7, 2018, will be entered into any lotteries. Deadline to be entered in the lottery is December 7, 2018.

STEP THREE

·        For elementary programs, only Vanguard applications may require

documentation.

·       Please be on the lookout for emails or phone calls related to your application.

STEP FOUR

·        Check your SPAM folder to ensure you are not missing any information. If at all possible, do not use a Hotmail account, as the service usually blocks  emails from HISD.

·        By midnight on March 21, 2019, Notification of the application status will be viewable online and letters will be sent to all parents via USPS mail.

STEP FIVE

·        If your student has been offered a seat in a program, you have two weeks to provide proof of residence and sign an entrance agreement.

·        If your student was not offered a seat on March 21, 2019, but has been placed on a wait list, stay alert for changes in application status throughout the summer. You may be able to submit additional applications to programs with more room.