For those with school-age children, just a reminder that LAUSD eChoices applications for magnet schools for the 2018-2019 school year are due by 5 p.m. today through the eChoices website. Also, it’s worth noting that this year, for the first time, applications for Permits with Transportation (PWT) and dual-language program schools are also being taken through the site, with the same deadline. (Charter schools and Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS) programs are NOT included in this application process, and do NOT have the same deadline. Contact individual charter schools and SAS programs for information about their individual programs, application processes and deadlines.)
There are currently 260 magnet programs within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The first of these programs were created back in the 1970s as part of federally-mandated desegregation efforts, to draw students from all over the city to specialized programs at schools that would otherwise not reflect the overall racial diversity of Los Angeles. Today, magnet programs are thriving and multiplying quickly, and are among the city’s highest-performing schools…so there can be long waiting lists at the most popular schools. Admission is by lottery, with a point system helping to organize order of preference in the lottery. For a list of many of our most local magnet schools, see this Buzz story from 2015. And for some tips about how the point system works, and how to accumulate points for magnet applications, see this companion story.
LAUSD’s current brochure on eChoices options and applications is available at http://echoices.lausd.net/ParentGuide/18-19/choices_2018_2019_plus_dual_language_web.pdf
As noted above, one big change this year is the inclusion of applications for LAUSD’s 101 Dual Language and Bilingual programs, and the Permit with Transportation (PWT) program, which allows students at qualifying schools to attend a nearby school instead of their home school, with district-provided transportation. For lists of dual-language and bilingual schools, as well as schools eligible for the PWT program, see the eChoices brochure or the links above.
