Houston ISD announced updated school choice application timeline
HOUSTON - The Houston Independent School District (HISD) has shared new dates for families looking to participate in the school choice process.
On Friday, Superintendent Mike Miles and Chief Academic Officer Kristen Hole held a press conference to announce the updated timeline for the School Choice Enrollment and Application Process for the 2024-2025 school year.
HISD has retained its existing procedures for the application, lottery, and transportation supports, with no major alterations and all schools, including magnet schools, will be included into the choice process. Parents can rank up to 10 school options on their applications.
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Superintendent Mike Miles remarked, "HISD has a long history of providing an extensive array of school choice options for families. Long before joining the District, I knew about Houston’s impressive range of offerings – and the program is a source of pride for our HISD community. We will continue to provide excellent choice options while also working to strengthen our neighborhood schools."
The school district will condense the application and enrollment time after receiving feedback from parents and caregivers who say HISD has historically taken too long to sort through applications and notify families about their options.
According to Houston ISD, the advised timeline is below:
- Dec. 8, 2023: Deadline for Families to Request GT Testing (Families whose student has not been previously identified as GT, and who want their student to participate in HISD Vanguard programs, must sign their student up to be GT tested. Those who have been previously identified as GT do not need to test again.)
- Jan. 18, 2024: Phase One Application Opens (Families apply to lottery)
- Feb. 23, 2024: Phase One Application is due
- March 26, 2024: Phase One Lottery Notification (Students matched to schools)
- March 26: 2024: Phase Two Application Opens (Students who participated in the Phase I lottery and did not accept a position at one of their matched schools can apply to any school with available space.)
- April 9, 2024: Phase One School Acceptance Deadline (Students who wish to accept their school match must do so by this date.)
- TBA: Phase Two Application is Due
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HISD says families interested in their students attending HISD's Vanguard magnet programs in the upcoming school year must have the student tested to see if they qualify.
Families must sign their child up to be tested by Dec, 8 using the Gifted and Talented (GT) testing request link. If your student was previously identified as GT, they do not need to be retested.
As families requested, HISD will now provide GT testing results before the Phase I application period opens on January 18.