School Choice offers students enrollment in a school other than their neighborhood school. Parents/guardians may apply to up to 3 San Diego Unified School District schools outside of their neighborhood. An electronic lottery is conducted and parents are notified of the outcome. Accepted students may continue through the regular feeder pattern (elementary to middle school and middle to high school) through graduation without reapplying once accepted as long as space is available. No student transportation is provided through the School Choice program. Parents must provide or make transportation arrangements.
School Choice
Students who enroll via Choice, including Magnet, and Voluntary Enrollment Exchange Program (VEEP), are encouraged to remain in the school or program through the end of the school year. Students enrolled via Choice have the same rights and responsibilities as resident students.
Siblings
Siblings of concurrently enrolled students receive the highest priority when a school choice application is submitted during the Priority Enrollment Options time period, prior to the school year desired. There is no "legacy" priority, or priority for siblings of pupils who have or will have already been promoted out of the school.
Transfers
Students may leave the program and return to the neighborhood school during the first four weeks of the school year. After that time period, the parent must complete a Transfer Request to Return to Neighborhood School form to return to their neighborhood school and have the approval of the neighborhood school administrator who must determine if space is available. The only exception to the policy is for students who have no access to transportation to the school of Choice.
Relocation
Students who move outside of a school's attendance area, but are still in the boundaries of SDUSD, must apply through School Choice, and be accepted, in order to continue enrollment at the school. There is a weighted priority for these applicants. Students who move outside of the San Diego Unified School District's boundaries into another school district must apply through School Choice to continue attending their school, and have an approved Interdistrict Attendance Permit on file. The enrollment will be subject to all eligibility and enrollment criteria.
Magnet Program
The Magnet Program allocates additional resources to specific schools allowing for innovative themes, learning materials and equipment to significantly enhance student learning and attract students across the district.
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A student enrolled in a magnet program will not be allowed to make a parallel transfer to another magnet program of the same emphasis at the same level (elementary, middle/junior, senior).
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Transportation guidelines for ridership apply.
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Students who have made a commitment to a specific magnet theme are given first priority to continue the same theme when the student changes level/articulates (elementary to middle school and middle to high school).
- Students accepted to foreign language magnets may need to be assessed for language proficiency prior to completing the enrollment process
- Once accepted, students may continue through the school's regular feeder pattern (elementary to middle school and middle to high school) without reapplying.
- Transportation services are typically offered to Magnet program schools from strategically located hubs, based on the number of students residing in an area.
Voluntary Enrollment Exchange Program
The Voluntary Enrollment Exchange Program (VEEP) offers transportation to students residing within a specific boundary and encourages students from one community to attend approved pattern schools in another community.
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Once accepted, students may continue through the regular feeder pattern (elementary to middle school and middle to high school) without reapplying. Transportation is provided as long as the student resides in the VEEP pattern school and all transportation guidelines are met. Transportation is limited and may be reduced based on final budgetary decisions. VEEP Boundary Patterns for 2023-2024 School Year.
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Transportation guidelines for ridership apply.
Transportation
Transportation in SDUSD is limited. Only district residents who are accepted into a dedicated Magnet or VEEP program are qualified riders, and distance out and minimum ridership rules apply. No transportation is available to pupils enrolled via Choice (includes in-district and out-of-district residents). There is no "space available" transportation offered to any enrollees. Transportation is not offered to Choice pupils with IEPs that include transportation as a related service; parents waive the right to transportation services when accepting enrollment for their child via Choice.
Separate Setting
Parents with pupils requiring a separate setting are welcome to apply for Choice to other sites that offer the setting. However, space is limited in separate setting programs and resident pupils have priority, so enrollment is not guaranteed in the school of Choice. If there is space available, a Choice pupil will be offered enrollment. If the site is full, then the District will work with the family to offer available options, including the assigned site based on residency or another site that has space available.