Magnet school notification date coming up

The big day is almost here. HISD is in the final stages of processing nearly 50,000 applications in preparation for magnet notification day on Friday, March 28. The district has received 16,747 more applications this year than last, with the majority of those applications received through the new online application system.

All students who met the qualifications and December deadline will be offered spaces in the order assigned by a computer-generated lottery. The lottery randomly assigns spaces for applicants and their siblings.

Parents who are waiting anxiously to find out which magnet school their child will be attending next year will be notified on March 28 by mail or email, depending on how they filed their application. If they applied online, they will be notified by email on March 28 (after 5 p.m.). If they applied with a paper application, letters reporting the status of their child’s application will be mailed on March 28.

Parents must notify their magnet school of choice of their intention to enroll their child by Friday, April 11. Keep in mind that the system will not allow a student to accept a spot in more than one school.

If applicants have an online account with email address, they will receive an email notifying them that their child has been invited to attend a program. They should click on the “Accept” button for one school only and electronically sign the entrance agreement. They should then print it out, sign it, and take or mail it to the school of choice, along with proof of their HISD address. If they do not have an email address or application account online, they will receive a letter and entrance agreement by mail that they must sign and return to the school along with proof of address by April 11.

If a child is not accepted into a requested magnet program, the parent may meet with the school’s magnet coordinator to discuss why their child did not meet the requirements to be considered for that program.

If a student was accepted at one school, but another school for which they were wait-listed offers them a spot, they may accept. Because accepting a space at one school does not remove them from another school’s waitlist, however, parents should notify the first school that they have accepted an invitation to another program and complete the required documentation.

If parents missed the December application deadline, it is not too late. Applications will be accepted until Friday, Aug. 22, three days before school begins on Aug. 25. Students will only be considered on a space-available basis.

For parents who did not receive a school selection or were waitlisted, an informational event will be held for on Saturday, April 26, at Northwest Mall featuring schools with space available. More information on this event, as well as a list of schools with space available, will be posted on the School Choice website soon.

Have questions about the selection and notification process? Check out answers to the most common questions here. Parents may also submit questions via email to magnetonlineapplicationhelp@houstonisd.org. We’ll also have a hotline open from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, March 28 and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, March 31 for you to call — the phone number for that is 713-556-6947. For more general information, visit the School Choice website.

22 thoughts on “Magnet school notification date coming up

  1. Vanessa Barbosa

    How can we find out what number we are in the waiting list? Will that information be in the email?

  2. Pamela Daniel

    Do not see any change to my notifications on the magnet schools app website. When do we receive notification today?

  3. Ellie B

    If we “accept” one school by April 11th, will our waitlisted positions for any other schools go away? Will we still be eligible to move-up on the waitlists?

    1. HISD Communications Post author

      Accepting a space at one school will not remove you from another school’s waiting list.

  4. Jayell

    Will GT test results be in that email and letter as well?
    A friend received notification of her son’s results at 2:04PM.
    I have not received anything yet for my kids. Can I expect it in the post 5PM email?
    Thank you.

    1. HISD Communications Post author

      Some emails were sent ahead of the time they should have been. We’re working to determine how this occurred. All Vanguard matrices (score related information) will be mailed via the US Postal Service. Carnegie HS will use an online system in addition to USPS notifications.

    2. Ellie B

      Will our ‘parent dashboard’ update us daily as to where we are on the waitlist as we move? OR, do we need to contact each school individually?

      1. HISD Communications Post author

        Thanks for your question. It helped us form a new FAQ: https://blogs.houstonisd.org/news/2014/03/31/have-a-question-about-magnet-notifications-we-have-answers-here/

        Here’s the answer that pertains to your question:
        You will receive a notification each time your status changes on each school’s waitlist. For example, if you are on the waitlist for three schools, you will receive three separate notifications each time your order changes on the waitlist. You may also log in to the HISD School Choice Parent Dashboard at (Houstonisdschoolchoiceapplication.com) to check the status of the waitlist.

  5. Catherine Brown

    I still have not gotten an email. Is there a cutoff time as when to expect it? It is now 5:53 p.m.

  6. Pablo M

    Hello, we we’re wait listed at several schools. As parents accept or decline seats, will our wait list number change?

  7. Angela

    My daughter has been qualified and wait listed for several magnet programs. However, for one program she received not qualified? What determines a not qualified decision?

    1. HISD Communications Post author

      Please call the school directly or the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947.

    1. HISD Communications Post author

      Please call the Office of School Choice at 713-556-6947 for assistance.

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