5 things to know – HCS’s school choice lottery

By William Newlin

It’s already time to start thinking about next school year. Beginning Nov. 17, students and families can apply to attend a school outside of the zone where they live.

Every student has a guaranteed spot at their zoned school. But Hamilton County Schools offers about 100 different public K-12 options that aim to align student learning styles and interests with available programs, said school choice director Jim Boles.

When more applications come in than the number of available seats, HCS runs a lottery to pick who gets an offer from a school. About 9% of HCS students land a seat through the school choice program each year, Boles said.

If you’re considering an open seat — from kindergarten at magnet school Battle Academy to the 12th grade mechatronics program with Volkswagen — here are five things to know about the process.

⏳ When you can apply

Applications opened Nov. 17, and families can submit one per student through Jan. 30. Lottery results will come out in mid-February.

School choice is not first-come, first-serve. Applying early does not provide a better chance of getting a seat. 

📍 Where to find open seats

Hamilton County Schools has posted a list of open school choice seats, available here.

📚 What schools are available

The list includes plenty of neighborhood schools, such as Dupont Elementary, Orchard Knob Middle, and Soddy Daisy High School.

All 11 magnet schools and a couple charter schools participate in school choice, too.

And while every grade level has seats open, high schools have by far the most diversity of programs:

• Dual-enrollment opportunities, like Collegiate High School on the Chattanooga State Community College campus
• Future-Ready Institutes, which are cohorts focused on a specific career path
• Other workforce pathways, including logistics, marketing, and criminal justice

Families can rank up to five schools on the application, with number one being their top choice. 

🪑 How seats are given out

Selecting applicants varies by school and program. For neighborhood schools and some magnet schools, it’s a random lottery. That means every student has the same chance of getting chosen. Other magnet schools have a certain number of seats set aside for each school board district. 

Some options, called “non-processed schools” require more than just an application. They might also look at a student’s GPA or test scores and then contact students who are accepted. Non-processed schools are marked with an asterisk on the list of open seats.

“ What we’re doing there is we’re simply building a pool for those programs to pull from,” Boles said.

#️⃣ What if you don’t get your top choice?

The order in which families rank schools matters. For example, a student might receive an offer to attend the school he or she ranked third. If it’s accepted, the student goes on the waitlist for schools No. 1 and No. 2 and will no longer be considered for the schools ranked fourth and fifth.

Boles said families should keep checking for emails from his office — they send offers through July 17, and a student could get another offer from a higher-ranked school.

Not responding to that second offer would mean the student would lose the seat he or she got first.

“The offer gets expired, and now you’re without,” Boles said. “It’s just really important that they truly do have those ranked properly and that they are continuously checking that email from February until mid-July”

A few more school choice tips from HCS

• Take time to learn more: You can explore programs online and keep an eye out for a few information sessions hosted by HCS over the next couple months. See the schedule here. 
• Do a drop-off and pick-up trial run: HCS does not guarantee transportation to non-zoned schools. Boles recommended driving during peak traffic times to see if the commute is doable for the schools you pick.
• Some students don’t have to apply: Students who attend a high school that’s connected with a Future-Ready Institute don’t have to apply through school choice. They can get into any program offered by their current school by talking to their guidance counselor.

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Contact William at william@chattamatters.com