School of Choice
New families to the district need to register first before filling out a School of Choice application. School of Choice applications will be processed only after a child has been enrolled and confirmed at their assigned neighborhood school. The School of Choice application will appear as an option at the end of the registration form.
Current RCSD families who are looking to apply for School of Choice should apply here:
Please note: The random computerized lottery process only takes place during the fall as seats are limited come the springtime. Families are notified when space is available on a case by case basis based on the order that their application is received. North Star Academy is only available during the fall enrollment window.
Continue to follow the timeline here for key dates.
Redwood City School District offers choice in education, but what does that mean?
In our district, parents have the option of transferring their child to any of the district's award-winning programs and schools.
Six of the district's innovative programs and its schools are considered non-boundary schools or Schools of Choice. This means that these schools do not use an address to determine priority. All students may apply for admission and they are then selected randomly by lottery.
| The Schools of Choice are: | |
|---|---|
| Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School |
Grades PreK, TK, K-5 |
| Accelerated Learning (North Star Academy)* | Grades 3-8 |
| Mandarin Immersion Program | **PreK, TK, K-5 |
| Orion Alternative Elementary School | Grades PreK, TK, K-5 |
| Technology Literacy - McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT) | Grades 6-8 |
*North Star Academy students must pass an entry exam and complete the required paperwork before being added to the school's lottery. Please visit North Star Academy's website for more information about requirements, testing, and placement. The application period for North Star Academy only takes place during the fall of each school year.
**A private provider teaches Mandarin Immersion on the Orion Alternative campus. Click here to learn how to enroll in Mandarin Immersion PreK.
Parents must first register their child before applying for a School of Choice transfer. Please fill out the Registration Form first. You will then have the option to fill out a School of Choice transfer request.
In addition, families may also transfer to other neighborhood schools. Priority is given to students who live within the school's neighborhood and, if there are spaces available after the neighborhood children are placed, students who have requested a transfer from another neighborhood are then placed via a random lottery.
Should there be more interest than spaces available, waitlists are created after the lottery placements and students are placed at their requested school when a spot becomes available. If a student moves into the area after the open enrollment period and their neighborhood school is full, they will be placed at a school that has openings. They will be placed at the top of their neighborhood school's waitlist and will be placed before any other non-neighborhood students on the waitlist.
Questions?
You may visit our section with Frequently Asked Questions or contact Melanie Davenport in School of Choice at 650-482-2237 or mdavenport@rcsdk8.net