SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Parents can apply now to enroll their student in a San Diego Unified School District campus outside their neighborhood for next year.
The district's CHOICE program is now accepting requests for the 2018-2019 school year. The program allows families to get their children into schools away from where they live, and that may provide special opportunities.
For instance, Sequoia Elementary is expanding its visual arts program and launching a partnership with La Jolla Playhouse. However, only students who live in its Clairemont Mesa neighborhood are guaranteed to be involved.
Additionally, Montgomery Middle School, Linda Vista Elementary and Carson Elementary schools have expanded their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEAM) programs.
Kiersten Anderson, whose daughter goes to Birney Elementary in University Heights, said one parent she knows actually moved to a new neighborhood because she didn't think she'd get the school of her choice.
The district says 70 percent of the 10,000 families who apply in the CHOICE program actually get their first choice campus. You can see the acceptance rates for all the schools here.
Marceline Marques, who runs the Neighborhood and Enrollment Options office, said students have the best chance in entry level years -- pre-kindergarten, fifth and sixth grades (for middle school), and 9th grade for high school.
The state Department of Education has a new tool to measure performance. You can use it to look up the San Diego Unified campuses you may be interested in.
Applications are accepted through Nov. 13, and results come in February.
