Congratulations! You’ve set your sights on a magnet school for your child. Whether you’re considering a pre-school or elementary magnet school like Riverside Magnet for your tyke, or sending your teen to a specialized high school like Connecticut River Academy, you’ll find similarities in how to apply for both of Goodwin College’s magnet schools. This article will parse out the process on how to get into a magnet school, as well as give you all the information you need to know to get your child enrolled. Let’s get started!
An Overview of the Application Process
First, parents will need to apply for the lottery procedure for each child through the Regional School Choice Office (RSCO). There is a specific timeline for applying to the 2017-18 academic year that you’ll need to pay attention to. All eligible, on-time applicants will be either offered a placement to a school, or put on a wait-list. You can gauge your eligibility simply: so long as you are a Connecticut resident, and in particular, if you are in the Greater Hartford region, your children will be eligible to enter the RSCO lottery. If you are applying for your pre-schooler, they will need to be three by December 31st of the school year for which you are applying.
If you have applied to the lottery in the past and wish to re-apply for your child, you will need to submit a new application. Wait-list positions do not carry over from previous years. Once your child has been offered a placement, you may choose to accept or decline the offer. Should you accept, you will proceed through the registration process at the selected magnet school.
How to Apply to Magnet School
Parents should visit the Regional School Choice Office website or stop by RSCO in person at the Parent Information Center, Room 360 in the State Office Building, located at 165 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. The office can also be reached via phone at: 860-713-6990. You will need to fill out an application for each child to be entered into the lottery. A computer-based method then sorts and places students.
When to Apply
The lottery application period opened on November 1, 2016, and the deadline to apply this year is February 28, 2017. Until the deadline, we advise you to find out as much as you can about Goodwin College’s Magnet School Programs! Read up online, sign up for parent information sessions, and take advantage of our frequent open houses.
Please keep in mind that late applications will be accepted online between April 3-July 31, 2017. In May 2017, the on-time applicants will be notified of the status of the application. Between June 30-October 1, 2017 waiting list positions will be offered to those who applied late.
How to Register to Goodwin’s Magnet Schools
The registration process varies a bit between Riverside Magnet School, our Reggio magnet school, and Connecticut River Academy, our early college high school.
At Connecticut River Academy, two registration sessions are held, and you may call 860-913-2200 to schedule your visit. You will need bring several of your child’s legal documents with you, including: a birth certificate, their most recent report card, records of their most recent test scores, a copy of their latest annual physical and immunizations, and any additional academic documentation such as special education or medical records. To find out more about Riverside Magnet’s registration process, you may call 860-709-6800.
Parent Information Sessions
Still have questions about Goodwin’s magnet school programs? Get all your questions answered at Goodwin’s open houses for Riverside Magnet School and Connecticut River Academy. There are still parent information sessions remaining in the current application period (for the 2017-18 academic year) at both magnet schools.
Find out about what Riverside Magnet School can offer your child on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 from 6:30-7:30pm (snow date 2/1/17, 6:30-7:30pm) or learn about Connecticut River Academy on Saturday, January 28, 2017 from 10am-12pm (snow date 1/29/17, 10am-12pm).
Knowing how to get into magnet school and researching your magnet school options are key to the application process. Hopefully this all has been illuminated through this article.
With a little attention to timing, applying to Connecticut magnet schools is a cinch! Get in touch with the respective magnet schools that interest you. Visit Goodwin’s ‘How to Apply for a Magnet School’ page to get started.
Goodwin University is a nonprofit institution of higher education and is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), formerly known as the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Goodwin University was founded in 1999, with the goal of serving a diverse student population with career-focused degree programs that lead to strong employment outcomes.