Ector County Independent School District Choice Schools

FAQ

Application and Admission Process

The application process for acceptance into an ECISD Choice School is outlined below:

All students from 3 years of age to 6th grade have the opportunity to apply for enrollment in one of our nine elmentary Choice Schools as long as parents reside outside of the attendance zone for the Choice School they are applying to attend. Morning and afternoon transportation will be provided to all students who are selected and who reside outside a two-mile radius from the Choice School.

Students residing outside the attendance zone and who are interested in attending must submit an application on-line during the designated application window each year.  Non-residents of Ector County may also apply during this window and will be considered after applications from students residing in Ector County are processed.

Choice School Enrollment Process

Enrollment in Choice Schools will occur in three phases.

Phase One: Returning Students

• Letters of Intent will be sent home with current magnet students in December to reserve their magnet seat for the upcoming school year.
  

Phase Two: Incoming Siblings

• Incoming siblings will be given priority, room permitting.
• Application must be submitted on-line prior to the designated deadline in order to receive sibling priority.
  

Phase Three: General Enrollment

Placement will occur from the following groups, in this order, using a random selection process, in effort to diversify our campuses without using race as a sole, or even primary, determinant of diversity.

• All remaining applicants who are Ector County residents, and
• All applicants who are non-residents of Ector County. If students are accepted into a Choice School, ECISD transportation is not available.
  

Additional Requirements

Some programs require additional requirements. 

Reagan & Hays Academics

In addition to the on-line application needed for Hays and Reagan, the following information must be presented to your campus of choice on or before the application deadline:

1.  Printed copy of application;

2.  KINDERGARTEN Applicants:

• Prekindergarten report card must be presented (when applicable).

• Copies of report cards, both current and all previous grades. Students must be at grade level or above (80) in all subjects, have a history of 95% attendance (no more than 10 absences), including tardies and have acceptable behavior (S and E);
• Copies of any standardized test results, such as STAAR, IStation, or CogAT
• Copies of any documents indicating Gifted & Talented (GT) identification
  

All eligible applicants are given a standardized test to measure the basic skills needed to be successful in our academic program. Applicants who score at or above the 50th percentile qualify for our program, and if selected via lottery, will be placed in the program.

**If you do not have records in your personal files, please request copies from previous and/or present campus.

NOTE: After we receive and review all applicable documentation you will be scheduled for testing.

Students who do not complete this portion of the application process will not be considered eligible for the lottery.

Austin Montessori, Cameron, GP Alamo, & Milam

Parents who submit an application to Austin Montessori, GP Alamo, Cameron Dual Language, or Milam Magnets must attend an orientation session before the student will be considered during the lottery. The sessions are brief (30 minutes) and are designed to explain the individualized curriculum, student expectations, and the parental commitment that is required for their particular campus.

All sessions will begin promptly at times scheduled and doors will be closed after session begins.  See application for dates and times.

Blackshear, Travis and Zavala

Blackshear, Travis, and Zavala only require an on-line application. They do not have additional requirements.

The Online Application Process

Q. How long does it take to complete the online application process? Typically, the process should take roughly 10 minutes.

Q. What if I do not have access to a computer? Please contact the Choice School or the office of Student Admissions for assistance.

Q. Is there another way of submitting an application other than online? No, the application process is strictly electronic.

Q. Once I've submitted the application, how will I know the submission was successful?  Once the application is completed online, you will receive an automated message to the email address you provided when you created your account.

Q. Should I allow anyone else to use my account?  It is the user's responsibility to protect the integrity of any information entered in the system. This includes but is not limited to passwords or personal information about you or your child.

Q. My account has been disabled because I've attempted to login too many times. Should I set up another account?  No. Call the office of Student Admissions to assist you.

Selection Process
Q. Are students selected based on a first-come, first serve process?  All ' eligible' applications submitted by the application deadline will be entered into the lottery. Students are selected based on pre-defined Board-approved criteria (if applicable) such as: sibling and staff priorities.

Q. How is the lottery conducted?  A computerized software is used to conduct a random automated selection of students to our Choice Schools using Board approved criteria.

Q. When will parents be notified if they are selected to participate in a program?  Parents will receive notification of the lottery results via email once it has been completed.

Q. What happens after the initial lottery process?  Once the notifications have been emailed, parents of students who were accepted must Accept/Decline the seat.  Students who were not selected are randomly placed on the waitlist and are contacted as openings become available. If students are not called from the waitlist by the end of December, the waitlist is dissolved and the process will start over.  The online application is re-opened to continue accepting late applications to fill seats which were not filled during lottery or to be placed on the waitlist.