School Choice allows families to apply to any school within the district, subject to eligibility requirements and available space.

Important Note: If your zoned campus offers a Magnet program and you would like to participate in the Magnet program, an online School Choice application is required for enrollment.

We encourage families to explore each program’s focus, curriculum, and eligibility criteria before applying. Visiting campuses and speaking with staff can help you determine which program best aligns with your child’s interests and your family’s educational goals.

HISD only permits one transfer per academic year. If a student voluntarily withdraws from a Magnet or Choice program, their transfer is voided, and they must enroll at their zoned campus. You can locate your zoned school using the School Navigator.

• For school-specific questions, please contact the individual campus directly.
• For general inquiries, visit www.houstonisd.org/schoolchoice or email the School Choice Department at SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org.
• For information about Vanguard (Gifted and Talented) programs, email the Gifted and Talented Department at GiftedandTalented@houstonisd.org.

Students must attend the first day of school at their approved transfer campus to secure their placement. If they arrive after the first day and space is no longer available, they will need to enroll at their zoned school.

Appeals: If extenuating circumstances prevent attendance on the first day (e.g., family emergency or unavoidable travel delays), guardians may submit an appeal with supporting documentation to the School Choice Department at SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org.

For grades Kindergarten-12th, yes. Out-of-district families may apply during both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the application cycle. However, in-district applicants are given priority in the Phase 1 lottery.

HISD does not offer PreK programs to those living outside of HISD attendance boundaries.

Note: For campuses without attendance zones (e.g., TH Rogers, Kinder HSPVA, etc.), out-of-district transfers require Superintendent approval and may be subject to tuition.

• Magnet Programs offer specialized curricula in areas such as STEM, Fine Arts, Vanguard, or Language Immersion. These areas are also referred to as the theme. The school’s magnet program theme will differ at each campus. 
• Vanguard (G/T) Programs are designed specifically for students identified by HISD as Gifted and Talented (G/T). 
  • Neighborhood G/T programs are available at all campuses. Students must be identified by HISD in any of the G/T assessment areas. 
  • Vanguard programs are available at limited campuses as their Magnet options. Students must be identified as G/T in all areas of the G/T assessment to be eligible for Vanguard programs. 
  • For additional information, please visit the Gifted and Talented website

G/T identification is only required for Magnet Vanguard programs. Students may apply to other Magnet programs regardless of G/T status.

No, the child does not lose their G/T status at this time. 

For the 2026-2027 school year, Kindergaten-12th grade applications for Magnet and Choice programs open on December 9, 2025. To be considered in the Phase 1 lottery, applications must be completed and submitted through the online application site by February 27, 2026.

All eligible Kindergarten-12th grade applicants who submit online applications within this window receive equal consideration—there is no advantage to applying early.

More information regarding K-12 can be found by clicking here

Visit our page by clicking here

OR go directly to the application portal by clicking here

• Create or log into your account
• Complete the application for each student
• To add schools, click the “Take Action” button on the student’s tile
• Once submitted, you’ll receive a confirmation email—please print or save it for your records

If the application phase in which you’ve applied is still open, yes, you may make changes by clicking “Take Action” in the student’s tile.

• Before the deadline: Use the “Take Action” button to edit application (add, remove, or re-rank choices)
• Phase 1: After the deadline date of February 27, 2026, no changes can be made.
• Phase 2: Applications may be updated any time before the Phase 2 deadline (TBA).

• If you have applied in a previous year, there is no need to create a new account. Please use the existing account. If you need assistance in accessing your account, contact School Choice at SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org.

Use the “Take Action” button to edit the application (add, remove, or re-rank choices).

For additional assistance, email SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org with your request.

Students enrolled in HISD for the full 2025-2026 school year typically are not required to submit documents. Applicants who are not currently enrolled in HISD, documents must be submitted by February 27, 2026, to complete Phase 1 application.  You may submit documents in one of the following ways:

1. Upload Online (Recommended): Submit your documents directly within the application portal under “Next Steps”.
2. Email: Documents may be emailed to SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org with a request to upload and submit on your behalf. Please include your child’s name and grade level.
3. Drop-Off: Bring your copies directly to the School Choice Department office, or to any of the campuses you are applying to and ask them to upload the documents on your behalf.
   1. The School Choice office is located in the Hattie Mae White Administration building at 4400 W 18th Street Houston, TX 77092

Reapplication is only required if your child is in PreK4, 5th grade, or 8th grade. For all other grades, transfer will automatically renew to the current campus of enrollment.

More information here

**If you are zoned to the campus and have moved outside of the attendance area, you must submit an application to be considered for the upcoming school year.

You can locate the Student ID on:

• Report cards
• Progress reports
• Test results
• HISD Parent Student Connect

If you still need help, contact your child’s current school.

You may apply to up to 10 Magnet and/or Choice programs for each student.

School Choice Thursdays begin the first week of November and continue through the end of February. You are welcome to tour any HISD Magnet school during the days and times listed below.

Thursday tours:

• Elementary & K–8 schools: Tours begin at 9:00 AM
• Middle & High schools: Tours begin at 1:00 PM

Please note that during the month of January, district-wide middle of year testing occurs.

Additional tour dates/times are available. Please call or visit school websites for additional tour details.

Students with disabilities can apply to School Choice programs through the HISD School Choice application. 

• Please Note: Special Education student placements are subject to ARD committee determinations. Special Education program locations [i.e. SLL, SLC-Alt, PSI] and student campus assignments are adjusted to ensure resources are available to meet student needs.
• If a student with a disability meets the school of choice program’s eligibility requirements and is accepted, an Annual, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meeting must be held before enrollment.
• This meeting ensures that the school can properly implement the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) in the selected School Choice program.
• Parents may indicate within the School Choice application if their student has an Individualized Education Program (IEP).

For more information, visit houstonisd.org/schools-academics/special-education  or call 713-556-7042

Yes. Siblings in grades K-12 can apply to the same school through Specialized Transfer applications, if the campus has space available at the sibling grade level. Note, campuses without an attendance boundary do not offer Specialized Transfers. 

If the number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available seats at a school, all eligible applications submitted by the Phase 1 deadline (February 27, 2026) will be entered into a randomized lottery.

• Seats will be offered based on the lottery order.
• Results will be released on April 8, 2026, with some students receiving offers and others being placed on a waitlist.

You may not see a program listed for the following reasons:

• Your zoned campus offers the same program.
• You reside outside of HISD boundaries, and programs such as Pre-K, IB, Dual Language, and CTE are not available to out-of-district applicants.
• The program is not available for your child’s grade level.
• Your child does not meet the eligibility criteria for the program.

Sibling priority applies only during Phase 1 for students who have a sibling currently enrolled at the same campus and will be returning to the campus for the following school year.

• Up to 25% of available seats are reserved for these applicants.
• If more sibling applicants apply than seats available, they will be placed at the top of the waitlist in lottery order.

Families with twins, triplets, or other multiples may choose one of two options:

• Default: Each child is treated as an individual applicant.
• Linked Lottery Option: All children receive the same lottery result—either all are offered a seat, or all are waitlisted. This option is only available during Phase 1.

To link multiple birth siblings:

• Submit all applications for all siblings under the same School Choice application account.
• Indicate the other siblings in each of the siblings’ application submissions
• Children must share the same date of birth.
• Applications must list identical schools, including program and focus area
• Rank selections in the exact same order.

For assistance, email SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org

During Phase 1, families may apply to up to 10 programs and must rank them in order of preference. Your most preferred school should be ranked #1. 

• The system will attempt to place your child in the highest-ranked program for which they qualify.
• If offered a seat at your #3 choice, for example:
  • You will be waitlisted for #1 and #2. 
  • You will not be considered for choices #4–10.

Ranking only applies in Phase 1. Phase 2 offers are by schools with space available on a first-come, first served basis after Phase 1 waitlists are exhausted. 

Log into your School Choice account at choosehisd.my.site.com/Apply to monitor status updates. Click on the “Next Steps” link at the top of your screen to view the status of your submitted applications.

• Email notifications will be sent, but please check your spam or junk folders in case messages are filtered.

1. Log into your School Choice account
2. Click on the link “Next Steps” in the box at the top of your screen
3. Upload proof of residence
4. Sign the Entrance Agreement
5. Click the green “Accept” button
6. Confirm acceptance in the pop-up window
7. If declining, click “Decline” and confirm—note that declined seats cannot be reinstated
8. If you miss any of the steps above, the acceptance will be considered incomplete, and the offer will expire.

An “Expired” status indicates the acceptance window has passed.

• Expired offers cannot be reinstated.
• If you are still interested in the program, you may reapply; however, your new application will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist. 

Yes. You will have five calendar days to accept the new offer.

• If you do nothing, the second offer will expire, and your original acceptance remains.
• If you accept the new offer, your original seat will be automatically declined.

Accepting a seat at a lower-ranked school does not affect your waitlist's status for higher-ranked choices. We recommend accepting the offer while continuing to monitor waitlist movement for your higher-ranked options.

This is not recommended. Reapplying requires removing your Phase 1 application, which places your new submission at the bottom of the Phase 2 waitlist.

• You will remain on the waitlist until space becomes available, or the waitlists expire. 
• Campuses offer placement in order of waitlist number. 
• You may submit Phase 2 applications to other schools with available space. 

• For current HISD students: Applications expire one week before the first day of school.
• For new-to-HISD students: Waitlists remain active.

If a program is full, consider applying to similar programs at other campuses or exploring high-quality non-Magnet options available across HISD.

Applying does not affect your current seat. However, if you accept a new offer, you will forfeit your current seat for the upcoming school year.

To initiate an appeal:

• Email SchoolChoice@houstonisd.org
• Include your child’s name, HISD ID number, and a detailed explanation of your request.

The Appeal Committee will review your case within 7-10 business days. All decisions are final.

No. Each program may use different criteria, such as academic performance, auditions, or testing.

Matrix scores are required for:

• Select high school programs
• Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy
• Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men

Scores are based on:

• Final report card from the previous school year (must be from an accredited school)
• STAAR test scores (if available)

Current HISD students can view their matrix score in the School Choice application portal at the bottom of the student tile.

All students and parents must sign an Entrance Agreement outlining program expectations.

• A parent may voluntarily withdraw and enroll at the zoned campus.
• If a student remains yet does not meet expectations, they may be placed on a growth plan.
• Continued lack of progress may result in non-renewal for the following school year.