Schools of Choice Process

Board Policy 5116.1 and Administrative Regulation 5116.1 outline the Schools of Choice process.

1. The Schools of Choice application is submitted between December 1 and 31 preceding the school year for which the transfer is requested.

2. The application for Schools of Choice can be found online at https://www.abcusd.us/.

3. Internet access to complete the application is also available at the ABC Unified School District Office located at 16700 Norwalk Blvd., Cerritos, CA 90703 by appointment. Please contact the Child Welfare and Attendance office to schedule an appointment.

4. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may select up to four schools on their application.

5. All applications are subject to a random, unbiased selection process (lottery) to determine which applicants shall be admitted to each school.

6. An email notification of the applicant’s status is sent to the parent/guardian by February 7th. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may also check the applicant’s status on their dashboard.

a. All applicants accepted to a School of Choice are notified by March 7th.

b. All applicants not accepted to a School of Choice are notified by March 7th.

7. If accepted to a School of Choice, parent(s)/guardian(s) have three days (72 hours) to accept the spot on the School Mint parent dashboard.

8. Applicants not accepted to a School of Choice should enroll in their school of residence.

9. The Schools of Choice process ends March 7th.

10. Parent(s)/guardian(s) may submit a new Schools of Choice application in December of the next year.

Applications submitted to Schools of Choice are ranked in accordance with Board Policy 5116.1(b) and Administrative Regulation 5116.1(f). 

Ranking Criteria for Schools of Choice Applicants

Residence in ABC

1. Siblings of students who will continue attending the school to which the applicant is applying

2. Students who reside in ABC, including students who are in specialized programs (pending availability) (AR 5116.1 - Program Capacity)

Applications for Schools of Choice will be subject to a lottery system to determine which applicant will be admitted to their School of Choice. Parent(s)/guardian(s) have the option to list from one to four schools in priority order (1-4). The lottery system will check for available space in the order schools are listed. Acceptance notifications are sent based on the school that first becomes available. Parent(s)/guardian(s) have 72 hours (3 days) to accept or the system will automatically decline.

Acceptance emails and/or texts are sent to parent(s)/guardian(s) by March 7th. If accepted to a School of Choice, parent(s)/guardian(s) have three days (72 hours) to accept the spot on the Schoolmint parent dashboard.

If the parent(s)/guardian(s) indicated more than one school on their application, the applicant will remain in the lottery system until all seats are filled at their Schools of Choice. Applicants not accepted by March 7th should enroll at their school of residence. Parents/guardians are encouraged to check their application status daily from February 7th to March 7th . There is no appeal for the Schools of Choice lottery as the selection process is random, unbiased and determined by chance.