With almost 48,000 students, the Seattle School District is the largest district in the state, and it has one of the most diverse student populations. In 1998 Seattle implemented an open choice plan in an effort to voluntarily integrate the schools, promote parental involvement and encourage innovation. The philosophy behind the plan is that when parents actively choose their child’s school, they become more involved, and schools create distinctive programs in order to attract students.

As with most choice plans, Seattle’s program has rules parents need to understand. You are not guaranteed your school of choice, but you do have options. Here are the basic rules:

Elementary Schools

• You can request any elementary school in the Seattle School District for your child.
  Your chances of getting your choice are improved by registering during the month of February and choosing a school within your “reference area.”

• Every elementary student is assigned to a “reference area.”
  The reference area is determined by your home address and is a geographic area assigned to a specific school. Students receive enrollment priority if they choose their reference area school.

• Groups of elementary schools are divided into “clusters.”
  Based on your reference area, you are also assigned to a cluster. There are nine clusters in Seattle, each with four to nine elementary schools. Within each cluster, there is generally at least one alternative school, which is a school with a different curricular focus or school organization. For example, some alternative schools are K-8 schools; others are schools that have smaller classes and/or multiple grade levels in each classroom.

  Your child can attend any school in your cluster (provided there is space) and the Seattle School District will provide transportation. If you choose a school outside of your cluster, transportation may or may not be provided. You should check with the Seattle School District to find out.

• Registering on time gives you the best chance of getting your first choice school.
  The “on-time” registration period is from January 15 through the end of February. Applications received during this time are processed together. Applications received during early March are processed next. For applications received after mid-March assignments will be based on a first-come, first-served basis.

• There is a set procedure that is followed when there are more applicants than spaces at a particular school.
  When an elementary school has more applicants than spaces, preference will be given during the registration period (the month of February) according to the following “tiebreakers” in this order: (1) siblings, (2) reference area (those who live in the reference area of the school get priority), (3) distance (those who live closer to the school have priority, except in the case of alternative schools) and (4) lottery (each student is given a three-digit random lottery number which is used to break the tie if it is not broken by one of the first three criteria).

Note: Promoting integration was one of the main reasons for implementing the open choice plan. In fact, “integration positive” used to be the third tiebreaker criteria, but because of pending lawsuits citing illegally based racial-preference policies that discriminate against white children, this criteria has been suspended.

Middle Schools

• You can choose to send your child to any middle school in your middle school region.
  Middle schools are grouped into regions. A middle school region includes a group of elementary school reference areas.

• The tiebreaker is used when there are more applicants than spaces.
  The same procedure is used in middle schools that is used in elementary schools for determining who should get one of the limited spaces at a particular school. Your chances are better if you apply during the "on-time" registration period. (See elementary school rules above.)

High Schools

• You can choose to send your child to any high school in Seattle.
  There are no reference areas or regions for high schools. If there are more applicants than spaces for a particular high school, the same tiebreakers apply, with the exception of the reference area rule.

• Your chances are better if you apply during the "on-time" registration period.
  (See elementary school rules above.)

Additional Information

• You can learn about schools and get help at Enrollment Service Centers.
  These centers throughout the city have basic information about schools and can answer questions about enrollment procedures. You can visit or call any Enrollment Service Center, not just the one closest to your home address. You can also print out registration forms from the Seattle Public Schools Web site.

• You have the right to appeal your school assignment.
  Parents and guardians can appeal their child’s school assignment to the Student Assignment Appeals Board. You can appeal if you think the district has not acted according to the established guidelines or if you can make a case that your assignment would cause extreme hardship. You can get an appeal request form from any Enrollment Service Center or you can download the form from the Seattle Public Schools Web site.

Additional Resources

For information about school choice in Washington, see School Choice in Washington: An Overview of Your Options

Go to the Seattle Public Schools Web site to find general information on curriculum, standards and enrollment, as well as a month-by-month district calendar of events.

At the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction Web site, you can find information on state policies regarding standards, testing and curriculum.