Commonly Asked Magnet Questions Application Process
1. Who can apply to LACES?
Any student who lives within the LAUSD boundaries and is entering grade six through twelve can apply through the Choices Brochure, which comes out in late November/early December 2. How does the application process work? All magnet schools use the same application, called the Choices Brochure. This Brochure comes out in late November/early December and is distributed through the mail to existing LAUSD students, LAUSD schools, and some libraries. The application includes directions for selecting one school. The application needs to be turned in before the deadline, which is usually sometime in January. Because the district receives an average of 65,000 applications each year, it is advisable to keep a copy of the application and mail the original in registered to verify the mail date. Late applications are processed but rarely result in a placement. Sometime in March the applicant should receive a letter from district acknowledging the application and confirming the number of magnet points assigned. Late April/early May letters are sent to the applicants notifying them of their placement at a school site or on a ranked wait list. If spaces open up, students are taken in off the wait list in order. 3. How can I get my child into LACES?
The only way to get a child into LACES is through the Magnet Application Process. The only selection criterion is the number of magnet points earned. None of the following are factors in selection: being gifted, earning good grades, working in the area, living in the area, knowing someone at the school, being able to volunteer, being able to donate funds. LACES can only take students off the lists generated by LAUSD. We do not have the authority to make acceptance decisions at the school site.
Magnet Points
4. How are magnet points assigned?
Students are assigned magnet points based on several areas: - Graduating from a magnet school = 12 points
- Counts only during the year the applicant graduates.
- Being wait-listed at a magnet school = 4 points per year./12 points maximum
- A student currently enrolled in a Magnet cannot earn wait list points.
- Only the last three years are counted in the wait list tally.
- Home school overcrowded = 4 points
- Home school predominantly minority = 4 points
- Sibling currently attends school applied for = 3 points
- The maximum number of points possible is 23 points.
5. How can an applicant find out how many magnet points they have?
Applicants are sent a letter in March confirming receipt of their application and the number of magnet points assigned. Questions regarding magnet points should be directed to the Office of Student Integration, (213) 241-4177. Because they often put callers on hold, it is recommended to call the number from a speakerphone. 6. How many points does an applicant need to be accepted to LACES?
Every year this varies. We cannot anticipate how many points applicants will have nor how many applications the district will receive.
Accepted Students
7. How many students are accepted into LACES?
LACES takes in an average of 240 sixth graders. We also take in an average of 35 ninth graders to replace those students who want a larger high school experience. We have very few openings, if any, in grades seven, eight, ten, eleven, twelve. 8. When does the acceptance list come out? The list is usually published at the end of April. 9. What happens once an applicant is accepted to LACES?
An accepted applicant will receive a letter from the school inviting the student to an orientation and placement test to determine which level English and Math class they require.
Wait List
10. How is a child ranked on the LACES wait list?
At the Office of Student Integration, a computer generates each applicant’s number through a lottery process. All of the students with the same, highest number of magnet points (for example, 20 magnet points) are randomly assigned a ranking number beginning with number one. Then, all of the students with the next highest number (for example, 19 magnet points), are randomly ranked and assigned numbers that follow the students with the highest number of magnet points. This process continues until all of the applicants who mailed their application in on time have been ranked. This list is sent to LACES and updated periodically by the Office of Student Integration. Late applicants are placed on a separate, Late Wait List. 11. How does the parent find out where their child is on the wait list?
The wait list shifts due to for a number of reasons: a wait-listed student being accepted to LACES, a wait-listed student deciding to attend a different school and, rarely, errors made by the district. So that we don’t provide an inaccurate number, the only information we are authorized to provide is the applicant’s placement in a section of the wait list: top, middle, and bottom. 12. What can a parent do to increase his/her child’s chance of accepted from the wait list?
Call the LACES Attendance Office (323) 938-1620, preferably after 3 p.m. when the office is less busy, and make sure the school has a current daytime phone number. We cannot leave messages on an answering machine. We can only make three attempts to get in touch with applicants accepted from the wait list before moving on to the next applicant.
This information was compiled 04/27/05 by the Magnet Coordinator. Although we went to efforts to verify the information, the pertinent details can change. This is meant as a guide, but not a legally binding document. Further questions should be directed to the Office of Student Integration or LACES.
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