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Choice Selection Process

High School Choice programs use one of two selection processes: lottery or points. The selection system used for each GoCPS program can be found on the school’s profile page using the School Search Tool. The selection process is designed to match each student with an open seat in their highest-ranked program.

GoCPS High School Selections & Offers: How Does This Work?

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Lottery Selections

Programs that use a randomized computer lottery system to fill seats consider a combination of the following:

  • The applicant’s randomly assigned lottery number.
  • The number of available seats for each program.
  • How the programs are ranked on the applicant’s GoCPS application.
  • Whether the program gives preference for certain priority groups.
  • Please note that certain choice programs may have minimum eligibility requirements in order for students to be eligible to join the lottery. These requirements by program can be found using the School Search Tool.

How It Works

All program selections run simultaneously, and applicants are placed in line for every program on their GoCPS application at the same time according to any priority groups that the program offers and are included and verified on the student’s GoCPS application. Students are placed in the single highest priority group in the following order (Sibling, Staff, Proximity, Tier, General). Applicants who don’t qualify for any priority group are placed in the General group. Some lottery programs do have minimum academic requirements that all students must meet in order to be considered.

Note: Not all programs consider every priority queue. See the school profile pages to see which priorities each program includes.

  • Sibling: If more siblings apply than there are seats available, a computerized sibling lottery will be conducted to fill the available spaces.
  • Staff: Up to two seats only.
  • Proximity: Students who live within a certain radius of the school are included in this priority group.
  • Tiers: Seats are distributed evenly among the four address tiers, and the seats are filled by computerized lottery.
  • General: Includes all applicants who do not qualify into any of the above priority groups.

A random computerized lottery system assigns a random number to each applicant. Applicants are lined up accordingly from lowest number to highest number.

  • When an applicant matches with the highest-ranked program on their GoCPS application, they are taken out of line for all lower ranked programs.
  • Students are placed on a waitlist for all programs they ranked higher than the offer they received. Applicants will not be waitlisted for programs ranked lower than the offer received.
  • Tiebreakers are not needed for lottery-based selections.

Lower-Ranked Programs

If an applicant has received an offer, they will not get any additional offers to lower-ranked programs and will not be placed on any waitlists for lower-ranked programs. If an applicant later decides that they would like to be added to a lower-ranked waitlist, they will need to manually add that program again after the Rolling Waitlist opens in the spring.

Points-Based Selections

The selection process may consider a combination of the following. Please see the specific programs to see what is included in that specific selections process. Selective Enrollment programs run a separate selection process.

  • The applicant’s total points
  • The number of available seats for each program
  • How programs are ranked on the GoCPS application
  • Address Tiers for magnet programs
50% 50% HSAT Scores Final Grades (7th)

How It Works

All program selections run simultaneously.

  • HSAT scores and grades are converted into points.
  • Certain IB Programs add 50 bonus points to the total for students students living in the attendance areas or within a designated proximity of the school.
  • Qualifying applicants are placed in line for every program on their GoCPS application and lined up in descending point order.
  • Applicants are offered available seats in descending points total.
  • When an applicant matches with the highest-ranked program on their GoCPS application, they are taken out of line for all programs ranked lower on their applications.
  • Students will be placed on the waitlist for all programs that they are eligible for and are ranked higher than the offer that is received. If no offers are received, the applicant will be placed on the waitlist for all programs they applied to and are eligible for.
  • Tiebreakers: A random computerized lottery will be used for all tiebreakers.

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