Choices is due Fri Nov 6, a week earlier than last year, and LAUSD dropped paper apps. Most parents already have a school in mind, so start there. Jump to your school below. The why-it-works rules are at the bottom.
Short answers
Different programs don’t hurt your top pick. Magnet, dual language, SAS/IHP and GALA are separate lotteries.
Magnets: only list schools you’d actually attend. Get your #2 and you’re off the #1 waitlist. Say no to any magnet offer and you lose your points.
Tests come after the deadline. IHP, Science Academy and gifted programs still need Choices by Nov 6.
Independent charters skip Choices. Ocean, WISH, New West, Pali and others run their own apps, mostly due late Jan–Feb.
Your neighborhood LAUSD school is always there.
Find your school
Each card has the app, the deadline and how to list it.
Elementary
Which app: Choices, magnet section
Deadline: Fri Nov 6
Test? No, except gifted and highly gifted magnets (see below).
How to list it: Up to 3, ranked. Only list ones you'd actually go to. If you get your #2, you're off the #1 waitlist, and saying no to any magnet offer wipes your points.
Why it matters later: Finishing 5th grade at a magnet = 12 matriculation points toward a middle school magnet. Biggest edge you'll get.
Heads up: There are no TK magnet classes. Already at a magnet? Get offered another one and you lose your current seat, accepted or not.
Which app: Choices, dual language section
Deadline: Fri Nov 6
Test? No.
How to list it: Up to 3, ranked. Uses a priority order, not magnet points.
Pairs well with: A magnet app. They're separate lotteries, and your kid stays on a waitlist even if you accept or decline the other program.
Which app: Choices, magnet section (counts as one of your 3 magnet picks)
Deadline: Fri Nov 6
Test? Eligibility first. Gifted = LAUSD gifted ID, qualifying test scores, or teacher verification. Highly gifted = 99.9% on an LAUSD psychologist’s assessment.
When you'll know: Eligibility letters around Jan 19.
Which app: None if you live in the boundary and qualify. It's automatic.
Outside the boundary? Apply in Choices, SAS section, by Nov 6. Seats go to boundary kids first.
Who qualifies: Gifted ID, qualifying test scores, or teacher verification of 4 critical-thinking skills.
Which app: Choices, if you live outside the school's boundary. SchoolScope has a rundown.
Deadline: Fri Nov 6
Heads up: Boundary families usually get priority. Check the Choices affiliated charter list for your school.
Which app: Ocean's own app, not Choices
Deadline: Fri Jan 29, 3pm
Test? No. No entrance tests, random public lottery.
Heads up: You have to attend a parent info meeting and tour before you can apply. Ocean says it gets about 800–1,000 applicants for ~56 spots a year.
Which app: WISH's own app (SchoolMint)
Deadline: Fri Jan 29, 6pm
Lottery: Fri Feb 5
Heads up: Any CA resident can apply. Apps don't roll over, so reapply every year.
Which app: Goethe's own app (SchoolMint)
Deadline: Enrollment opens Dec 1. Last year it closed in late Jan.
Test? No tests or fees. Apps and waitlists are good for one year.
Which app: CWC's own app
Deadline: Feb 16 priority deadline
Which app: Their own. Tour first, then you get the app link.
Deadline: End of January. $50 nonrefundable fee.
When you'll know: Decisions by email at the end of Feb.
Middle school
Which app: Choices, magnet section
Deadline: Fri Nov 6
Test? No. Points + lottery only. Grades, recs and gifted status don’t count.
How to list it: Magnet #1 if it's your top pick. Only add magnets #2–3 if you'd actually go.
Pairs well with: IHP, GALA, dual language. Different programs, so they don't compete with LACES.
Heads up: About 190 6th-grade seats, then only 3–15 openings per grade after that.
What's there: World Languages Magnet, Spanish dual language, Mandarin immersion, SAS and IHP, all on one campus.
Which app: All in Choices, but each is its own section: magnet, dual language, SAS/IHP.
How to list it: The magnet uses one of your 3 magnet picks. Dual language and IHP are separate and don't touch magnet points. SAS is automatic for boundary kids who qualify.
Which app: Choices, SAS/IHP section, by Fri Nov 6. Miss it and there's no test invite.
Test? Yes, in January. Past cycles had a separate in-house app, teacher rec forms, a January assessment and a February interview.
What counts: IHP test, interview, teacher recs, test scores, past grades.
Heads up: Twain's posted timeline is from 2024. Check the school site for this year's dates.
What's there: Two ways in: the affiliated charter (the main school) and the Math, Science & Technology Magnet on the same campus.
Live in the boundary? You're in. No lottery and no Choices app. Just turn in an enrollment packet in person, Mar 1–May 14.
Outside the boundary: Choices by Fri Nov 6, affiliated charter section. That puts you in the charter lottery. Last year's lottery was in mid-Feb.
Magnet: Also on Choices, magnet section. Uses one of your 3 magnet picks. Points + lottery, no gifted ID needed.
How to list it: Charter and magnet are separate programs, so you can list both. Affiliated charters keep you on their waitlist even if you accept another offer.
Heads up: Charter lottery kids don’t get a district bus. Only the magnet and PWT do. Revere grads also get a priority at Pali High.
Which app: Choices, SAS/IHP section, by Fri Nov 6
Test? Yes. Admission is based on Reed’s IHP placement exam. Last cycle it was Jan 17. GATE ID is recommended but not required.
Then: Eligible kids go into a lottery. The waitlist only lasts one year.
Which app: Choices, SAS single-gender section. Choices only, no separate GALA app anymore.
Deadline: Fri Nov 6. No late apps.
Test? No GALA test. It now uses SAS-style eligibility: gifted ID, test scores, or teacher verification, checked in January.
How to list it: Apply to magnets too. GALA doesn't use magnet points, so magnet apps don't hurt it. If you accept another LAUSD school, your GALA spot is gone.
Heads up: About 105 new 6th graders, only 0–20 new 9th graders. Families outside LAUSD can apply with an inter-district permit.
Which app: Choices, magnet section. Uses one of your 3 magnet picks.
Test? Yes, everyone takes it, even GATE kids. Last cycle it was Dec 2–4, invite by email after Choices closed. Check spam.
Then: Pass = you're in the points lottery, not guaranteed a seat. Don't pass = only that pick is dropped. Your other magnets stay in play.
How to list it: Rank it #1 if it's truly your top magnet. Put magnets you'd really attend at #2–3.
Heads up: NoHo is a long daily drive from Venice or Playa. Ask about transportation.
Which app: New West's own app, not Choices
Deadline: Feb 10, 4pm
Lottery: Wed Feb 24, 5pm on Zoom
Heads up: You have to verify your application to get a lottery number. Late apps go to the end of the waitlist.
Deadline: Both Fri Jan 29. Ocean at 3pm, WISH at 6pm.
Heads up: Openings in middle grades are limited, since current students re-enroll automatically.
High school
Which app: None for Venice High students who qualify. SAS serves all grade levels.
Who qualifies: Gifted ID, 85th+ percentile on a district-approved test, or teacher verification.
Outside the boundary? Apply in Choices, SAS section, by Nov 6.
Which app: Choices, magnet section, by Fri Nov 6
Heads up: In some Westchester areas, resident kids are guaranteed a spot but still fill out Choices. Everyone else goes by points.
Which app: Pali's own lottery app (Lotterease), not Choices
Deadline: Mon Nov 30, 4pm
Lottery: Mon Jan 11. Accept by Jan 25.
Heads up: Everyone applies, residents too. Pali estimates about 750 9th-grade openings. Confirm dates with Pali admissions, its own page has a year-label mix-up.
Reality check: Most seats fill in 6th. LACES runs about 3–15 openings per grade, GALA lists 0–20 for 9th, and Science Academy tests 7th–12th graders for limited seats.
Points: Finishing 8th grade at a middle school magnet = 12 matriculation points toward a high school magnet.
Careful: At a 6–12 magnet like LACES? Get offered another magnet and you lose your current seat, accepted or not. Talk it through before you submit.
Deadlines: New West Feb 10, 4pm. WISH (all schools, incl. its high school) Fri Jan 29, 6pm.
Which app: Choices, its own pathway with its own eligibility rules. LAUSD’s UEP page has the details.
Sleeper picks
Not every good school has a waitlist. These two get way less buzz than Twain or LACES, which can make them smart picks on your Choices app.
Marina del Rey Middle
6–8 · Del Rey · neighborhood school + Performing Arts Magnet
The glow up: Parent group Friends of Marina Middle helped drive a 53% enrollment jump in its first year. Full gym, climbing wall, dance studios, gardens, a robotics lab and walking field trips along Ballona Creek.
Choices tip: Boundary kids just enroll, no app. For the Performing Arts Magnet, list it in the magnet section. Finishing 8th grade in a magnet earns 12 matriculation points for high school magnets.
Westside Global Awareness Magnet
K–8 · Marina del Rey · magnet
Why it’s a sleeper: 164 kids total, small classes by design, a block from the beach, a 2025 California Distinguished School, free after-school until 6 and district busing.
Choices tip: It’s a full magnet, so it uses one of your 3 magnet picks. K–8 means no 6th-grade Choices scramble, and kids who finish 8th leave with matriculation points for high school magnets.
How to list a sleeper: Less buzz can mean better odds, but LAUSD doesn’t publish acceptance rates. If one of these is your real top pick, put it #1. If it’s a backup, remember that getting your #2 takes you off your #1 waitlist. Tour before Nov 6 if you can.
Worth the drive
Some of the coolest public programs aren’t on the Westside. If your kid is obsessed with art, music or games, these might be worth the commute.
What it is: A tuition-free TK–12 public school built around the arts, mostly music and dance. Admission is by lottery.
No audition: No auditions, interviews or prerequisites. 95% of new students have no prior music or dance training.
Which app: Not on Choices. It’s an independent charter with its own 2027-28 application. Info nights at 5:45pm on Feb 4, Feb 23, Mar 9 (in Spanish) and Apr 22.
Heads up: The application deadline isn’t posted, so call (323) 259-5700. No district bus, so plan on driving.
What it is: A rare K–12 LAUSD magnet: a Performing Arts Magnet for elementary, then Media Arts & Engineering for 6–12.
Which app: Choices, magnet section, by Fri Nov 6. Uses one of your 3 magnet picks.
Heads up: The campus is getting a big rebuild. District plans had the school at a temporary campus near downtown from summer 2026 through spring 2029, with bus pickup near 32nd St. Confirm where it is this year.
What it is: LAUSD’s game development and esports magnet for middle school. Kids learn to build games, and there’s an esports class.
Why look: Small: about 507 kids and a 13:1 student-teacher ratio.
Which app: Choices, magnet section, by Fri Nov 6.
Heads up: It’s a new program, so ask about seats and whether there’s a bus from the Westside.
What it is: The Critical Design and Gaming STEM Magnet: coding, game design, generative art and AP Computer Science Principles. Students compete in esports and the Games for Change challenge.
Why look: It was LAUSD’s first game design magnet. The magnet has about 200–230 students inside a school of about 1,200.
Which app: Choices, magnet section, by Fri Nov 6.
What it is: A film and media magnet started in 2020 with film studio partnerships and teachers who came from film and TV. It feeds Hamilton High’s video production program.
Why look: It’s closer than you think, with about 90–100 openings a year.
Which app: Choices, magnet section, by Fri Nov 6. Palms says not to list any magnet you wouldn’t actually go to.
What it is: LA County’s public arts high school, with 5 departments: cinematic arts, dance, music, theatre and visual arts.
Which app: Not on Choices. Apply Oct 1–Jan 5, up to 2 departments.
Test? Yes. Admission is by audition or portfolio review in Jan–Feb. Cinematic arts does interviews Jan 30. Decision letters go out Feb 26.
Other doors in
Choices isn’t the only way into an LAUSD school. Most families won’t need these, but one of them might be your best route.
What it is: An integration program that buses kids from certain areas to Revere MS, Portola MS or Taft HS. The district picks the school, not you.
Who it’s for: Only kids whose resident school is in a sending area. Middle: Audubon, Drew, Gompers, Harte Prep, Mann, Muir, Obama Global. High: Crenshaw, Dorsey, Dymally, Hawkins, Jordan, Locke, Manual Arts, Washington Prep. Most Westside addresses won’t qualify.
Which app: Choices, PWT section, by Fri Nov 6.
Heads up: PWT buses only go to those 3 schools, not to magnets or other Choices programs.
What it is: High schools paired with a community college. Kids take college classes and can earn up to 2 years of credit or even an associate degree.
Which app: Choices, Early/Middle College section, by Fri Nov 6. Current 8th and 9th graders are encouraged to apply.
Heads up: Each school has its own eligibility rules. LAUSD’s pathways page lists them.
What it is: A Saturday program in dance, drama, voice and visual arts, Oct–Apr. It’s on top of regular school, not a school itself. It’s held at Cal State LA.
Who gets in: Kids identified as talented in the arts go first, then returning students, then a lottery for everyone else. Talent auditions are the 3rd Saturday in Nov and May, and your school has to refer your kid ahead of time.
Which app: Not Choices. Apply Jun 1–Aug 31 at apply.lausd.net.
Heads up: For LAUSD students only, and there’s no bus.
What it is: Areas with no single assigned school. Families rank every school in their zone and get placed by ranking and space.
Does it apply to you? Only if your address is in a zone. Check with Find Your Zone. If you’re not in one, skip it.
Which app: apply.lausd.net. 2027-28 zone apps close Nov 6, the same day as Choices.
What it is: A state-required transfer program into any LAUSD school that posts open seats. Apply to up to 5 schools, with a random draw if there are more kids than seats.
Which app: Its own app at apply.lausd.net. On-time window is late Apr–mid May, with a late window from early Jun to mid Sep.
Heads up: No bus and no appeals, but once you’re in, you can stay through the last grade. Intra-district permits (school to school) are another route, handled between the 2 schools, first come, first served.
Coming into LAUSD: Live in Santa Monica, Culver City or another district? You need a release from your home district plus a yes from the LAUSD school. Apps open Feb 1 for next year and stay open all year. Don’t unenroll until it’s approved.
Leaving LAUSD: Apply to the other district. SMMUSD is taking 2027-28 apps for Malibu schools only so far.
Heads up: Permits don’t get you into magnets. LAUSD magnets require you to live in the district. GALA and some charters do take permit kids.
Deadlines, in order
What | Deadline | Then |
|---|---|---|
LAUSD Choices (magnets, dual language, SAS/IHP, GALA, affiliated charters) | Fri Nov 6 | Letters Feb 8–12, accept by Fri Mar 5 |
Zones of Choice (only if your address is in a zone) | Fri Nov 6 | — |
GATE verification forms (mostly private / non-LAUSD kids) | Fri Nov 20 | — |
Palisades Charter High | Mon Nov 30, 4pm | Lottery Jan 11 |
Science Academy entrance test | Early Dec | Results in Jan |
Goethe International Charter | Opens Dec 1 | TBA |
LACHSA application | Tue Jan 5, 11:59pm | Auditions Jan–Feb, decisions Fri Feb 26 |
Gifted / SAS eligibility letters | Jan 19 | — |
IHP tests (Mark Twain, Reed) | January | Twain interviews in Feb |
Ocean Charter | Fri Jan 29, 3pm | Lottery late Feb |
WISH (all schools) | Fri Jan 29, 6pm | Lottery Fri Feb 5 |
New School West (preschool) | End of Jan | Decisions end of Feb |
Incoming inter-district permits (into LAUSD) | Opens Feb 1 | Open all year |
New West Charter | Feb 10, 4pm | Lottery Wed Feb 24 |
CWC Mar Vista | Tue Feb 16 (priority) | TBA |
Paul Revere in-boundary enrollment packets | Mar 1–May 14, in person | — |
LAUSD open enrollment | Late Apr–mid May | Late window early Jun–mid Sep |
Conservatory of Fine Arts | Jun 1–Aug 31 | Info in early Sep |
Choices dates are from LAist’s rundown, and the Jan/Feb letter dates are from SchoolScope. GoMamaGuide flagged the Nov 20 GATE form date. Charter dates are linked in each school card. Always double-check your portal.
Good news on timing: most charter lotteries land in February, before the Mar 5 Choices accept deadline. So you can apply to both and see most offers before you commit.
Choices myths vs. facts
Myth: Listing more than one school hurts your shot at your top pick.
Fact: Not across programs. Magnet, dual language, SAS/IHP, GALA and affiliated charters each run their own selection, so you can get an offer from each and pick one. Within magnets, if you get your #1, your #2 and #3 aren’t even looked at. The real catch is the waitlist: miss your #1 but get your #2 or #3, and you’re not on any waitlist. So only list backups you’d actually take.
Myth: Listing only your dream school shows you’re serious.
Fact: No one gives points for loyalty. Listing just one school only makes sense if it’s the only one you’d accept. Then if you miss, you stay on its waitlist and pick up waitlist points for next year.
Myth: Applying Oct 1 beats applying Nov 5.
Fact: It’s not first come, first served. Selection is random and happens after the deadline. Just don’t miss Fri Nov 6.
Myth: Good grades, teacher recs or volunteering help you get a magnet.
Fact: Nope. Magnets go by priority points plus a random draw. Gifted and highly gifted magnets do require eligibility first.
Myth: You can turn down a magnet offer and keep your points for next year.
Fact: Declining any magnet offer wipes your waitlist points. Not responding by the deadline counts as a decline, and declines are final.
Myth: My kid’s already in a magnet, so applying to another one is a free shot.
Fact: Current magnet students who get offered another magnet lose their current seat, whether they accept or not. Moving up to middle or high school is different, since you have to apply anyway.
Myth: The IHP or gifted test is in January, so I’ll apply after we see the score.
Fact: Choices is due Nov 6 no matter what. Miss it and there’s no test invite. Tests and eligibility checks come after.
Myth: Ocean, WISH and New West are on the Choices app.
Fact: Those are independent charters with their own apps, mostly due late Jan–Feb. Only affiliated charters are on Choices.
Myth: A late app is basically the same thing.
Fact: Late apps go to the end of the waitlist and earn zero magnet points. GALA doesn’t take late apps at all.
Myth: If we strike out everywhere, we have no school.
Fact: LAUSD residents can always enroll at their neighborhood school. Santa Monica and Culver City families fall back to their own district.
How Choices works
Different programs = separate lotteries
Choices is really six programs on one app: magnets, dual language, SAS, affiliated charters, Permits With Transportation and Early/Middle College. LAUSD says you can apply to up to six programs on one app. Each runs its own selection, so your kid can get more than one offer. You accept one.
How magnet ranking works
Get your #1 and #2–3 aren’t considered.
Miss #1 but get #2 or #3, and you’re not on any waitlist, including #1.
Get nothing, and you’re waitlisted for #1 only.
That’s from the Choices FAQ. It’s why the district says to only apply to programs you want to attend.
Magnet points
Matriculation (12): finishing the last grade of a magnet and moving up a level
Waitlist (4/yr, max 12): applied on time, didn’t get in
PHBAO (4): your resident school is predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non-Anglo, from the district’s integration order
Overcrowded resident school (4): rare
Sibling (3): sibling already in that program
Max is 23. LAist’s points explainer has the details. Grades, recs, donations and volunteering don’t count. Late apps earn zero points, and turning down any magnet offer wipes your waitlist points.
The Nov vs. Jan problem
IHP, Science Academy and gifted magnets all test or verify after the Nov 6 deadline. You can’t wait for a score to decide. Apply to your backups (magnet, dual language, charters) now. You’ll have every LAUSD offer by mid-Feb and until Mar 5 to choose.
Your neighborhood school is the fallback
For LAUSD residents, yes. LAUSD says kids who live in district boundaries can enroll in their neighborhood school anytime, and its enrollment rules tell schools to enroll resident kids right away with no waitlists. A few footnotes:
Look up your resident school first. It’s not always the closest one.
If your resident school has a magnet center you want, you still apply through Choices.
Santa Monica and Culver City families: your fallback is your own district. Magnets are LAUSD-only, but GALA and IHP accept outside families with an inter-district permit.
Questions? Choices support: (213) 241-4177.
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