In an effort to inform District 60 parents and others about the school choice process, this is the 10th of 12 blog posts explaining the process and helping guide parents with helpful tips along the way. Open enrollment for the 2020-21 school year begins Jan. 13, 2020. 

The 1994 Public Schools of Choice law in Colorado allows students to enroll in the school of their choice, provided that the student had transportation and that there’s room in their newly-chosen school

The law provided options to parents to enroll their child in the school of their choice, but that also created a situation in which some schools had more applicants than there were open spots at the school. As a result, a “lottery” must be held, in which names are randomly chosen to win enrollment at their choice school.

But what about people that logically have a greater claim to selected for enrollment at a school?

What if students want to enroll in the same school as their sibling, or is a pre-schooler that wants to remain at their school for Kindergarten, just to name a few?

They need to be given preference, and that’s why District 60 gives people in certain situations priority over others when it comes to being selected in lotteries.

In a show of transparency, here is the list of “weights” that show which individuals receive preference over others, in order of the highest preference. Please note: turning in a school application early DOES NOT give one child preference over another in terms of being selected in a lottery. 

Weights apply if a student:

• Resides within the District boundary

• Is continuing at their same school (especially for Goodnight School students)

• Is returning to their “neighborhood school”

• Has a sibling enrolled in the same school or same program

• Is going from one STEM school to another

• Is a Kindergartener who attended the same school as a preschooler

• Travels less than 1.5 miles to and from school (for those choosing an IB school)

• Pueblo residents returning to D60 after attending an out-of-district school

• Siblings that are applying to the same school or program

If one of the above items describe you and your situation, you’ll automatically get an added extra nudge as it comes to being a lottery selection at your chosen school.