Everything you need to know about the CMS School Choice Lottery

Like many places in the country, school assignments in Charlotte are largely determined by the area you live in.

What you might not know is that Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools offers additional options outside of your home school.

And your child can be considered a seat at one of these schools, if you apply through the CMS School Choice Lottery this month.

Here’s everything you need to know:

There are some really cool magnet school options out there. Seriously.

There are a wide variety of CMS School Choice schools to consider. Each school offers a different theme (Montessori, STEM, performing arts, etc.) and you can choose based on what fits your child best.

One note: Many of these schools are focused in certain areas, however, kids will still be taught a full academic curriculum.

Here are just a few awesome options for the coming year:

Billingsville Elementary (K-5)
This school is creating a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) program focused on Health Sciences. Plus, it’s right off Randolph Road, which is a great central location.

Hawthorne Academy (9-12)
This newly renovated school is focused on Health Sciences. Students can actually earn certifications to put them on track for their future careers. Hawthorne is also adding a Military, Global Leadership & Public Safety Academy. Very cool.

University Area Community Science Immersion School (K-5)
This will be a brand new school for 2017-2018, located in the University area. It will be the very first elementary school in Charlotte to focus on coding, one of the most in-demand skills in the world today.

There are also many other school choice options, which you can check out here.

Many of the schools are offering Open Houses.

Before you apply for the lottery, you can actually go visit some of schools. Check out the facilities, talk to the teachers and see which one will be the best fit for your child.

Open House dates and times for each location can be found here.

You can also attend an info session, which is a district-wide meeting to learn more about CMS School Choice and ask your questions in person.

For your child to be considered for these schools, you have you apply for the CMS School Choice Lottery by February 14by 10 PM.

Applications can be found here. If your child isn’t currently enrolled in CMS, you’ll need to do that first with the CMS Student Placement Office by Jan. 24th.

It’s completely free to apply and open to all CMS families.

It’s also free to attend any of the CMS Choice Schools, with the exception of Montessori, which is fee-based.

If you are happy with your current school, you don’t have to apply.

The CMS School Choice Lottery is completely voluntary. If you don’t want to apply, your child will simply attend his or her home school for the 2017-2018 school year. No worries.

When you are ready to apply, go to CMSChoice.org. #yaylearning

(This content was co-created with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.)