High School Choice & Transfer: Rising Freshmen
CURRENT 8TH GRADERS / RISING FRESHMEN 2024-2025High School Choice & Transfer Program
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8th grade families must have submitted a High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form December 18, 2023 through January 15, 2024. Late submissions are not accepted.
Important Note for Students Not Currently Enrolled in SCSD: If your child is not currently enrolled in the Syracuse City School District, you must also complete a registration for enrollment into SCSD for the 2024-2025 school year between Feb. 15 and Mar. 31 to be considered for a High School Choice program.
High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form: Please complete and share with your school counselor in order to apply to the High School Choice/Transfer program(s) of your choice.
Each student is eligible to select a maximum of two High School Choice options and one High School Transfer request this year. Once the form is complete, your child's middle school counselor will enter the appropriate selections into our online enrollment system. From there, the High School Choice Team will coordinate scheduling to ensure that your child can participate in the Interest Conversation process, which will be conducted both virtually and in-person, when applicable.
If your child is not interested in a Career or Technical Education (CTE) or Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) Program, they will be assigned to their feeder school, if applicable. You will have the ability to select this option on the form.
Important Note: Submitting the High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form or participating in the High School Choice Interest Conversation process does not guarantee admission. When there are more students eligible for a program than seats available, the District will use the an online lottery system to conduct a randomized lottery for each program to select students. Please visit www.syracusecityschools.com/registration for more information on the Interest Conversation and lottery process.
Process Timeline (Subject to Change)
High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form will be mailed home on or before Monday, December 11, 2023
Interest Conversations (to be held in the middle school Social Studies classrooms) began on December 18, 2023
High School Choice and Transfer form acceptance will concluded on January 16, 2024. Please submit your form to your child’s counselor by this Friday, January 19, 2024.
Interest Conversations (to be held in the middle school Social Studies classrooms) will conclude on or before Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Lotteries will be conducted in April 2024
High School Choice and Transfer placement and acceptance letters will be mailed to families by June 2024
Click here for CTE & Choices Brochure |
Click here for 8th Grade Feeder/ High School Assignment Pattern |
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FAQs |
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How can I learn more about CTE and P-TECH? |
Click here to register for a CTE Virtual Open House! |
What is the High School Choice and Transfer Program? |
The Syracuse City School District is proud to offer a wide selection of unique Career and Technical Education (CTE), Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) and other specialized programs for students entering 9th grade, also known as High School Choice. The district’s High School Transfer Program provides families an opportunity to request that their child be considered to attend Corcoran, Henninger or Nottingham as their home school (based on current address as documented in our system) or to join a sibling (a student who resides in the same household and who will be actively enrolled in that school in the fall) at that school. Combined these programs make up the High School Choice and Transfer Program. Families seeking to participate in the High School Choice or Transfer process must submit a High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form on behalf of their 8th grader. Submission of a application does not guarantee enrollment in the requested school or program. |
Who should submit a High School Choice or Transfer Application? |
All SCSD 8th grade students are required to complete a High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form even if they are not interested in a CTE, P-TECH or other program or a transfer. This will enable the district to properly project each 8th grader to their feeder high school, homeschool, or school of choice, if applicable, prior to July 1. The Department of Student Registration reserves the right to assign any student who does not complete the application or who is not selected via the transfer and choice process to a high school based on the Board of Education school assignment policy. |
How does a student complete the High School Choice or Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form? |
A parent or guardian must complete and submit the form on behalf of the student or schedule a time to speak or meet with the student's middle school counselor to complete the form. This will help the district to ensure that the parent or guardian is aware of the student’s school choice interests. The form is included in the 8th to 9th grade transition letter that each family receives. You may also download it by clicking here or obtain it from your student's middle school counselor. The form must be returned by January 15, 2024. |
When will the High School Choice and Transfer Application be accepted? |
The application form will be accepted from December 11, 2023 – January 15, 2024. |
Where can I find the application form? |
The application form is accessible by clicking here |
Who should complete the High School Choice or Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form? |
The form should be completed by the parent or guardian of every active 8th grader in the District, or a student who will be entering the District for 9th grade. |
What information do I need to complete the form? |
You will need the student’s first and last name, date of birth and student identification number (which is provided in the transition letter you received or will receive in the mail, and can also be obtained by visiting School Tool or contacting your child’s middle school counselor for assistance). You will also need to know what the student’s interests are when selecting a high school choice option. Lastly, please ensure that the parent or guardian’s name, telephone number and email address (and name of designee who will sign in their place, if applicable) are spelled and typed accurately. |
What high school options are listed in the form for 8th graders who will be entering 9th grade next school year? |
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Do I need to complete the form even if the student is interested in a high school choice program at their feeder school? |
Yes. 8th graders transitioning to 9th grade are required to apply to a CTE, P-TECH or specialized program even if the program is housed in their feeder high school. |
If a student is not interested in a CTE, P-TECH or other specialized program, do we still have to submit a High School Choice or Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form? |
Yes. All 8th graders must submit a High School Choice and Transfer Application Assistance and Consent Form. If a student is not interested in a High School Choice option (CTE, P-TECH or specialized program), the parent or guardian would have to select the Feeder School or Transfer option (student must be eligible for a transfer to be considered to enter the lottery). Important Note: Students who attend Frazer, Syracuse STEM @ Blodgett, and a percentage of the students who attend ELMS, Grant, Oasis, McCarthy @ Beard and Syracuse Latin and who reside in the West quadrant do not have a feeder high school. Therefore, these students are required to select High School Choice and Transfer options. If a application is not submitted for the student or he/she is not accepted through the process, the District will assign them to one of the comprehensive high schools – Corcoran, Henninger or Nottingham. The Department of Student Registration will work closely with the family to discuss school assignment options but reserves the right to assign students based on seat availability. |
How many High School Transfer options can I select? |
You can select one (1) transfer option. SCSD Board of Education Policy stipulates that students can only be granted one transfer during their high school years. |
How many High School Choice options can I select? |
You can select a maximum of two (2) High School Choice options. |
Does selecting a transfer or choice option automatically guarantee a high school placement? |
No. Selection of a High School Choice or Transfer option does not guarantee placement. In the case of a transfer, the student must be eligible based on the criteria outlined in the "What high school options are listed in the application for 8th graders who will be entering 9th grade next school year?" section above. High School Choice programs require that all students participate in an Interest Conversation for their program of interest. Each school/program has an Interest Review Committee that will be responsible for Interest Conversationing students and recommending enrollment in the program of choice based on the student’s interest in the program and other program specific criteria, where applicable. |
What is the Interest Conversation process all about? |
These Interest Conversations will be hosted virtually and by telephone with each student who selects a high school choice option. Interest Conversations involve a conversation between the student, program staff and other members of the District to make sure students have a clear understanding of what the CTE, P-TECH or specialized programs are all about. Each student who selects a High School Choice option will be required to participate in the Interest Conversation process in order to be considered for the program specific lottery. Students who participate in the Interest Conversation process and demonstrate a strong interest in the program are recommended for enrollment and inclusion in the electronic randomized lottery, if applicable. |
What if the Interest Review Committee is unable to reach the student, parent or guardian to participate in an Interest Conversation? |
The last section of the High School Choice and Transfer application requests the parent or guardian’s (or contact person’s) name, telephone number and email address. Therefore, it is super important for parents or guardians to provide accurate up-to-date information so that each Interest Review Committee can reach our students in a timely manner. If they are unable to reach the student or parent/guardian, they will document that information and try one additional time before documenting the student as a ‘No Show’. |
What are the next steps in the process after the Interest Conversation? Is it a lottery? |
The Interest Review Committee will provide the Department of Student Registration a complete list of students who are both recommended and not recommended for enrollment in the various programs. Based on the results of the Interest Conversation, students will be marked as eligible (recommended by the Interest Review Committee and approved to enter the lottery), ineligible (not recommend for enrollment and not approved to enter the lottery) or incomplete (student did not participate in the interest Interest Conversation process) in our electronic lottery system. If there are more students who are deemed eligible or recommended for enrollment in a specific program than there are seats available, the District will conduct a lottery using our electronic lottery system to ensure a fair and equitable placement process. The lottery system will automatically rank each student by giving them a number on the accepted list or the waitlist. This information is based on the total number of seats available in each school or specialized program. Important Note: Students must be recommended by the Interest Review Committee to be entered into the lottery. Student entrance into the lottery pool is not based on the date or time an application is submitted during the High School Choice open enrollment process. This is a randomized selection process. |
What if a student is recommended by the Interest Review Committee, but not selected through the electronic randomized lottery process? |
Students who are entered into the lottery, but not selected, will be assigned to the waitlist and required to attend their feeder high school, home school, or assigned school for students who do not have a feeder, as applicable. The Department of Student Registration will contact the family when a seat becomes available in the program of interest. The students will remain on the waitlist for the first semester of the new school year. |
What if a student is recommended by the Interest Review Committee for both programs? How will they be entered into the lottery? |
Students who are recommended by the Interest Review Committee for one or both programs will be entered into each program’s lottery in the order in which they ranked the program of interest:
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How are students and parents/guardians notified about their acceptance, non-acceptance and/or waitlist status? |
The Department of Student Registration will notify students and families of their acceptance, non-acceptance, or waitlist status. The notification will be mailed to the address on file in School Tool. Important Note: Parents/guardians should contact the main office of their child’s school or the Department of Student Registration (registration@scsd.us) as soon as a student moves or transfers outside of the District. The parent or guardian will be required to provide proof of address if they move. |
Do students have to confirm acceptance of a seat? |
Students who are accepted into their 1st choice through the lottery (whether a school choice option or a transfer) do not have to confirm acceptance of their seat. They will be automatically placed in that program or school. Students who are accepted into their 2nd choice or students who are not ranked as accepted in the lottery and placed on a waitlist will remain on the waitlist for the first semester (please refer to the section "What if a student is recommended by the Interest Review Committee for both programs? How will they be entered into the lottery?" 1-3 for details on the waitlist process). These two groups of students (2nd choice recipients and waitlisted students will be asked to confirm acceptance of that status). This information will be detailed in the student acceptance, non-acceptance or waitlist letter. |
What is the timeline for the High School Choice and Transfer Program process? |
The following is a tentative timeline of events, which is subject to change. Please continue to check the websites listed in the section "Where can I find the application?" for updates.
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