Los Angeles Unified is a sprawling school district that covers 710 square miles and all or part of 25 cities including Gardena, West Hollywood, Monterey Park, and Inglewood.

Every child within district boundaries has a resident school near their home, but there are also a lot of other options to explore.

Some of these schools are so popular there isn’t room for every family that wants to enroll. For a chance to attend, families must complete a “Choices”  application.

A quick overview of the timeline:

• Nov. 15, 2024:  Deadline to apply online or by mail. 
• Feb. 3, 2025:  Late applications begin 
• March 2025: On-time applicant selection letters sent 
• Early April 2025: Deadline to accept or decline school offers for on-time applicants 
• April 2025: Late selection process begins

We can’t tell you which schools to apply to, but we can help you think about how to choose a school. Here are some tips from a pair of parents, who have expertise in different areas of education, to help you in the final days — and hours — of the 2025-26 application window.

Our experts

Huriya Jabbar is an associate professor of education policy at the University of Southern California. Her research examines how families, teachers, and school leaders navigate school choice, and what policy designs improve access and equity in school choice.

Debbie Steinert was the magnet school coordinator at Sylmar Charter High’s Science Tech Math Magnet for 30 years and retired in 2024. She taught physical science at Olive Vista Middle School. She is a graduate of both the schools she worked at and her two children followed in her footsteps at Sylmar’s STEM Magnet.

Jabbar and Steinert shared their expertise in a live event at the North Hollywood Library.

Go beyond the labels

Families have to learn an entirely new vocabulary to navigate the public school system. For instance:

• Magnet programs are designed to attract students to a specific campus. Magnet programs in LAUSD include focuses on accelerated coursework, science, math, humanities, law enforcement, medicine and art.
• Charter schools are tuition-free, publicly funded schools that are sometimes privately operated.

But not all schools that share the same label — for example, a "STEAM magnet" (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) — offer the same experience.

“There's a lot of pressure on school leaders and schools to differentiate themselves and to have a special brand,” Jabbar said. “That doesn't always mean that there are kind of deep curricular changes in the school to align.”

Another thing to consider is how much impact any single class, elective or extracurricular may have on your child, compared to the many other courses they’ll take in their K-12 journey.

“Hanging everything on one elective they might take once or twice is probably not the most important thing about choosing a school,” Steinert said.

Follow your child’s lead

As a kindergartner, Steinert’s eldest son started showing interest in more advanced scientific concepts. Steinert applied for the Balboa Elementary Gifted Magnet Program in Northridge.

“I was looking for more for him to be surrounded by other nerds so he wasn't ostracized,” she said. “If my son's mouth opens, science comes out still. So having other people that maybe recognized his interests and shared his interests would be good for him.”

When it came time for high school, Steinert followed her son and daughter’s lead — both wanted to attend Sylmar Charter High, where she worked.

“Best decision ever, because in addition to getting a phenomenal education and having teachers that really cared and helped them through, both my kids, though they are gifted, have IEPs for different learning disabilities, and they got the support they needed while also getting the challenge they needed,” Steinert said.

Understand the history of LAUSD’s magnet programs …

LAUSD created its first magnet programs in the 1970s to integrate segregated schools after a court order.

In the decades since then, many magnets have grown in popularity among a broad range of families (though schools in L.A. and many other places remain segregated). Students with disabilities and English language learners are all able to apply.

… And their limitations

Families are admitted based on a points system that takes into consideration:

• Whether students are advancing from the last grade at their current magnet program to a middle or high school. (12 points) 
• If the student is on a waiting list for a magnet program. (4 points for the following year, up to 12 points total for the prior three consecutive years)
• The ethnic make-up of their resident school— whether students are "predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian, and 'other non-Anglo.'" The district calls this “PHBAO.” (4 points)
• Whether their resident school is designated overcrowded. (4 points)
• A sibling already in a desired program. (3 points)

Here’s what Steinert said won’t help your chances:

• Your child’s grades or other academic achievements (with the exception of gifted and other select programs) 
• Letters of recommendation 
• Repeatedly contacting the school

“There's nothing you can do that makes your child more desirable, because this is about integration, not about your child being better than somebody else,” Steinert said.

Prepare for the possibility of getting waitlisted

Balboa’s Magnet program was so popular, Steinert’s son wasn’t admitted until third grade.

“I was not disappointed,” she said. “I was very happy with the teachers he had at our present school … So we just had to wait it out till we had enough points and he got in. And then when we applied for my daughter, because there were sibling points, she was able to get in for first grade.”

Consider the benefits of a neighborhood school

Jabbar’s son just started kindergarten this year at their neighborhood elementary school, which is walking distance from their home and also an arts magnet program.

“There is something to attending a school in your neighborhood in that all, a lot of the other kids, many of them, live in the neighborhood or live nearby,” Jabbar said. “There's a way to have this kind of reinforcing community where you're running into people at the grocery store and it's easier to attend the birthday parties, and kind of build and sustain that community over time.”

Remember your family shapes your child’s education

Steinert said she also felt confident that their family would be able to enhance her child’s educational experience, no matter where they went to school.

“My parents were engineers. They all live nearby," she said. "So my kids grew up in a rich environment where they were exposed to things that Balboa offered that maybe you wouldn't get at other schools — different field trips and things like that. They'd already seen that.”

Visit schools before making your final decision

Steinert, Jabbar and almost everyone we’ve ever interviewed about choosing a school endorse visiting the campus in person.

Jabbar remembers visiting her son’s school.

“Just walking into the school, it just felt very open," Jabbar said. “A lot of the early childhood classrooms kind of open up into a courtyard and they have a really nice school garden.”

At Sylmar Charter, Steinert invited families to visit anytime, but other schools may only offer guided tours.

Here are some questions to ask:

• Can I talk to staff and students? 
• How big are classes?
• What is staff turnover like? 
• What extracurricular activities are available? 
• Is there before- or after-school care? 
• What is the school’s approach to social and emotional learning? 
• How does the school handle discipline? 

Here are some things to observe:

• Are students engaged in the lessons? Wandering around campus? 
• What is the condition of the campus’ facilities and grounds? 
• How are staff interacting with students and each other? 

Some final words of affirmation

“It is a very stressful process to choose a school for your child,” Jabbar said. “I think it's because the system has been set up in a way that puts this burden on families rather than offering high quality school options for everyone.”

“When my kids were babies and toddlers, I remember stressing over everything,” Steinert said. “Should I continue breastfeeding them? When should I potty train? Which kind of diapers?

“Every little thing was a big thing you should think about, and you look back, now that they're old, it didn't matter," she said. “If your kid is happy at their school, that's what matters. So find a climate that they like, and they will be fine if you're there to support them.”