APS Accepting Applications for Admission to Option Schools

75 Sixth-Grade Slots Available at H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program

Updated Oct. 30: Arlington Public Schools will begin to accept applications for middle and high school option schools and programs starting Nov. 6, 2017 through Mon, Jan. 19, 2018 by 4 p.m. Applications now will be completed online. If a paper copy is needed, families can pick one up from the office at all elementary schools or at the Welcome Center (2110 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA 22204). The process for applying to countywide option schools and programs is outlined on the Option Schools webpage.

Neighborhood Transfers
For the 2018-19 school year, no neighborhood transfers will be available to any of the APS middle schools.  For high schools, neighborhood transfers to Wakefield and Yorktown high school will be accepted. There is a separate “Neighborhood Transfer Form” which can be completed online to request a neighborhood transfer. Parents/guardians are responsible for transportation when the student accepts a transfer to another neighborhood school that is accepting transfers. Countywide Secondary Option Schools and Programs

Middle School Option Schools*

• H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
• Dual Language Immersion Program at Gunston Middle School (Students currently enrolled in the APS elementary immersion programs will complete an Intent-to-Return form through their school. Students not currently in an APS immersion program will need to meet language requirements for acceptance into the middle school program.)
• Montessori Program at Gunston Middle School (Students currently enrolled in the APS Montessori program will complete an Intent-to-Return form through Drew. Students entering this program from outside APS will need to meet Montessori experience requirements for acceptance into the middle school program.)

High School Option Schools*

• Arlington Tech at the Career Center
• H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
• Advanced Placement (AP) Network at Wakefield High School
• Dual Language Immersion Program at Wakefield High School
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme at Washington-Lee High School

Please see the school websites as well as the Option Schools webpage for any specific admission requirements for the high school programs listed above. Transportation will be provided for students who receive admission to any option schools if the student lives outside of the school’s walk zone. *APS will determine the number of available slots based on November projections and will announce those numbers at that time.

Applications
The online application will be available on Nov. 6, 2017. Parents should complete an Options School Application online between Nov. 6, 2017 and Jan. 19, 2018, by 4 p.m. Paper applications will also be accepted and must be submitted to the Welcome Center (2110 Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA, 22204) by 4 p.m. on Jan. 19, 2018.

Lottery
If the number of applications exceed the available seats for any of the Options Schools, APS will conduct a random double-blind lottery to determine admission. If families apply to more than one school/program, their application will go into all lotteries simultaneously. Lotteries for all Secondary Options schools will be held on January 26, 2018 at the Welcome Center by Department of Teaching and Learning staff.

Notification
Families will be notified of their acceptance or placement on the waiting list in writing by the Welcome Center no later than February 2, 2018. Parents must confirm or decline attendance to the school or program by February 23, 2018.

Waiting List
Students who applied, but were not selected through the lottery process, will be placed in numerical order on a waiting list. Applications received after the deadline are placed at the bottom of the existing waiting list for the upcoming school year. Waiting lists will be maintained by the Welcome Center until July 1. After July 1, waiting lists for the current school year will be maintained by school staff.  Families on the waiting list as of November 1, 2017 for Options Schools do not need to re-apply; they will maintain their place on the waiting list.  Beginning with applications in the fall of 2018, all families will need to apply for all programs each year to be included in the lottery. Additional information is found in the Options and Transfers webpage.

H-B Woodlawn Secondary Program
Under the school system’s admissions policy, slots in the sixth-grade class at H-B Woodlawn will be assigned based on the number of APS fifth grade students residing in each neighborhood attendance area. For this reason, when applying to H-B Woodlawn, any Arlington fifth-graders enrolled in schools other than their neighborhood schools must indicate the neighborhood attendance area in which they live.

A total of 75 sixth-grade slots are available for the 2018-19 school year. The slots will be assigned to Arlington’s 18 elementary attendance areas as follows:

• Abingdon – 5
• Ashlawn – 4
• Arlington Science Focus School – 4**
• Barcroft – 4
• Barrett – 4
• Carlin Springs – 5
• Discovery – 4
• Glebe – 5
• Henry – 3
• Hoffman–Boston/Students who reside in the Nauck neighborhood – 5**
• Jamestown – 4
• Long Branch – 3
• McKinley – 6
• Nottingham – 3
• Oakridge – 5
• Randolph – 3
• Taylor – 5
• Tuckahoe – 3

** The assigned slots reflect the number of fifth-grade students who live in the Hoffman–Boston/Nauck attendance area. The calculations do not include fifth-graders from other neighborhood attendance areas enrolled in those schools.