High School

 

Option Schools/Programs – Application Timeline for School Year 2023-24
Primary Application window: CLOSED Nov. 7, 2022 – Jan. 13, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Lottery* (online) Jan. 23, 2023, 1 p.m.
Families receive lottery results Jan. 30, 2023 after 4 p.m.
Accept/Decline Feb. 13, 2023 by 11:59 p.m.
Late application window: CLOSED Accepting late applications for specific grades/programs until April 17.
Neighborhood Transfers – Application Timeline for School Year 2023-24
Application window: Feb. 20 – March 10, 2023 at 4 p.m.
Lottery* (online) March 17, 2023, 1 p.m.
Families receive lottery results March 24, 2023 after 4 p.m.
Deadline to accept/decline May 27, 2023 by 11:59 p.m.

*Families do NOT receive lottery results on the day of the automated lottery. Families are notified of their acceptance or placement on the waitlist by email and/or text after 4 p.m. on the date in the application timeline.

Option Schools/Programs:

Learn more about each school/program.

Attend an Information Session: Each high school will offer an in-person and/or virtual information session for families. See the schedule.

Watch Virtual High School Information Night!

  • Learn about the transition to high school, core classes, electives, and extracurriculars.
  • Families interested in option schools/programs or neighborhood transfers will learn about the application and lottery process.
  • View a printable version of the presentation (English | Spanish)

Option Schools Lottery: If more applications are received than there are seats available, APS will conduct a random, double-blind lottery to determine admission.

The 2023-24 school-year lotteries for middle and high school option schools were held on Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, at 1 p.m.

  • Families DO NOT receive lottery results on the day of the lottery.
  • Families will be notified of their acceptance or placement on the waitlist by email and/or text on Jan 30, 2023, after 4 p.m.
  • Families must confirm or decline attendance to the school or program by February 13, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. 
  • If families do not accept or decline their seat by the deadline, their seat will be given to the next student on the waitlist.
  • If families apply to more than one school/program, their application will go into all lotteries simultaneously. 

Waitlists: Students who applied, but were not selected through the lottery process, will be placed in numerical order on a waitlist.

  • Applications received after the deadline are placed at the bottom of the existing waitlist for the upcoming school year.
  • When students on the waitlist are offered a seat, they have a one-week window to accept the slot. If the slot is not accepted within the one-week window, the offer will be rescinded and offered to the next student on the waitlist.
  • Option seats are continuously filled throughout the school year as seats become available.

Sibling Preference: Sibling preference is not currently offered at the high school level.

Transportation: Transportation is available for students attending option schools/programs who live outside their school’s walk zone (View school bus eligibility maps).

  • All transportation for option schools and programs is provided via hub stops. Hub stops are central locations—such as a community center or school—where students from several neighborhoods meet to catch the bus to their school and may be a longer distance from a student’s residence. Learn more.
  • Transportation is not provided for neighborhood transfers or administrative placements.

Other Secondary Programs

The programs at Arlington Community High School, Langston High School Continuation Program, New Directions, Shriver (formerly Stratford), and Teenage Parenting are designed to meet the specific circumstances and needs of individual students.

For questions or assistance, call 703-228-8000 (option 3), email schooloptions@apsva.us or visit the APS Welcome Center at 2110 Washington Blvd for in-person support.