A+ Denver is excited to share details of SchoolChoice, the new and improved enrollment process for Denver Public Schools. We have been involved in developing SchoolChoice in partnership with leadership from DPS, local education organizations, community organizations and local and national enrollment experts.
We think many of us believe that the current DPS enrollment process isn't working for families or for schools, which is why this project is so exciting for our team. In our opinion, the current process is overly complex, hard to navigate and unfair for families. It also makes school year planning increasingly challenging for school administrators.
Together, education leaders in Denver identified a need for an improved enrollment process that would be streamlined, fair and easy for all DPS families. We're confident that we have collaborated to create a new enrollment system that is a major improvement for DPS parents, students, school administrators, teachers and staff.
Below is a high-level overview of SchoolChoice, the new enrollment process:
Step 1: Families will research DPS schools via a printed enrollment guide, online resources and school visits.
Step 2: All students in pre-kindergarten, fifth and eighth grades (and new students to the district) will list their school preferences in the SchoolChoice form. Students in other grades who are interested in choosing a different school will also have the option to fill out an enrollment form.
Step 3: An enrollment tool, designed by top enrollment experts, will combine students' preferences with schools' predetermined priorities and capacities.
Step 4: Students will be paired with their best match - ensuring that all students are afforded a fair process.
The SchoolChoice process is easy to use, consistent, fair and provides students with the opportunity to be placed in a school that fits their needs. In addition to the outstanding benefits for students and families, SchoolChoice will be more efficient for schools and will lead to more accurate class numbers, budgets and staffing assignments prior to the start of the school year.
Mark your calendars for upcoming DPS events to learn more about different school options in the district and the new SchoolChoice process:
- October 19: DPS Middle & High School Expo. 6:30 to 8:30 at Infinity Park Event Center. 4400 E. Kentucky Ave., Glendale, CO 80246.
- Regional Elementary Expos (times and dates are being finalized):
- December 3: Southwest Denver Regional Elementary Expo
- December 3: Far Northeast Denver Regional Elementary Expo
- December 6: Near Northeast Denver Regional Elementary Expo
- December 10: Northwest Denver Regional Elementary Expo
We'll continue to tell you more about SchoolChoice and to share additional dates and information throughout the fall and winter.
We appreciate any support you can offer to help more families in Denver learn about these new exciting changes to the enrollment process. If you have questions about SchoolChoice, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.
