Press Releases
12/08/2022
RSCO School Choice On-Time Application Open Now Through February 28, 2023
New School Opportunities and Enhanced Application Process Give Families More Choice
(Hartford, CT) – The Connecticut State Department of Education’s Regional School Choice Office (RSCO) today announced the launch of the on-time school choice application period for the 2023-24 school year. The application is available now at ChooseYourSchool.org. The on-time application period runs from December 7, 2022, to February 28, 2023.
Families have more choices than ever before with new school opportunities and an enhanced application process.
“We are pleased to kick-off another school choice application period, marking the beginning of a new and exciting path forward for so many Connecticut students,” CSDE Regional School Choice Director Robin Cecere, said. “We look forward to helping families discover the many excellent educational opportunities that suit their children’s individualized needs and interests, through challenging academic options, highly specialized programs, dual-language opportunities, and more. Families have more choice than ever before and can help their children build their futures from pre-kindergarten and beyond.”
RSCO’s school choice system brings together families from over 40 towns in the Greater Hartford Region in engaging and diverse learning environments shown to increase creativity, problem-solving and critical thinking among students.
Through the RSCO School Choice Application, Connecticut families with children entering Pre-K through Grade 12 can apply to attend magnet schools incorporating specialized themes into the core curriculum, such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); quality Open Choice public schools in culturally diverse school districts outside of their town; and Greater Hartford Region technical high schools.
New School Opportunities
Those applying for the 2023-2024 school year have three new school opportunities to consider:
- CREC Preschool at Progress Drive for students entering PK3 and PK4
- Dwight-Bellizzi Dual Language Academy for students entering PK4 and Kindergarten
- Early College Advanced Manufacturing Pathway (ECAMP™) at Goodwin University, half-day, dual enrollment program for students entering Grade 12
Additionally, families will find expanded extracurricular activities and athletic programming at magnet schools, new transportation options, and evolving curriculum/themes to prepare students for in-demand careers and college programs.
Enhanced Application Process
RSCO’s newly updated school choice application provides simple, consolidated information about the placement process to help families understand their options and find the best fit for their children. The application has new and enhanced user-friendly features to guide families through the process, along with the ability to search schools by grade level, program type, magnet theme, and location, and to save an application in progress to complete later.
In addition to the application’s enhanced look, families now have the ability to edit their application after the first round of placement offers. This new process is designed to increase the chance of a placement opportunity for applicants on waitlists. Families will be able to view the size of waitlists, understand their likelihood of receiving a placement, and add new schools to their application based on that information. Adding schools with small waitlists could increase the likelihood of receiving a school choice placement offer.
Events
Throughout the 2023-2024 application period, families can learn more about their school choice options, receive help completing the application, and enjoy fun activities by attending RSCO Fairs, School Open Houses, and five new RSCO Family Fun Night events. View the calendar of upcoming events here.
Contact Information
RSCO staff and partners are ready and available to answer questions and assist with the application process by telephone and email for extended hours during the on-time application period. Call RSCO’s Parent Information Center at 860-713-6990 or email RSCO at rsco.sde@ct.gov.
For more information about school choice, application assistance, events, and to apply, visit ChooseYourSchool.org.
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