SAISD Enrollment Guide for Choice Schools in 2023–24

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Hallway at Lamar Elementary in SAISD | SAISD Choice Schools Enrollment Guide for 2021-2022

San Antonio ISD has a wide range of choice schools, serving grades pre-K through 12, and offering diverse education models such as dual language, project-based learning, Montessori, International Baccalaureate, and career-focused programs. SAISD still has seats available in selected schools and grades, and soon SAISD Choice Schools will began accepting applications for enrollment for the 2023–24 school year. Open enrollment will continue until early 2023. We have put together a guide to help you learn more about SAISD registration at Choice Schools and take steps to enroll your child for the next school year.

About SAISD

Founded in 1899, SAISD is the third largest school district in Bexar County, and the 13th largest in Texas. The district boundaries include San Antonio’s central business district, world-renowned tourism hubs, upscale historic neighborhoods, and areas of multigenerational poverty. Over the decades, SAISD enrollment has ebbed and flowed based on redlining, suburban white flight, the growth of charter schools, and gentrification, but under new leadership had stabilized by 2019.

Superintendent Jaime Aquino became SAISD’s top leader on May 3, 2022. Aquino seems poised to continue the System of Great Schools model, a strategy launched by Pedro Martinez, who served as superintendent from 2015 to 2021. The theory is that a traditional public school district can evolve into a 21st century education system by adopting some of the best practices of charter schools, such as offering families a variety of educational models, giving more autonomy to campus-level school leaders, and closing the least effective schools in the portfolio. These strategies give traditional public school districts the opportunity to effectively compete with charter schools for student enrollment, and they have the long-term effect of raising the overall quality of public education in a community.

SAISD’s Office of Innovation has worked deliberately to ensure that families of all socioeconomic levels had equitable access to choice schools. They study census tracts for factors such as income level, educational attainment, single-parent households, and home ownership. The team at the Office of Access and Enrollment Services ensures that some seats at choice schools are reserved for students from the most underprivileged census blocks, with a goal of creating diverse-by-design schools. 

To read more about SAISD in the news, we recommend that you click on the articles linked at the bottom of this post, and visit SAISD’s newsroom. Also, we invite you to join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook and ask questions; the group includes current SAISD families who can comment with answers based on their own experiences.

SAISD Choice Schools

In 2023–24, San Antonio ISD will operate nearly 90 schools, of which 43 are choice schools or have a choice/magnet program. Aside from YWLA Secondary, magnet programs in this district are not selective, meaning they require no additional screening or testing to enroll. On their most recent district report card, SAISD earned a B, rising two points and upholding their 2019 score, which had been a significant improvement over past scores. The list below includes links to the most recent school report card for each campus. 

SAISD’s Office of Access and Enrollment Services has online resources and in-person help for families who are navigating choice schools. Here are some quick links to essential information on the web:

To get in-person help on SAISD enrollment, reach out to the staff at the Office of Access and Enrollment Services at 210-554-2660 or text them at 210-309-3259. Email them at choice@saisd.net.

Download the free San Antonio Charter Schools app for an interactive map that includes these campuses and many more. You can also find campus information about choice schools in SAISD choice schools (and other networks) on our page Guide to Charter Schools in San Antonio.

SAISD Registration & Enrollment at Choice Schools

Families living outside the district who are interested in enrolling their students at SAISD can apply online or download a printable application, available by clicking the gold “Apply” button at saisdchoice.com. According to the school choice timeline, the application window for 2023–24 will open on October 31, 2022. The deadline to submit an application for lotteries is January 17, 2023; families will still be able to submit applications after this date. The first round of offers will be announced the week of January 23–27, 2023; the deadline for families to accept one of those offers will be February 10, 2023. Offers will go out to waitlisted families starting on March February 14, and those families will have two business days to accept. For schools that still have seats available, additional offers will be made from waitlists through the first weeks of the school year. Find more information at the FAQ.

SAISD is offering information sessions about choice schools and for particular programs and campuses, both in-person and virtual. Learn about upcoming events at saisdchoice.com and on social media.

We also recommend following these SAISD social media accounts:

In addition, please join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook to post questions and search for previous discussions about SAISD enrollment at choice schools. The group includes current SAISD families who will comment and share about their own experiences at SAISD Choice Schools.

Organizations That Lift Up SAISD

SAISD’s turnaround efforts have been under intense scrutiny for the past several years. We encourage readers to not just sit on the sidelines, but to get involved in the effort. The success of SAISD benefits the whole community, from the students and their families, to the future well-educated workforce. Here are some suggestions of ways to get involved:

San Antonio ISD has gone through a major transformation involving developing many new choice schools, expanding dual language programs, and creating diverse-by-design schools. For families, it’s a brave new world of navigating school choice, with innovative school models to explore. The education reformers, the families of SAISD students, and the entire community are hoping that, under new leadership, SAISD will continue to grow as a successful urban school district that provides high quality education equitably to all its residents.

Charter Moms Chats

Watch Karen Galván, Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of Access and Enrollment Services at San Antonio ISD, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on October 11, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.

Karen Galván is the Special Projects Coordinator in the Office of Access and Enrollment Services at San Antonio ISD. SAISD has over 40 different Choice offerings open to all students both inside and outside the district, including two high schools recognized among the best performing in the nation.

Read More About SAISD & SAISD Enrollment

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