This week thousands of New Orleans public school students find out if they got into the school of their choice.

Placement letters are set to go out by Friday from OneApp, the city’s common application process, and the few public schools that don’t use OneApp are also expected to have their notifications in the mail this week.

At least four schools – SciHigh, Lake Forest Elementary Charter School, Edward Hynes Charter School and Benjamin Franklin High School – have already sent out notifications.

OneApp users were able to select up to eight schools. School placements were based on several considerations: student preference, available space, geographic location, and whether an applicant’s siblings are enrolled at a particular school. Students from two schools the Recovery School District is closing at the end of this year, A.P. Tureaud Elementary and Benjamin Banneker Elementary, received first-choice preference.

The nine schools that don’t use OneApp also have enrollment preferences. Lusher Charter School, for example, gives preference to children who live nearby and to children of Tulane University faculty and staff. When there are more applicants than seats, Lusher and other schools hold admissions lotteries. OneApp schools don’t hold lotteries; when one school fills up, the applicant gets assigned to his or her next choice.

If a student didn’t apply in OneApp’s main round or didn’t get into any of the chosen schools, there’s a second round to shoot for, with an application deadline of May 9. The second-round options are usually more limited, but some seats open up if plans change and students opt out of schools they were assigned in the first round. Some of the non-OneApp schools are also accepting late applications.

Public schools that don’t participate in OneApp:

  • Lusher Charter School
  • Einstein Charter School
  • Robert R. Moton Charter School
  • Lake Forest Charter Elementary School
  • Audubon Charter School
  • Edward Hynes Charter School
  • New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School (SciHigh)
  • Warren Easton Charter High School
  • Benjamin Franklin High School

Jessica Williams

Jessica Williams stays on top of the city's loosely organized collection of public schools, with a special emphasis on charter schools. In 2011 she was recognized by the Press Club of New Orleans for her...