Many magnet schools cannot accommodate every student who applies. For this reason, every choice that you make on the magnet application is given a priority that is used as a weight in the magnet lottery. The priorities are used only for applications that are received by the February 29 deadline.

Priority Chart

The following chart shows the order in which priorities are assigned to an application. For example, an application which qualifies for a Priority 2 receives higher consideration than one that receives a Priority 4.

Grade Levels

Special Priorities

Priority-Chart Key

HA: High audition, for students seeking advanced placement in 6th grade or first-time admission for 7th or 8th grade at LaVilla School of the Arts. Admission to 7th or 8th grades at LaVilla is limited to HA.

LA: Low audition, for students seeking advanced placement in 6th grade at LaVilla School of the Arts.

M: Military dependent, for a student who has a parent on active duty. (Students must meet eligibility requirements when applicable, follow application procedures, reside in Duval County and submit active duty orders and emergency data record) See page 5 for additional explanation.

NA: Neighborhood student audition, for nonmagnet students who attend elementary arts magnet schools and wish to continue at LaVilla School of the Arts.

NE: Not eligible, based on student being unable to meet specific entrance requirements in programs like Montessori, Spanish Immersion, Gifted, Algebra I (for Stanton, Paxon, Lee or Darnell-Cookman SoMA).

NP: Neighborhood preference for students who live in the former attendance area of a downtown dedicated magnet school or neighborhood students who live in the current attendance area of a nondedicated magnet school.

NS: No principal signature, for applications that do not have a principal's signature.**

PC: Program continuity, for magnet students who are in a program that continues on at the next school level.

PC/GAT: Program continuity, for middle school gifted or academically talented magnet students to high school medical arts.

PCD: Program continuity for Darnell-Cookman gifted or academically talented magnet students to Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts.

PCM: Program continuity, for middle school medical magnet students to high school medical arts.

PCS: Program continuity with sibling preference, for magnet students who are in a program that continues on at the next school level and who also have a sibling attending the school who is eligible to return the next school year.

PS: Principal's signature, for students whose parents attend a tour or open house at the magnet school they are applying for.**

PSI: Principal's signature for students applying to an elementary magnet school that is in the same transportation zone as the zone where they reside.**

PSO: Principal's signature for students applying to an elementary magnet school that is in a different transportation zone than the zone where they reside (parents are responsible for transportation if the student is accepted).**

S: Sibling preference, for a student who has a brother or sister residing at the same address who attends a magnet program at the same school and is eligible to return next year. Neither siblings nor twins applying for the first time receive sibling preference. (Parents completing a blank application form must provide name and student ID number of the sibling already attending the school).

SES: Socio-Economic Status:

• Elementary students whose neighborhood school is a Title I School*** and who apply to attend a magnet program in a non-Title I school.
  
• Elementary students whose neighborhood school is not a Title I school who apply to attend a magnet program in a Title I school.

TC: Tiered Continuity is a priority awarded to magnet students in certain situations. The priority is only applicable to magnet students who are attending a magnet school that is NOT their neighborhood school. Although at the elementary level all children participate in the magnet theme; the tiered continuity to middle school is reserved for those children who are at the school on a magnet special assignment. These situations are:

• Magnet students who want to switch themes when entering middle school.
  
• Magnet students in an elementary magnet program that does not have a middle school continuation.
  
• Montessori and Spanish Immersion students applying for 9th grade at Paxon School for Advanced Studies and to Kirby-Smith magnet students applying to 9th grade at Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts.

Military Priority

Senate Bill 1604, passed by the 2004 Florida Legislature, provides that students who are dependents of active duty military personnel be given first preference for admission to magnet schools and other special academic programs not available in their neighborhood school. Students must meet eligibility requirements, when applicable, reside in Duval County and sumbit proof that the student is a dependent of an active duty military personnel. In addition to the magnet application, students wishing to exercise the military priority must also complete the Military Transfer Option 2007-2008 Student Transfer Application and submit it along with the magnet application and required documentation.

Students who use the military preference when applying for a magnet program, and who apply by the February 28, 2007 deadline, may make up to three choices on the magnet application. Each choice will be awarded the military priority. Students who use the military preference to apply for a magnet program after the deadline are assigned to the school that has space in cases where the program is offered in more than one school.

* Students eligible for program continuity to Paxon or Stanton must make these two schools as their first and second choice in order to be assured continuity to one of the two schools. If you choose to make only one choice, continuity cannot be assured. Students who are eligible for program continuity to Paxon or Stanton, but who want to select the new 9th grade program at Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts should make Darnell-Cookman their first choice with the understanding that program continuity to Paxon or Stanton is forfeited.

** The purpose of the principal's signature is to encourage parents to visit a school and observe the program to see if it is the best choice for their child. A signature is given to any parent who attends an open house or school tour. Schools are not permitted to give signatures at off-campus recruitment activities.

The principal's signature is not necessary when the student is already eligible for a higher priority, such as program continuity or sibling preference, although parents are still encouraged to visit the schools. At Paxon and Stanton, the signature also means that the student is currently enrolled in the appropriate course sequence needed in order to be successful at the next grade level.

*** Title I School-A school where at least 55% of the students are eligible for free/reduced price lunch. The school receives additional funding from the federal government to enrich the educational experience for its children.

Note: Title I middle schools are Butler, Northwestern, Paxon, Gilbert and Ribault.