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For 6th to 8th grade, students can attend a neighborhood school or choose a citywide school or program.
City Schools is in the process of finalizing plans for this year’s Middle & High School Choice process, inclusive of a virtual Choice Fair that is scheduled to launch on December 4, 2020. Using Campus Portal, 5th-grade families will be able to complete and submit their Choice applications between December 1 and January 22.
School Choice Process
This year, because of the pandemic, the formula for calculating a student's composite score will be adjusted. Composite scores are needed for students applying to schools and programs with entrance criteria. Typically, composite scores are calculated using attendance, grades, and standardized test scores. However, in response to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent school closures, the U.S. Department of Education waived requirements for Maryland school districts to participate in annual standardized testing. Given the disparate impacts of COVID on our students and our commitment to equity, we have decided not to include attendance and standardized test scores as part of the calculation for composite scores.
Choice applications for students will be available on December 1st. Students and families will be able to complete and submit their choice applications between December 1st and January 22nd in Campus Portal. Additional support to families is available by district staff in the Office of Enrollment, Choice, and Transfers (Enrollment@bcps.k12.md.us) and Multilingual Enrollment and Support Center (MESC@bcps.k12.md.us).
Also, the annual choice fair will be launched virtually starting Friday, December 4th.
Registration
- Browse and compare schools that might be right for your child and family. You can consider your neighborhood school or charter schools located across the city.
- Complete the registration form for your selected school – available online and accessible via computer, tablet, or mobile devices
- Gather and upload the required documents (see below).
- Await communication from a school/district enrollment official
- Charter schools: Contact the school directly to ask about the registration process. (Note that the application deadline for most charters schools was Friday, February 7).
- Technology access: If unable to complete the online registration process, please fill out the traditional registration form (in English or Spanish, gather/submit the form and required documents (see below) to the Office of Enrollment, Choice & Transfers (200 East North Avenue, Room 106, Baltimore, MD 21202) or any Documentation Support site – location details are forthcoming.
- Transfer Requests (Existing Students) – The window to request transfer consideration is set to tentatively launch on July 20, 2020.
- Additional support and/or questions: Please contact the school’s enrollment official directly (school telephone #); or reach out to the district office team at enrollment@bcps.k12.md.us or 410-396-8600.
Application
Different middle school options, different ways to enroll
Neighborhood schools
If your child goes to a neighborhood elementary/middle school and you want your child to stay at the school through 8th grade, you're all set. Your child is automatically enrolled at your school.
If you're new to the district and would like to enroll your child in a middle school close to your home, find your neighborhood school and stop by to find out what you need to register.
Feeder schools
A few neighborhood elementary schools are "feeder" schools for nearby schools with middle grades. This means that 5th-grade students at the neighborhood elementary school are automatically enrolled in a nearby school for 6th grade. Check with your neighborhood school for more details.
Charter schools
Most charter schools have a different admissions process. Contact the school for information.
Middle school choice
All 5th-grade students can choose their school for 6th grade — and those whose school does not have middle grades and does not feed to another school must fill out the choice application. Options include elementary/middle schools with special academic programming, schools that serve only grades 6 to 8, and combined middle/high schools.
The school choice application is typically due in January. To help students and families figure out what schools might be right for them, there are open houses and a school choice fair every fall, and a "school choice liaison" at every elementary school can answer questions.
Some middle school programs have academic entrance criteria — meaning you need to do well in 4th and 5th grades to be accepted. (Entrance criteria include results on a standardized test; final 4th-grade results in math, English language arts, social studies, and science; first-quarter 5th-grade results in those subjects; and first-quarter 5th-grade attendance.)
Here are some tips to make sure you keep options open and are ready to make the best choice for you.
3rd grade:
- Join after-school clubs so you’ll have lots of different experiences and can find out what you like best
- Think about your talents and what interests you most
- Visit middle and high school websites
- Talk to friends, neighbors, and family members about where they go to school
- Find out about special programs like TWIGS, Ingenuity Project, Gateway to Technology, and gifted and advanced learning, and what’s required for each one
4th grade:
- Talk with the choice liaison at your school about options for middle grades
- Think more about your interests and talents and what kind of school would work best for you
- Go to open houses at different types of schools, so you can see the range of options available
- Stay focused on doing well, so you’ll meet requirements for special programs
5th grade:
- Narrow down your choices by visiting schools you’re interested in, going to the school choice fair, and talking to current students, parents, and staff members
- Stay focused on doing well, so you’ll meet requirements for special programs
- For the Ingenuity Project, register for the test; for charter schools, make sure you know the application deadlines
- Meet with your choice liaison to get your questions answered and for help with your choice application
