First, welcome to Duval County.  Florida is a choice state and Duval County is a choice district.  You can find your zoned attendance area school here.  If you would like to learn about opportunities outside of your zoned attendance area school please visit our Office of School Choice to discuss your enrollment options. You can use this link to schedule an appointment.    

Lastly, take a moment to enroll your child with DCPS and create a parent Focus account.

Career and Technical Education provides students with opportunities to explore career options in settings that anticipate and address every student’s needs: from guidance and counseling to coursework that incorporates both academic and educational applications. 

Applications are submitted through a parent’s FOCUS account.  High School Acceleration Programs are designed to serve their own neighborhood students first. Schools that have space after serving the neighborhood population may open seats for students from outside the attendance area. Placement is High School Acceleration Programs is merit-based.  

Special Transfer Option schools are attendance area schools that have programs that were created in response to community or school interest in a special program and provide more choices to students.Placement is by application and is not guaranteed.  Transportation is the responsibility of the parent/guardian.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees. Admission is determined by a lottery that is based on the number of seats available in each grade level and the number of applications received for a school or program.

A dedicated magnet school does not have a neighborhood attendance area. All students who attend the school apply through the magnet lottery. Students who live in the former attendance area of a dedicated magnet school receive the former attendance area preference.

No. It’s up to each family to decide whether to go to their neighborhood school, apply for one of the district’s many magnet program offerings or opt for one of the Special Transfer Option Schools

Magnet programs offer a theme or focus that is designed to give students an opportunity to explore a special interest, gift, talent or skill. A magnet school may feature one or more magnet program.

The neighborhood/attendance-area school is where students are enrolled based on their attendance.

To find your neighborhood school, go to the School Locator webpage: https://www.myschoollocation.com/duvalcountypublicschools/ and provide the requested information.

If the student is attending kindergarten in their neighborhood school, there are no next steps. They are automatically enrolled.

Parents may reach out to the school for orientation information.  We encourage all parents/guardians to follow their school on social media.

If a parent would like their child to attend a school different than their neighborhood school,they may apply through School Choice Application Process.

If the student is coming from a VPK program outside of DCPS (daycare/homeschool), families should follow the steps outlined in the kindergarten registration process: https://dcps.duvalschools.org/kindergarten.

**Note - If a parent would like their child to attend a school different than their neighborhood school,they may apply through the School Choice Application Process.  Placement is not guaranteed.

Parents may choose to participate in a Home Education program, in which the parent is the teacher.  

Home Education students wanting to take courses virtually can do so with Duval Flex. Parents are responsible for selecting  the course or courses for the student(s) to take, the parent will be the one to approve those course or courses.

Prior to approving a student’s course request, the parent will have to submit a Home Education Verification form. Once the virtual school verifies your information, the school will send you instructions on how to approve the requested course or courses.

The DVIA application process is separate from the School Choice application process.  When the application window opens parents/guardians will have access to the "DVIA Enrollment" application under "Forms" in FOCUS.

Two DVIA options are available: 

• DVIA Full-Time - This is the standard "asynchronous" learning option where students work at their own pace.  This is available for K-12 students.
  
  
• DVIA HomeRoom - This is a  "synchronous" learning option similar to Duval HomeRoom where students have instruction through Teams following a daily schedule. This option is available for K-5 students only. 

Parents/guardians can select the appropriate option on the form. After submitting the form, expect an email within 3-5 business days, with confirmation of enrollment and next steps regarding course selection and orientation information.

Remember that enrolling in DVIA means you are changing schools. 

If a family chooses a DVIA option, students will no longer be assigned to their home school. They will be assigned to DVIA.

**Students assigned to a choice or magnet programs would need to reapply and be assigned to to a seat to their respective program in a future year. Also, DVIA students will be required to go to a specific site for any testing that is not authorized for administering in an at-home, non-secure format.

Duval HomeRoom as it was known during the 2020 - 2021 school year will not exist as an option.  Duval HomeRoom was an option due to an emergency order by the governor. That order has since expired.

Duval Virtual Instruction Academy (DVIA) is offering a HomeRoom option for elementary school students similar to what was provided previously. 

To return to your neighborhood school from Duval Virtual, a charter, magnet, or special transfer option school, please complete and email the cancelation form. 

No, it’s not required, but it does give your child a priority if selecting a magnet school/program. You can only get credit for the principal’s signature if you visit the school during an open house or tour during the magnet recruitment period. Plus, we have found over the years that parents who visit the school before they apply are much more satisfied than those who don’t.

NOTE: Families who sign-in when attending a school-based tour will receive the Principal's Signature Priority.  Schools are responsible for uploading their list of tour participants to FOCUS after the lottery window has closed.

Magnet programs offer a theme or focus that is designed to give students an opportunity to explore a special interest, gift, talent or skill. A magnet school may feature one or more magnet program.

Sibling preference for which you are eligible may be indicated on the online application. If there is no sibling information listed on your application, please complete the sibling information as requested. This is especially important for students entering kindergarten. Remember, the sibling must be eligible to return next year to the school where you are applying. Siblings are defined as brother, sister, step-brother, step-sister, half-brother, half-sister living at the same address. Unfortunately, we cannot offer sibling preference to siblings applying together for the first time or to siblings living in different households. Also, sibling preference does not guarantee acceptance. In cases where twins or triplets applying together receive different schools in the lottery, we will try to place them in the same school where space is available.

If there is incorrect information, immediately notify the Duval County school that the student currently attends to have the information corrected.  If your child is not currently enrolled is a Duval County school please email school_choice@duvalschools.org with the error.

No, you may make one choice, two choices or three choices – it’s up to you. You do not have to complete a choice in both the magnet and special transfer option section. In fact, we suggest that you apply only for the programs that you really want and have an interest in having your child attend. Remember, transportation is not provided to special transfer option schools.

Families who apply during the application window (January 1 - February 29) will receive an electronic confirmation to the email address linked to your Focus Parent Portal when you submit your application.  This communication will be sent by "Focus/SIS".  Confirm receipt of the communication after applying.  Some families locate the communication in their "junk" or "other" folder.

Families who apply during Controlled Open Enrollment (after April 15th) will not receive confirmation by email.  Families do have the opportunity to save the form that they completed.

Only applications that are submitted before the last day of February deadline will be processed in the lottery. All late applications for students with a Duval County residential address will be submitted online through Focus requiring each parent/guardian to have a Parent Portal account. If you do not have an account, sign up at www.duvalschools.org/focus

The Controlled Open Enrollment Application window opens on April 15th.  These applications are available on our webpage, not in Focus. 

No. Every student receives instruction in all subject areas that are required for promotion and/or graduation. In fact, in many cases, the magnet theme is integrated into the core curriculum.

No. Magnet programs offer something different, but they are not designed to be better than any other school in the district.

Students can participate in the program theme and meet other students from different areas of the city.

Yes! With very few exceptions, all of Duval County’s magnet programs are “open admissions.” This means that all students may apply and have a chance to be selected through the magnet lottery. Out-of-County applicants are not processed through the lottery, but may be placed after the lottery runs if seats are available.

Some magnet programs do provide transportation. Please contact transportation at (904) 858-6200 or refer to the School Choice Reference Guide.

No. It’s up to each family to decide whether to go to their neighborhood school, apply for one of the district’s many magnet program offerings or opt for one of the Special Transfer Option Schools.

Yes, through the School Choice Application Process. There is a timeline for this process.

The greatest number of seats are available to families during our lottery application window (January 1 - the last day of February).  This application window is for the following school year.

Controlled Open Enrollment for the following school year begins on April 15th.

Throughout the school year, Duval County Public Schools offers parents three Controlled Open Enrollment windows that coincide with the end of each quarter.  Please visit the School Choice webpage for more information about these windows.

Placement in a magnet or special transfer option school is not guaranteed.

Students who are on a waitlist are enrolled in their neighborhood school unless they are notified that they have been placed in the school they selected. Therefore, they must report to their school of enrollment.

Remember – Placement in a magnet or special transfer option school is not guaranteed.