Page 10 - Pathways to Possibilities

PROGRAM SELECTIONS

Choice Lottery
To ensure a fair and equitable assignment process for all families, the School District of Palm Beach County uses a specialized lottery
system managed by a third-party software developer. This independent management guarantees that all assignments are valid and
impartial.
The automated lottery fills each program up to its allocated number of available seats. The process is designed to honor student
preferences by first considering every applicant's first-choice program.
Within the lottery for each program, the system also gives priority to applicants with specific, verified preferences, such as a sibling link,
strand preference or military family status. (Please see page 7 for a complete list of application preferences).
Only after all first-choice assignments have been attempted will the system consider an applicant's second choice for any remaining
open seats. This method ensures that one student's second choice never takes priority over another student's first choice.

Program Selections
Your application allows you to select up to two Choice and/or In-House programs. How you rank your selections is important, so please
review the following guidance to make the best decision for your child.
Your first choice should always be the program your child is most interested in attending. The lottery will attempt to place your student
in their first-choice program before considering any other option.
Adding a second choice is optional but recommended as it may increase the likelihood of receiving a program assignment. Importantly,
selecting a second choice does not affect or decrease your chances of being assigned to your first choice. The lottery considers all first-
choice applicants for a program before it considers any second-choice applicants for that same program.
Your two selections can be any combination of programs and schools. For example, you can choose:
· Two different programs at the same school.
· The same type of program at two different schools.
· Two different programs at two different schools.
Applying When a Program is Offered at Your Zoned School
If you are applying for a Choice program that is also offered at your zoned school (duplicate program), the application may prompt you
to select your zoned school's program as your first choice.
However, this rule has two exceptions: students may apply to a similar program elsewhere if their zoned school is at 95% capacity or
higher, or they may apply to any designated 'full-Choice' school as their first choice. The application is designed to offer all available
choices based on this rule.
Understanding Seat Allocations
When planning your application, it's helpful to understand how program seats are determined. The largest number of available seats
is for students entering the main school transition years: Kindergarten, 6th grade, and 9th grade. While the main entry grades offer the
most openings, seat availability in other grade levels vary. The number of open seats depends on factors at each school, such as current
enrollment, staffing, and course scheduling, and are not guaranteed.
Please be aware that the range of seats listed in this booklet are estimates for planning purposes only. The final number of available seats
for the 2026–2027 lottery is subject to change based on fluctuating enrollment.

6 EDUCATE · AFFIRM · INSPIRE