What is the High School Specialty Program Application?
The High School Specialty Program Application is an opportunity
for each student who resides within the boundaries of the
Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) to apply for
enrollment in a SCUSD high school specialty program, based on space
availability. SCUSD offers specialty programs at both our
neighborhood and small specialized high schools.
Who is eligible to apply?
Students residing within the Sacramento City Unified School
District boundaries who will be entering grades 9 through 12 for
the 2025-2026 school year are eligible to apply.
Students living outside the district boundaries, including those
currently on a district permit, may apply to specialty programs
through an inter-district permit
transfer available from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am,
through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm. Out-of-district
applicants who meet the program requirements will be offered
placement after qualified in-district applicants per California
Education Code.
What are the requirements for submitted applications to enter the
lottery?
Applicants must:
How many specialty programs can my student apply to?
Students may apply to up to two specialty programs.
Which programs have additional assessments for admission?
Does my student have to turn in a transcript and standardized
test scores for admission?
Transcripts for 7th Grade (all quarters) and 8th Grade (first
quarter) are only necessary for West
Campus.
Currently enrolled SCUSD students will have their
transcripts automatically sent from Infinite Campus. Other
students must upload a copy of their transcripts as part of their
application.
How will we know you received my student’s application?
Once an application is successfully submitted, you will see a
confirmation screen and receive a message in your SchoolMint
Message Center confirming the submission. Parents/guardians will
also receive a confirmation via email or text message, depending
on their selected SchoolMint preferences.
Families can log into their SchoolMint account at any
time to check the status of their application(s) or view messages
in the Message Center.
Is transportation provided by the school district to the
specialty program my student is accepted to?
No, transportation is not provided for students accepted into
specialty programs. Parents are responsible for transporting
their students.
Can I use my work address for my student to apply to a High
School Specialty Program?
No.
Can I use my work address for my student to apply to a High
School Specialty Program through (using) the Allen Bill?
The Sacramento City Unified School District interprets the Allen
Bill in the following ways:
- A parent/guardian who resides outside the SCUSD boundaries,
is required to provide on letterhead a statement from the
employer verifying employment and the work address within the
SCUSD boundaries.
- Since our district utilizes addresses for school placement,
in order to establish residency the student must enroll and
attend the neighborhood school associated with the work address
for a full academic year. So for example if the work address is
associated with California Middle School the student must apply
and be approved via Inter-district permit and attend California
Middle School.
- Once this is complete and the student is attending for a full
academic year, the student can then apply for any programs
through the High School Specialty Program (HSSP) or Open
Enrollment (OE).
- Families cannot use their work address to apply for the HSSP
or OE if they are not attending our school(s) through the Allen
Bill currently.
- Residency is established by attending a full academic year.
- Students who live outside the district boundaries may apply
from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm,
via an inter-district transfer
permit, to any high school specialty program that still
has openings.
Can I turn in a late application?
All applications must be turned in by 5:00pm on Friday,
November 22, 2024. No late applications will be
accepted.
When do I find out if my student is accepted?
Notifications will be sent to families through SchoolMint on
January 13, 2025, based on their selected preferences (email,
text message, or both) during registration.
Additional Requirement for Acceptance for New Students to the
District
If accepted into a specialty program, new students to the
district must complete a full registration form. A link to this
form will be included in the notifications sent to families. They
will also need to provide photo identification, address
verification, proof of birth documentation, and immunization
records. Applicants will be automatically removed from
the specialty program acceptance list if they do not register by
the offer deadline.
Are translation services available during the application
process?
The application uses Google Translate and can be translated into
over 100 languages.
If my student is already enrolled in his/her specialty program
does he/she need to reapply?
No. You do not need to reapply to your specialty program. The
school the specialty program resides at becomes your neighborhood
school.
Does my student have the right to return to his/her original
neighborhood school after being accepted into a specialty
program?
To return to your original neighborhood school, you must apply
for an intra-district permit
through the Enrollment Center from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am,
through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm. Please note that intra-district
permits are requests and do not guarantee placement.
My family is moving outside of the SCUSD boundary. What will
happen to my student’s acceptance?
If you move outside of the SCUSD boundary, it voids all open
enrollment and you must register your student with the new school
district.
I live within the SCUSD boundary, but my
student attends a private school. Can my student apply
to a High School Specialty Program?
Yes. Learn more at https://www.scusd.edu/hssp-application-process.
If my student is attending a SCUSD School on an inter-district
permit (i.e., you live outside the district boundaries) can I
apply for a High School Specialty Program?
No, inter-district permitted students are not eligible.
Students who live outside our district boundaries (including
those that are currently on a district permit) can apply to
specialty programs with space available through an inter-district permit
transfer from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25,
2025 at 5:00pm.
I live outside of the SCUSD boundary. Can my student apply to a
High School Specialty Program?
No, students who live outside the district boundaries are not
eligible. Students who live outside our district boundaries
can apply to specialty programs with space available through
an inter-district permit transfer
from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm.
I live outside of the SCUSD boundary and one of my students
already attends a high school specialty program. Do my other
students have sibling preference?
No.
I am an SCUSD employee and live outside of the SCUSD boundary.
Does my student have priority to attend a high school specialty
program at my school?
No. However, students who live within our
district boundaries whose parent/guardian’s primary place of
employment is at the selected school are given a lottery
priority.
How does the lottery work?
The High School Specialty Program Application is not a
first-come, first-serve basis. You may apply anytime during the
application window to be considered.
District applicants must submit an Annual Update form
through Infinite Campus by November 22, 2024, at 5:00pm to
be eligible for the High School Specialty Program
lottery.
SCUSD uses a computerized, third-party lottery system to place
students at their specialty program of choice. A lottery must be
implemented if applications exceed the grade capacity at the
requested program.
One of the following lottery scenarios will occur:
- Your student is selected for their first specialty program
choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
- If your student applied to only one specialty program and was
not selected, he/she will be placed on a waiting list.
- If your student applied for two specialty programs and was
not selected for their first choice, the computer will look for
their second choice. Note: Second choice selections are placed
behind all first choice selections.
- Your student is selected for their second specialty program
choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
- Your student is not selected for their first or second
specialty program choice. They will be placed on a waiting
list for their first choice only.
What happens if my student doesn’t get accepted to the first or
second school of choice?
Your student will only be placed on the waiting list for their
first choice. A notification from SchoolMint will be sent on
January 13, 2025 notifying parent/guardians
regarding placement on the waiting list.
When space becomes available, a notification will be sent through
SchoolMint notifying
the parent/guardian of the offer. 2025-2026 waiting lists will be
valid until 5:00pm, on July 31, 2025 and then closed. Families
can withdraw their application from a waiting list at any time
through SchoolMint.
Families will receive the notification based on what preferences
(email, text message or both) were selected when registering.
Students who apply to a specialty program and have not met the
school’s admissions requirements will not be included in the
lottery. If the student hasn’t applied to another program, the
student must attend their neighborhood or current school.
If my student is accepted to their 2nd choice, will
they be put on the 1st choice waiting list?
No.
Who has priority in the lottery selection process?
Lottery Selection Priorities
First priority
- Siblings of students already in attendance at the specialty
program and will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school
year.
Second priority
- Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment
is the selected school.
Third priority (administrative priority)
- When unique circumstances occur at a school, such as a school
closure, program changes, and/or over-crowding occurs; district
administrators may institute a specific priority to meet staffing
and housing needs.
Schools without Attendance Boundaries
First priority
- Siblings of students already in attendance at the specialty
program and will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school
year.
Second priority
- Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment
is the selected school.
