The San Dieguito Union High School District is holding a meeting today at Carmel Valley Middle School at 6:00 PM to discuss options for the high school enrollment process in the future, and their findings from a recent poll on the subject. Despite every student getting admitted to their first-choice high schools last year, many parents still want to reform the enrollment system used, which has been in place for 20 years.
Currently, students choose their preferred school, and if the amount of students who apply to Canyon Crest Academy or San Dieguito Academy exceeds the amount of space available, a lottery with a wait list is held to determine who will be admitted.
When not all students were immediately admitted in recent years (64 students were placed on a wait list before all were eventually admitted in the 2014-15 school year) some parents complained, especially those who thought that students who live close to SDA should get priority in the lottery system.
An enrollment “study group” was created to research the issue, and a survey went out to many families this summer asking about their priorities and if they would prefer a revised system, such as specified attendance areas for all four schools or small attendance areas around the Academies.
The survey didn’t find that any process was a clear “winner.” The current rules actually lead when the amount of people who considered each option “most desirable” was weighted against the amount of people who considered each option “least desirable,” but this lead is only by one-tenth of a point — having small attendance areas around the academies was shown to be the second most desired option when supporters and opponents were weighted against each other.
The third option, under which every school would have a distinct boundary, was also close behind.
At today’s meeting, the board will present the enrollment options and their survey’s findings, then will open the floor to public comment.