001Hello APS families. I'm Elana Gonzalez, director of student registration and language services, and I'm excited to guide you through the preK to 12 option schools and programs and transfer lottery process. Together, we'll explore the schools and programs APS offers, how to apply, key dates to remember, and how the lottery process works. You'll also learn what to expect if your student receives an offer or is placed on the wait list, as well as where to go for more information and support. Get ready to discover all the exciting opportunities available to your student. We're thrilled to share that Arlington offers a wide variety of schools and programs. From preK through high school, we have something for every learner and every family. On your screen, you'll see the complete list of options for elementary and secondary schools, including
002dual language immersion in Spanish and English, Montasauri programs, math, science, and technology programs, advanced academics, and student choice. These programs are designed to give students unique opportunities to explore their interests, develop new skills, and thrive in engaging and supportive learning environments. You can learn more about these programs by attending information sessions hosted in the fall and the spring. Visit the website to learn more. Now I'll turn it over to Cameron Childs, our early childhood program coordinator, to share more about our early childhood programs. Hi, I'm Cameron Childs, early childhood program coordinator at APS. We're proud to offer a variety of early childhood programs that support our youngest learners and help them build a strong foundation for future success. On your screen, you can see all of the early learning options available. These include the Virginia
003preschool initiative program, the community peer program, the primary monastery program, and the early childhood programs at Yorktown and the career center. These programs are inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and designed to meet the needs of every child. Visit the APS website to watch our preschool information video, view specific school locations, and explore the options to find the right fit for your child. Every year, APS reviews school enrollment to determine which buildings have more students than they were designed to accommodate. Working with staff across departments, APS determines the necessary adjustments for the next school year and the number of seats available for options and transfers. This year, APS may be able to use neighborhood and targeted transfers to help balance enrollment across the district. Neighborhood transfers are available to all students at the same school level to schools
004with available space. Targeted transfers allow students from specific areas to apply to nearby schools that also have available space. We'll share which schools will offer transfer soon and the number of available seats in January. Transfer opportunities may change annually depending on the availability of space at each school. Now, let's take a moment to review the timeline for this year's lottery process. When applications open, families can start applying through school mint. Please ensure that all required materials are submitted before the application deadline closes. It doesn't matter whether you apply at the start or end of the school lottery window. Students chances of getting a seat stay the same as long as you apply within the deadline. After applications close, we'll host a virtual live lottery and send out first round offers that same day. Families will
005be notified all day, so keep an eye on your inbox. If you are new to APS and your student is offered a seat and you accept a seat, you must register your student before the deadline, which is at the end of June. Let's walk through the process of applying for an option school or program or transfer. The process is streamlined and straightforward, and the same steps apply across all grade levels. However, due to specific program requirements, the Virginia Preschool Initiative program follows a different application process. Cameron Childs will guide us through that next. So, if you're applying to any of our preK to 12 programs, excluding the Virginia Preschool Initiative, here's how to get started. Open your web browser and go to the school mint portal. If you are new, click on sign up or
006create account or use your login information from the previous year. Once logged in, click start application or new application. Follow each section carefully. When prompted, upload all necessary documents. Make sure the files are clear and readable. Thoroughly check that all fields are completed and all documents are attached. Click submit to complete your application. If you need to make edits to your application, please ensure it is completed before the lottery is run. Edits made after may impact your original application status. Once you submit your application, you'll receive a confirmation message through the contact method you selected. Whether that's email or text, we highly encourage you to select both text and email as your preferred contact method, as this allows the system to send more detailed information about your child's application. You can apply to multiple schools
007and programs, so explore your options and choose what's best for your student. Now, let's hand it over to Cameron Childs. >> Due to specific program requirements, the Virginia Preschool Initiative program includes a few additional steps to ensure eligibility and provide support to families. Families must complete a phone screening between November and early January 2026 to determine eligibility. After families are preliminarily determined to be eligible, they will schedule an in-person appointment with APS staff to submit the required documents and complete the Virginia Preschool Initiative application. A list of required documents can be found on the VPI website. Eligibility for the Virginia Preschool Initiative program will be confirmed during the in-person application appointment. Only completed and submitted applications will be eligible to run in the lottery in February. Only one account is permitted per family and each
008student should have one school profile. Incomplete or multiple family applications will be cancelled. Applications can be completed with just a phone number or email address in English or Spanish. For current students, contact your register or the welcome center for support. New students may contact the welcome center for assistance with their application. For programsp specific details, attend an information session, watchformational videos, or contact the school you're interested in. On the day of the lottery, the APS team will conduct a virtual double blind lottery through school mint. In this system, neither the people running the lottery nor the applicants know who will be chosen. This helps ensure that the selection process is entirely unbiased and random. It's like drawing names out of a hat, but with extra steps to ensure everything is done correctly and no one
009can influence the outcome. Families will be able to view the lotteryies as they are held by the school level along with the number of students on the weight list. However, no specific student information will be shared. Schoolman generates a unique student ID number, but this ID is only used for lottery purposes. It is not an official APS student ID and it's not used for any other purpose beyond managing the double blind lottery process. Following the lottery, families will receive notifications indicating whether their student has been offered a seat or placed on a wait list. If your student is weight listed, you will receive a general notification from School Mint. Please log in to School Mint to check your students weight list number as this number may fluctuate. APS will send an offer if and when
010a seat becomes available. If a student is offered a seat, it's essential to accept or decline the offer by the deadline. If the deadline is missed, the offer will be automatically rescended. The first round will allow for two weeks to accept a seat. Offers after the first round will have 5 days to accept or decline the offer. Accepting an offer will remove your student from all other weight lists and seat acceptances. An application to schoolman for a lottery program is not the same as a student registration to APS. If your student is new to APS, please register at the school by the deadline. To register, contact your school registar and provide the required documents. Each APS program has a specific priority order for the lottery. Some of those priorities include concurrently enrolled siblings or siblings
011attending the option school or program at the same time as an incoming student. Visit the website to see more details about priorities by program, which may change yeartoear. Thank you for joining. That covers the APS lottery process, application steps, registration requirements, and program priorities. For support, call the welcome center or the option score program you're interested in, or submit a question online.