Open enrollment for DeKalb magnet and charter schools through Feb. 22
Applications are being accepted for DeKalb County’s magnet and charter schools through Feb. 22, 2017, for the 2017-18 school year.
The school choice program now includes four high schools offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) Preparatory Program: Druid Hills, Tucker, and MLK Jr. high schools. These schools join the IB elementary and middle schools in the DeKalb County system: Avondale Elementary School, Fernbank Elementary School, Midvale Elementary School, Druid Hills Middle School, and Tucker Middle School.
Also part of open enrollment are the high achievers magnet programs at Kittredge Elementary School, Wadsworth Elementary School, Chamblee Middle School, Chapel Hill Middle School, Chamblee Charter High School, and Southwest DeKalb High School. In order to apply to these programs, your child must achieve qualifying scores on certain standardized tests. If your child qualifies, you should receive a letter from your school — but we all know that letters sent home with children sometimes don’t make it into our hands, so if you think your child is eligible and you haven’t received an invitation to apply to the high achievers magnets, check with your school.
Now is also the time to apply to DeKalb’s elementary and high schools of the arts. Those schools require an audition packet, in addition to the standard open enrollment application.
The county’s school choice website offers a complete list of the available schools and an online application. Keep in mind that space in each school is limited. Open spaces will be assigned by a random lottery of all qualified applicants, scheduled to take place in May.
Gifted Atlanta 
I am in Cobb County. Just curious – if you are in a good school district, is there a particular reason why a Magnet school might be better than a regular school (high school in particular), given that the child is gifted/accelerated learned? Are there any pros and cons to it.
I am not sure I concede the idea of a “good school district.” Individual schools within districts vary in quality. Individual classrooms and teachers within schools also vary in quality.
As for the pros and cons of attending a magnet school, some of the magnets provide extra exposure to the performing and fine arts. If you have a child who is highly engaged in the arts, that type of magnet school might give them a better overall experience. Some magnet schools use the International Baccalaureate Programme, which could be useful for some gifted students.
Cons are uprooting the child from their neighborhood school and local friends. Also, transportation to and from a magnet school may require additional commuting time. Buses may or may not be provided by the school system.
Children are all individuals, so it’s hard to give blanket pros and cons that would apply to all cases.