As Long Beach Unified School District prepares to welcome students back to school later this month, district administrators are already celebrating an accomplishment: About 95% of high school students will attend one of their top two high schools of choice – part of the district’s “School of Choice” process — during the upcoming school year, according to a recent press release.

That continues a five-year trend of strong placement outcomes, the press release said.

LBUSD students will begin their school year on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The district’s “School of Choice” process provides students and families an opportunity to select schools and programs that align with their interests and educational goals, district officials said. Enrollment for the process began in January and high school placements are based on site availability, class sizes and staffing allocations.

High school students can spend their four years focusing their studies in a particular industry they are interested in entering. At Cabrillo High School, for example, students can focus their pathway in engineering, law and public services, or medicine. At Poly High School, students can have pathways in medicine, technology and STEM, or business; and at Millikan High School, there are pathways in fashion design, marketing and business, law, and computer gaming and technology, according to the district’s website.

This year, 89.9% of participating students received their first-choice school, and 6% received their second choice, district officials said. Another 2.2% received their third choice and 1.9% their fourth choice.

The results remain comparable to the previous year, when 89.2% of students received their first choice, 6.4% their second, 1.9% their third, and 2.5% their fourth.

“Through School of Choice,” district officials said in a statement, “LBUSD remains committed to providing families with clear information, meaningful educational options, and equitable access to programs through the district.”

To learn more about Long Beach Unified School District’s “School of Choice” process, visit lbschools.net.