Richardson ISD is moving up the enrollment timeline for its magnet programs to remain competitive with private and charter schools in the area.<\/p>\n
Applications for magnet programs<\/a> at all levels for the 2027-28 school year will now open<\/a> Nov. 1 and close Dec. 18, with decisions expected to be announced to families in February, according to a presentation by district officials at the Oct. 15<\/a> school board meeting.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just critically important that we move up our timeline to make faster decisions and to protect our district\u2019s enrollment and retain our families,\u201d Executive Director of Enrollment Cecilia Galvan said.<\/p>\n The big picture<\/p>\n RISD operates three elementary magnet schools<\/a>, two magnet junior highs<\/a> and a variety of magnet programs at Richardson High School<\/a>. Magnet schools offer specialized, focused learning pathways in the arts, law, technology, advanced math and sciences and other fields.<\/p>\n Superintendent Tabitha Branum said the district recognized a gap in its magnet enrollment timeline that meant families were receiving decisions from private and charter schools ahead of RISD, making the district less competitive with those other educational options.<\/p>\n \u201cOver and over again, we heard from community members who said, \u2018Had I known that I would have gotten that magnet seat placement, I would not have potentially made a decision to go somewhere else,\u2019\u201d Branum said.<\/p>\n A closer look<\/p>\n Prior to this year, applications for families new to the magnet programs operated on three different schedules. In 2025-26, junior high applications were open Nov. 4-Dec. 1, elementary applications from Dec. 1-Feb. 28 and high school applications from Jan. 13-31.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just weren\u2019t meeting the needs of our stakeholders and making sure that information was given to them sooner,\u201d Galvan said.<\/p>\n The streamlined schedule now has all magnet programs on the same timeline, with applications open from Nov. 1 to Dec. 18. This will ensure that families know whether their student has a seat at an RISD magnet school ahead of commitment deadlines for private or charter schools, Galvan said, so that they will be able to take RISD into account when making those decisions.<\/p>\n Many private and charter schools announce their admissions decisions in March, she said, so RISD is aiming to beat that by releasing magnet enrollment announcements by the end of February.<\/p>\n \u201cOur families [will] know, \u2018Yes, I do have this spot,\u2019 so that they\u2019re not even tempted to make that deposit on that seat in that private school or make that commitment to that charter school,\u201d Branum said.<\/p>\n