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Magnet Schools

 

Magnet Schools Office

75 Watervliet Ave., room 112

Albany, NY 12206
Phone: 475-6551

Fax: 475-6550
 

About Albany's elementary magnet schools

Albany's magnet elementary schools give families a real choice in public education. Students have a unique opportunity to deeply explore enriched, theme-based programs in specific areas.

 

Magnet schools are open to children citywide and enrolled by two random lotteries: one for prekindergarteners and one for older students. Families need to apply for the lotteries, which are held in the spring.

 

Click on its highlighted name below to learn more about each school.

  • Albany School of Humanities (ASH). Serving prekindergarten through grade 6. ASH teaches about diverse cultures by studying art, literature, music, drama and government, in conjunction with English, math, science and social studies.

  • Montessori Magnet School. Serving prekindergarten through grade 5. Students here are taught with the Montessori philosophy that each child learns at his or her own pace, using all five senses.

  • Thomas O'Brien Academy of Science and Technology (TOAST). Serving prekindergarten through grade 5. TOAST emphasizes science and technology across all subject areas.

2012-13 magnet school enrollment

Open seats still remain in district magnet schools

Although the lottery to assign magnet-school seats for September 2012 took place April 17, all three magnet schools have openings in certain grades. For more information about available spots, contact the magnet school you are interested in or the Magnet Office.

 

 Applying to magnet schools
Admission to Albany's magnet schools is done through two random lotteries -- one for prekindergarten, and one for grades kindergarten through 5/6.

 

Student selection in the lottery is random, but certain factors take priority when determining where children will be placed:

  • Neighborhood Preference -- Children who reside within designated magnet-school attendance zones are given admission preference within the lottery system according to the current district neighborhood preference policy.

  • Sibling Preference -- Siblings of students currently enrolled in any of the three magnet schools are given admission preference within the lottery system.

  • Special Education -- Placement of students who receive special-education services, including placement in integrated classrooms, must be determined by the Committee on Special Education since students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are placed into appropriate programs based on the committee's recommendations.

For the 2012-13 school year, the application deadline was March 30 and the lottery was April 17. For more information, call the Magnet Schools Office at 475-6551. 

 

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