How to Decide Whether to Enroll Your Child in a Magnet School

Many public school systems offer free magnet schools as an alternative to attending the local traditional public school. In order to enroll in a magnet school, you generally have to complete an application, and placement is offered to families through a lottery system. Magnet schools generally strive for diversity in gender, race, and economic status, and each magnet school typically has its own theme, such as Montessori, art, science or language immersion.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Insight into your child's needs
• Knowledge about the themes of each magnet school

1. Research the magnet schools offered in your school district. Many school systems provide information about each school on the Internet or at regularly scheduled magnet fairs, where representatives from each school are available to answer questions from prospective parents.
2. Visit each magnet school you are considering. Magnet schools can be located anywhere in your school district, so make sure you are comfortable with the location. Even when a particular magnet school sounds good on paper, you might not like what you see when you visit it. Sometimes the buildings are older, and the schools might be located in neighborhoods that make you uncomfortable.
3. Assess you child's learning style, interests and special needs. While a particular magnet school might have a great reputation, it might not be the best fit for your child. Consider the way your child learns best and what interests him when evaluating the magnet school options. Also, if your child has any special needs, factor those in before selecting a school.
4. Consider your feelings about diversity. One goal of most magnet schools is to offer the program to children of all races and income levels. If you feel uncomfortable with your child attending a school in which his race or income level is not in the majority, then a magnet school might not be the best choice for you.
5. Look into the public transportation options. While some public school systems provide public transportation for magnet school students, others do not. Also, the school systems that do provide public transportation for their magnet school students often require the children to change buses at a hub, resulting in the children spending much more time on the bus.

Tips & Warnings

• Parents who choose magnet schools for their children tend to be more involved on campus. As a result, the higher parent involvement often leads to a better educational experience for your child.
• Because magnet schools are often smaller than traditional schools, they provide children with more of a family atmosphere in which many of the staff members know your child by name.
• Children who attend magnet schools are often less prejudiced than children who attend less diverse schools. The families who choose magnet schools generally see the diversity as a positive trait, so the children attending magnets schools have less of an "us versus them" mentality about race or income level.
• Do not enroll your child in a magnet school until you have visited the school in person. You need to feel comfortable about where your child will be spending her day.