Magnet School Application Submission Period Opens For 2021-22 School Year In District 196

Press release from Independent School District 196:

November 4, 2020

Parents interested in having their child attend a District 196 magnet school for the 2021-22 school year must submit an application by Jan. 6, 2021, to be considered for one of the five elementary magnet schools and by Feb. 10, 2021 for Valley Middle School of STEM. Applications are available at www.District196.org/magnetschools beginning Nov. 4.

Magnet schools offer parents increased choice in their child’s education by providing a concentrated focus that offers innovative ways to meet students’ learning goals through a particular theme. Magnet schools still provide the district’s core curriculum in the areas of science, math, language arts and social studies.

The five elementary magnet schools are Cedar Park Elementary Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School in Apple Valley; Diamond Path Elementary School of International Studies in Apple Valley; Echo Park Elementary School of Leadership, Engineering and Technology in Burnsville; Glacier Hills Elementary School of Arts, and Science in Eagan, and Oak Ridge Elementary School of Leadership, Environmental and Health Sciences in Eagan.

District 196 also offers a K-12 STEM pathway that includes Cedar Park and Echo Park elementary schools for grades K-5, Valley Middle School of STEM for grades 6-8 and Apple Valley High School for grades 9-12.

Any District 196 student entering elementary or middle school in the 2021-22 school year can apply to attend a magnet school. Enrollment at magnet schools is determined by lottery and is limited to space available at each school and grade level. Students residing in the district who are selected for magnet school enrollment receive transportation if they live more than one mile from the elementary magnet school they will attend or more than one and one-half miles from Valley Middle School of STEM.

The elementary magnet school lottery will be held after the Jan. 6 application deadline. Parents of students selected for enrollment will be notified by the end of January and will be asked to confirm their child’s enrollment for the 2021-22 school year. The lottery for Valley Middle School of STEM will be held after the Feb. 10 application deadline. Parents of students selected for enrollment will be notified by the end of February. Students not selected for enrollment in the lotteries will be placed on a waiting list.

More information about the magnet schools and the application process is available at www.district196.org/magnetschools or by calling Tony Eatchel, magnet schools and innovative programs teacher on special assignment, at 651-423-7810.

This press release was produced by Independent School District 196. The views expressed here are the author’s own.