By Mariana Dale for LAist
Originally published on Feb. 2, 2026
The late application window for Los Angeles Unified School District opens Monday.
Every fall, LAUSD opens applications for families who are interested in attending a school that is not their neighborhood school (or “resident school,” in the district’s terminology).
The process for the largest pool of non-resident schools is called “Choices.” This includes hundreds of magnet schools, dual-language programs and some charter schools, among other options.
The regular application window closes in November. The spots available during the late application period are those left after families who applied “on time” accept their offers.
The application can be done online or on paper, and the selection process begins in April — and acceptances can run into the following school year.
How do I know what schools I might want to apply to?
Families have told us the process of choosing a school for their child is often confusing and anxiety-driven.
Still: No one type of school is inherently better than another, and the “right” school will look different for every family.
To help, LAist has our School Game Plan — a series that helps families think through and evaluate their options. That includes:
- How do I choose a school?
- Know if a school is ‘good’
- Enroll in transitional kindergarten
- Acquire magnet school points
- Understand charter schools
- Learn what happens in transitional kindergarten
- Get involved at a child’s school
- Make a school repair request
- Get your child a bus seat
- Hold the school board accountable
Our guides are also available in Spanish. And if you prefer an easy-to-print version, we also have PDFs in English and Spanish.
This report is reprinted with permission from Southern California Public Radio. © 2026 Southern California Public Radio. All rights reserved.