Option Schools and Programs

New APS families interested in applying to an option school are also encouraged to register for their neighborhood school.

• If a space in an option school is offered to a family, the registration documentation provided will be transferred to the option school.
• If a student is placed on a waitlist for an option school, registering at their neighborhood school guarantees the student will have a space for the upcoming school year.
• Early neighborhood school registrations support APS with staffing projections and resource allocation.

Use the School Boundary (Attendance Zone) Locator to find your neighborhood school.

Registration can be completed online, at the neighborhood school or at the APS Welcome Center.

If more applications are received than there are seats available, APS will conduct a random, double-blind lottery to determine admission.

Families DO NOT receive lottery results on the day of the automated lottery.

• Families will be notified of their acceptance or placement on the waitlist by email and/or text on the date specified in the Application Timeline.
• Families must confirm or decline attendance to the school or program by a specific date and time.
• If families do not accept or decline their seat by the deadline, their seat will be given to the next student on the waitlist.
• If families apply to more than one school/program, their application will go into all lotteries simultaneously. 

Waitlists: Students who applied, but were not selected through the lottery process, will be placed in numerical order on a waitlist.

• Applications received after the deadline are placed at the bottom of the existing waitlist for the upcoming school year.
• When students on the waitlist are offered a seat, they have a one-week window to accept the slot. If the slot is not accepted within the one-week window, the offer will be rescinded and offered to the next student on the waitlist.
• Option seats are continuously filled throughout the school year as seats become available.

Elementary:

Siblings who will be concurrently enrolled at the same elementary school will receive priority in admission.

Middle and High School:

Sibling preference is not currently offered at the middle and high school levels.

Early Childhood:

This information will be updated on July 1, 2023.

Transportation is available for students attending option schools/programs who live outside their school’s walk zone (View school bus eligibility maps).

• All transportation for option schools and programs is provided via hub stops. Hub stops are central locations—such as a community center or school—where students from several neighborhoods meet to catch the bus to their school and may be a longer distance from a student’s residence. Learn more.

K-12 neighborhood schools and option schools are free for all students to attend.

Early Childhood option schools/programs may have fees based on a sliding scale. Learn more.

All APS schools offer information sessions for families.  View the schedule for:

• Elementary Schools
• Middle Schools
• High Schools

The Options and Transfers Policy (J-5.3.31) and Policy Implementation Procedure (J-5.3.31 PIP-1) outline the process determined by the School Board that APS follows to ensure equitable access for all students to the available option school/programs and neighborhood transfers.

View application data for option schools and programs.

Learn about CPP. Learn about Primary Montessori.

Submit the following documents when applying online:

• Copy of original birth certificate
• Copy of Identification card of either parents/ guardian

View a short video to help you create an online account (English) (Spanish) (Mongolian) (Amharic)

Learn about VPI.

The funds that support VPI have various criteria that must be taken into consideration before offering acceptance to any child.

In order to be considered for VPI, families must submit required documents. View a complete checklist (English) (Spanish)

• Proof of the child’s age and legal name
• Proof of Arlington County residency
• Proof of parent identity and relationship to student
• Proof of income