School District says Most Students will get their School of Choice

According to schools' Superintendent Arlene Ackerman, the school district is doing a better job this year placing students in a school of their choice than it did last year.

A new plan to assign students this year is intended to increase the ethnic diversity in the city's schools and allow students to attend a school of their choice. This year, 94 percent of sixth graders were assigned to a school of their choice, versus just 61 percent the year before.

According to statistics provided by the school district, there are 724 ninth-grade students who live in George Washington High School's attendance area vying for 650 open seats. Of the 724 who hoped to get in, 351 were placed at Washington, along with 299 students from outside the attendance area who requested the school. During an upcoming appeals process, approximately 90 more students will be granted admission to Washington.

The ethnic makeup of the upcoming ninth-grade class is representative of the population that applied, according to Ackerman.

The school district also reports that Presidio Middle School, because of its popularity, is one of three middle schools that will not be able to accommodate all student requests.