Frequently Asked Questions

The Delaware School Choice Program is intended to "increase access to educational opportunities for all children throughout the state regardless of where they may live," and to "maximize parental choice in obtaining access to educational opportunities for their children." According to the law, a parent residing in Delaware may enroll his or her child in a public school in any school district in accordance with the law and if space is available.

Choice applications are accepted from the first Monday in November until the second Wednesday in January. The Open Enrollment application period for the 2024-2025 school year is Monday, November 4, 2024, to Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Kindergarten School Choice remains open until the day before the first day of school. Families who complete a Kindergarten Choice application on or before Wednesday, January 8, 2025, will receive confirmation of the status of seating availability after the February lottery.

1. The first step is to make sure your child is registered or pre-registered in a Delaware public school. If you are applying for Kindergarten, currently attending a private school or currently being homeschooled, you must preregister your child with your assigned feeder pattern school. We encourage families to do so online by clicking HERE . If your child is currently attending a Delaware public school, you do not need to do this step. To find your feeder pattern school visit https://arcgis.doe.k12.de.us/school_locator/.
2. The second step is to complete a Choice application. Applications are accepted online at https://www.schoolchoicede.org/ . If you do not have access to the Internet or are unsure of this process, we invite you to apply from a dedicated workstation located in the Choice Office. Please call 302-793-5014 or email the Choice Office (choice@bsd.k12.de.us) in advance to set up a time that is mutually convenient. This ensures that help will be available to assist you if you encounter problems or have questions. After submitting the electronic application, you will receive an automatic email confirmation. In future years, if you continue to participate in the Choice program, the online application will be quick and easy to update.

Yes, a separate application must be submitted for each student.

You can list up to three Brandywine School District schools on your child’s application. These schools should be listed in priority order as the lottery processes the schools in the order listed on the application. If you are interested in a school from another district or charter school, you must submit a Standard Application directly to that district or charter. Please visit https://www.schoolchoicede.org/ to see a full list of eligible schools available for your child’s grade.

1. Students who have a sibling attending the requested Choice school this school year AND next year school year.
2. Students, entering grades K-8, residing in the District, and whose childcare provider is within the feeder pattern of the requested Choice school.
3. Students residing in the District and are currently attending a Brandywine School District school (this priority does NOT apply to incoming Kindergarteners).
4. Students residing in the District and are not currently attending a Brandywine School District school.
5. Students residing outside of the Brandywine School District

Admission is based on the number of instructional seats (known as program capacity) available in a given year. Each school/grade has a capacity number that they are able to serve. If they are projected to be at or above 85% capacity, then no Choice seats are available. If they are projected to be under capacity then invitations are sent. If the number of requests exceeds the number of available seats in a particular grade/school, a computer-generated lottery randomly selects the “invitees” and places the remainder on a wait list ranked according to priority and random lottery number within priority.

In-district and out-of-district preference is determined by the address that is on file at the Delaware public school your child is registered or pre-registered in. The address listed on the choice application is not used for district determination. If you need to update your address with your child’s school, please do so before the January deadline.

Choice notifications will be sent out by February 28, 2025 via email. Students placed on a wait list, will be invited to Choice if openings become available. Waitlists are maintained until the first day of school.

No, students will not receive more than one invitation to a Brandywine School District school. The lottery processes your child’s Choice application in priority order (i.e. 1st school, 2nd school, then 3rd school) as indicated on the standard application. If the student is invited to their first choice school, no action will be taken on their second or third choice school. If a student is waitlisted for a higher priority school they will be considered for their second choice school, and if waitlisted for the second choice school will then be considered for their third choice.

When a student is waitlisted it means there are no current Choice seats available at the requested school. As other students accept invitations to other schools, seats may become available at which point we will email the next student on the waitlist to offer a seat. If your child is waitlisted for a higher priority school and invited to another school, you can accept the invitation. Your child will remain on the waitlist for the higher priority school. The waitlist remains until the first day of the school year.

No, all students are eligible to apply for Choice. The state Choice application and lottery process does not have access to IEP or 504 information.

No. Test scores, athletic abilities, school and community activities do not have any influence on the randomly generated computer lottery to determine who receives invitations or is selected.

Transportation to and from a Choice school is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Bus transportation will be provided from an already existing Brandywine School District bus stop only if there is space on the bus. If you accept the seat at the Choice school, it is the parent’s responsibility to get your child to the assigned bus stop or to school every day.

Once a student has been accepted at a Choice school, he/she will be enrolled in that building until completion of that building’s grade-level configuration (i.e. K-5, 6-8, 9-12).* While enrolled as a Choice student, the student will have all the rights and responsibilities of a resident student until the end of that building’s grade-level configuration. *Moving from one school to another – approval of a Choice application for a school does not entitle the student to move to the school housing the next grade configuration. A Choice application must be submitted during the Open Enrollment period in order for a student to be considered for enrollment in the school housing the next grade configuration.

We caution parents that the eligibility of transferring students is governed by the rules of the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association (DIAA). Before applying for Choice, please review the DIAA Handbook or contact DIAA staff at (302-857-3365) to ensure that you are prepared to comply with these regulations.