AbsentEmpire OP t1_j9pyow3 wrote
Reply to comment by petedogg in Every year, there are more applicants to Philly charters than seats. But demand is still lower than before the pandemic. by AbsentEmpire
I overall agree with you.
I'd be hesitant to say almost all center city kids with good grades and attendance will get into one of the magnet schools though. The school district is changing the admissions and selection criteria for the magnet schools to be based less on academic merit and more on zip code.
A change which I would understand parents looking at, and opting instead for private schools or moving, rather than rolling the dice based on previous admissions standards.
The way the school district functions is a major disservice to families looking to raise their kids in an urban environment, and the city as a whole. Hopefully it will improve in the future so families don't have to have these discussions or have to be financially well off enough that it's not an issue.
a-german-muffin t1_j9q1873 wrote
> The school district is changing the admissions and selection criteria for the magnet schools to be based less on academic merit and more on zip code.
This is borderline misinformation. There's a lottery, yes, but you can't even get into it without meeting the academic requirements - like no one's snagging a spot at Masterman just because they happen to be from 19121. The standards are still there.
It's not to say the lottery's perfect or doesn't create its own set of issues, but the chances of someone getting denied at every magnet are low (and this is coming from a parent who just went through the high school selection process with one kiddo who got into five magnets immediately and came off the waitlist on another within a week).
aranhalaranja t1_j9x3oc1 wrote
I had thought the lottery was completely open. Open to anyone. Do you have any links to this info? Is there a centralized site offering info on how standards have changed for the magnet schools ?
a-german-muffin t1_j9yg1qb wrote
Sure, you could probably waste your time and apply to schools without meeting the requirements, but you’re not getting into the lottery for those schools in that case.
It’s all on the district’s school selection page.
aranhalaranja t1_ja6bxqx wrote
a-german-muffin t1_ja77ut8 wrote
Yeah, I read that and commented several times in the thread here yesterday. It’s highly likely that’s a one-year blip because PSSAs couldn’t be used for admissions — they weren’t required for two years because of COVID.
Please read the standards on the SDP website and show me where it says you can get in with substandard scores otherwise.
petedogg t1_j9q000w wrote
I’m sure there will be changes. That being said, I stick with my statement that almost all kids with good grades get into a magnet school. I hear it was extremely rare for a student who met all the qualification criteria not get into a magnet high school if they applied to five. There should be a way to prevent that scenario from occurring. And yes, there are at least five “good” magnet high schools. Even beyond the 5-6 schools that are widely regarded as being the “best”, the school district is very accommodating to kids who want to be challenged further regardless of what school they attend and pays for them to take classes at local universities which end up being better than AP classes in some ways since they’re actual college classes.
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