Elementary School Choice
Norwalk Public Schools is excited to give our elementary school families choice with Elementary School Choice. Families with children entering kindergarten through fifth grade will have the opportunity to learn more about our 13 amazing elementary schools and find the school that best fits them.
Families can take advantage of our magnet programs that focus on language, character, college and career readiness, and visual and performing arts. We also take great pride in our elementary schools that build community and offer their own unique programs and educational opportunities.
To achieve our mission to provide an excellent and equitable education for all students to graduate future ready, we need to provide options, and we’re proud that we can offer many of them to our families.
Kindergarten and new registration for the 2024-25 school year is currently open.
The Elementary School Choice Lottery for the 2025-26 school year will open in early 2025
Elementary School Showcase 2025
The Elementary School Showcase will be held on Jan. 30, 2025. Join us to learn more about our 13 elementary schools that include a wide variety of magnet programs focusing on language, character, college and career readiness, and visual and performing arts as well as our neighborhood schools.
How It Works
Which students will be part of Elementary School Choice?
All students entering grades kindergarten through fifth can participate in the lottery for Elementary School Choice. Families will rank their top choices on the lottery application.
Magnet/choice schools included in the lottery process:
- Brookside (pre-K Montessori - must live in Brookside school zone to apply)
- Concord Magnet School
- Jefferson Marine Science School
- Kendall College and Career Academy
- Silvermine Dual-Language Magnet School
- Tracey Magnet School
- Wolfpit Integrated Arts School
If you need an intra-district transfer to one of our neighborhood schools, your family will need to make an Intra-District Transfer request. Click here to find the Intra-District Transfer request form.
Neighborhood schools include:
- Brookside Elementary
- Cranbury Elementary
- Fox Run Elementary
- Marvin Elementary
- Naramake Elementary
- Rowayton Elementary
- South Norwalk Neighborhood School
Do current elementary school students get to participate in Elementary School Choice?
Yes. Students already enrolled in a Norwalk elementary school can participate in the Elementary School Choice Lottery.
How does the Elementary School Choice lottery process work?
If students are interested in applying to one of our magnet/choice schools, they will have the opportunity to enter a centralized lottery for available seats in their school of interest.
Parents will log into the lottery system where they can apply to multiple schools for their child. An algorithm based on prioritization set by the district randomly selects students for each school. Our lottery will be weighted for sibling preference.
Once the lottery has been run, the acceptance list is generated and a waitlist is generated as well for each program. Students will be notified by email to their application status as well as acceptance into each program.
What is the timeline for Elementary School Choice?
The Elementary School Choice lottery drawing will open on or close to the date of the Elementary School Showcase 2025. The lottery stays open for about a month. The lottery drawing takes place a week after the lottery closes.
We will hold our fourth annual Elementary School Showcase on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025 from 6 to 8 p.m. (location TBD).
Some schools hold open houses and school information sessions while the lottery is open.