High School Choice
Norwalk Public Schools continues its commitment to choice with High School Choice. All incoming freshmen will have the opportunity to explore and apply for more than a dozen choice programs offered by our four high schools during the 2026-2027 school year.
Through our high school academies, pathways and programs, students can gain hands-on industry experience, earn a college degree or health certification, and engage with their global peers. The learning opportunities range from engineering to marine science to the performing and visual arts. And if our incoming ninth graders prefer to stay in their feeder pattern school, they can attend our comprehensive high schools – Norwalk High School or Brien McMahon High School.
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 expand those options this year.
The High School Choice Lottery for the 2026-27 school year is closed. The NPS lottery drawing will take place on Jan. 20, 2026 and families will be notified shortly after. The lottery drawing for the Center for Global Studies will take place on Jan. 16, 2026 at 12 p.m.
[New student registration for the 2026-27 school year will open on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026.]
Note on transportation: Transportation will be provided to students accepted into a High School Choice program via lottery that is not at their neighborhood feeder school as allowed by the state school transportation requirements (2 miles from the school for students enrolled in grades 9-12).
High School Choice Catalog
How It Works
Which students will be a part of this year’s High School Choice?
Students entering ninth grade in fall 2026 who wish to apply for a choice program will enter the lottery for High School Choice, ranking their top choices.
Do current high school students get to participate in High School Choice?
No. This year’s High School Choice lottery will be limited to incoming freshmen for the 2026-2027 school year.
Do I need to apply for the High School Choice Lottery?
Students who plan to attend their assigned feeder high school do not need to apply for the high school choice lottery but will need to complete an interest form to inform the school which pathway they wish to pursue. Any student who wishes to attend a specialized program, such as P-TECH Norwalk or the Center for Global Studies, must complete the appropriate lottery application.
See possible scenarios below.
Planning to attend Brien McMahon High School or Norwalk High School
1. I currently attend my home-districted middle school and I want to attend my home-district high school (i.e. Roton or Ponus students wanting to attend Brien McMahon; Nathan Hale or West Rocks students wanting to attend Norwalk High).
- You do not need to apply for the lottery
- You are set to move to your home-districted high school
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), you need to express your interest with your middle school counselor during course selection.
2. I currently attend a middle school that does not feed into my home-district high school (either through Middle School Choice or an intra-district transfer), but I want to attend my home-district high school.
- You do not to apply for the lottery
- You need to speak with your middle school counselor and let them know that you want to attend your home-district high school next year
- You will be set to move to your home-districted high school
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), you need to express your interest with your middle school counselor during course selection.
3. I’m not currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools, but I live in Norwalk and want to attend the high school that my home address is districted for (i.e. a student at All Saints Catholic School).
- You do not need to apply for the lottery
- You need to register as a new student to Norwalk Public Schools for the next school year
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), speak directly with your high school’s registrar to discuss necessary courses.
[New student registration for the 2026-27 school year will open in February 2026.]
4. I currently attend a middle school that feeds into the high school that I want to attend but is not my home-district high school (i.e. Roton or Ponus students wanting to attend Brien McMahon; Nathan Hale or West Rocks students wanting to attend Norwalk High).
- You do not need to apply for the lottery unless you want to be eligible for transportation
- Lottery acceptances are eligible for transportation
- You are set to move to your feeder high school
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), you need to express your interest with your middle school counselor during course selection.
APPLY NOW for the 2026-27 High School Choice Lottery!
5. I currently attend a middle school that does not feed into my preferred high school (i.e. Roton or Ponus students wanting to attend Norwalk High; Nathan Hale or West Rocks students wanting to attend Brien McMahon).
- You need to apply for the lottery
- If you’re districted for your preferred high school, and you want to attend there, see answer #2.
- Lottery acceptances are eligible for transportation.
- When meeting with your school counselor, confirm your lottery acceptance and discuss necessary courses.
APPLY NOW for the 2026-27 High School Choice Lottery!
6. I’m not currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools, but I live in Norwalk and want to attend a high school that my home address is not districted for (i.e. a student at All Saints Catholic School who lives in the NHS districted area but wants to attend BMHS).
- You need to apply for the lottery
- Lottery acceptances are eligible for transportation
- You need to register as a new student to Norwalk Public Schools for the next school year
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), speak directly with your high school’s registrar to discuss necessary courses.
[New student registration for the 2026-27 school year will open in February 2026.]
7. I currently attend Concord Magnet School and I want to attend my home district high school.
- You do not need to apply for the lottery
- You are set to move to your home-districted high school
- If you’re interested in a specific pathway (i.e. DMCA at NHS or Marine Science Pathway at BMHS), you need to express your interest with your middle school counselor during course selection.
I currently attend Concord Magnet School and I want to attend the high school that I’m not districted for.
- You need to apply for the lottery
- Lottery acceptances are eligible for transportation
- When meeting with your school counselor, confirm your lottery acceptance and discuss necessary courses.
APPLY NOW for the 2026-27 High School Choice Lottery!
Planning to attend P-TECH Norwalk or the Center for Global Studies
I’m currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools or I live in Norwalk, and I want to attend P-TECH Norwalk.
- You need to apply for the lottery
- Lottery acceptances are eligible for transportation
- If you’re not currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools, you need to register as a new student to Norwalk Public Schools for the next school year
[New student registration for the 2026-27 school year will open in February 2026.]
If you are applying through the Magnet Schools of America program, you will need to apply through Cooperative Educational Services (CES) (i.e. prospective students from Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Weston and Wilton)
APPLY NOW for the 2026-27 High School Choice Lottery!
I want to attend the Center for Global Studies.
- You need to apply for the lottery.
- NPS students currently on the Japanese or Chinese pathway also need to apply.
- All students applying will use the same lottery application (currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools, currently living in Norwalk, currently enrolled in a middle school outside the district)
- If you’re not currently enrolled in Norwalk Public Schools, you need to register as a new student to Norwalk Public Schools for the next school year
[New student registration for the 2026-27 school year will open in February 2026.]
Learn more about the Center for Global Studies lottery process on the CGS Admissions website.
What choice programs does each high school offer?
Brien McMahon High School
- International Baccalaureate (Middle Years Program; Diploma Program & Career Program starting in 11th grade)
- Marine Science Academy
- McMahon Medical Pathway
- Project Lead the Way
- Computer Science
Center for Global Studies
- International Baccalaureate (Middle Years Program & Diploma Program; Diploma & Career-Related Program offered via Brien McMahon High School; Diploma and Career-Related programs start in 11th grade)
- Arabic
- Japanese
- Mandarin
Norwalk High School
- Culinary Arts
- Digital Media and Communications
- Performing Arts
- Visual Arts
Programs offered by NHS, but not a lottery choice:
P-TECH Norwalk
- Mobile Programming*
- Software Engineering*
- Web Development*
* upon entering 10th grade
How does the High School Choice lottery process work?
If students are interested in an academy, pathway or other choice program, they will have the opportunity to enter a centralized lottery* for available seats in their program of interest.
Parents will log into the lottery system where they can apply to multiple programs for their child. An algorithm based on prioritization set by the district randomly selects students for each program. Our lottery will be weighted for sibling preference.
The High School Choice Lottery (for BMHS, NHS and P-TECH choices) is closed. The lottery drawing will take place on Jan. 20, 2026 and families will be notified shortly after. The lottery drawing for the Center for Global Studies will take place on Jan. 16, 2026 at 12 p.m.
Once the lottery has been run, the acceptance list is generated and a wait list is generated as well for each program. Students will be notified by email to their application status as well as acceptance into each program.
The high school choice process will mirror our middle school process.
* Any student, in district or out of district, interested in applying to the Center for Global Studies will apply through a separate lottery. Click here for more information.
What is the High School Choice lottery system?
The system is an online lottery system managed centrally, connected to PowerSchool. Once students enter the lottery, a formula will randomly generate accepted students and waitlists for each choice program.
What is the timeline for High School Choice?
The High School Choice lottery for 2026-27 school year has closed. The lottery drawing will take place on Jan. 20, 2026 and families will be notified shortly after. The lottery drawing for the Center for Global Studies will take place on Jan. 16, 2026 at 12 p.m.
* Any student, in district or out of district, interested in applying to the Center for Global Studies will apply through a separate lottery. Click here for more information.
How can my child qualify for transportation through High School Choice?
Transportation will be provided to students accepted into a High School Choice program via lottery that is not at their neighborhood feeder school as allowed by the state school transportation requirements (2 miles from the school for students enrolled in grades 9-12).