Gifted services are available at ALL Garland ISD schools for qualified Gifted students. Magnet programs are available at select schools and have district defined criteria for enrollment.  Each magnet may have specialized curriculum and programs for students who meet qualifications.

Students entering Kindergarten, 6th grade and 9th grade need to complete a Choice of School form and a magnet application.

Students will need to complete a Choice of School form if:

• They do not wish to continue in a magnet program for the next school year
• They would like to attend a different non-magnet school for the next school year
• They are new to Garland ISD

Magnet students should not complete a new Choice of School form if they wish to remain in the same magnet program at the same school for the next school year.

If a magnet student wants to make a change, they should complete a new Choice of School form. There is no option to hold a seat and apply for a new program. If you apply for a different program, it is possible you may lose your current seat. All Choice/magnet program lotteries are run at the same time based on your preference order, so there is no option to hold seats.

Yes, you will need to complete a Choice of School form to select up to six schools/magnet programs.

Yes, the waitlist does not carry over from one application year to the next.   Students on the waitlist will not be called after the second week of school. 

Late Choice forms are not accepted. 

You may reschedule for another testing appointment if available. Please contact the magnet office at GISDMagnetPrograms@garlandisd.net.

Generally, no. Students wishing to change magnet Programs must apply, qualify, and be offered placement for the program during the regular Choice of School window.  For exceptions to this rule, please read the magnet transfers portion of the Magnet Policies page.

Academy for Excellence magnet applications will be ranked according to combined scores and offered seats in rank order. Students are also placed on the waitlist in rank order.

For most other programs, all qualified applicants are placed in a lottery. All students will then be offered spaces in the order they are chosen in the lottery. Magnet placement and waitlist information will be made available to parents in Avela (see timeline).

All Early College and P-TECH applicants will be placed in a weighted lottery that prioritizes at-risk students and economically disadvantaged students in alignment with the TEA Blueprint for Early College and P-TECH.

You should only select schools/magnet programs that you are interested in your child attending. Please do not list schools that you do not want your child to attend. There is no guarantee that they will be accepted to their first choice. You should select at least one non-magnet school.

School/magnet placement and waitlist information will be made available to parents on the date indicated in the magnet application timeline.

Parents often contact our office and ask the likelihood of their child's specific number being reached on the waitlist. We are not able to guarantee acceptance of any wait list number, whether it is #1 or #20. Calls from the waitlist are solely based on space becoming available in that particular program and grade level. 

You can update your Choice of School form during the Choice of School window.  

You will be waitlisted all higher ranked for all schools that you selected and higher ranked magnet programs for which you qualified. If you desire a different non-magnet school, you can submit an In-District Transfer Request. If a seat is available, Student Services may be able to move your student. The Choice of School window is the best time to make choices for the next school year.