Richardson ISD is moving up the enrollment timeline for its magnet programs to remain competitive with private and charter schools in the area.
Applications for magnet programs at all levels for the 2027-28 school year will now open Nov. 1 and close Dec. 18, with decisions expected to be announced to families in February, according to a presentation by district officials at the Oct. 15 school board meeting.
“It’s just critically important that we move up our timeline to make faster decisions and to protect our district’s enrollment and retain our families,” Executive Director of Enrollment Cecilia Galvan said.
The big picture
RISD operates three elementary magnet schools, two magnet junior highs and a variety of magnet programs at Richardson High School. Magnet schools offer specialized, focused learning pathways in the arts, law, technology, advanced math and sciences and other fields.
Superintendent Tabitha Branum said the district recognized a gap in its magnet enrollment timeline that meant families were receiving decisions from private and charter schools ahead of RISD, making the district less competitive with those other educational options.
“Over and over again, we heard from community members who said, ‘Had I known that I would have gotten that magnet seat placement, I would not have potentially made a decision to go somewhere else,’” Branum said.
A closer look
Prior to this year, applications for families new to the magnet programs operated on three different schedules. In 2025-26, junior high applications were open Nov. 4-Dec. 1, elementary applications from Dec. 1-Feb. 28 and high school applications from Jan. 13-31.
“We just weren’t meeting the needs of our stakeholders and making sure that information was given to them sooner,” Galvan said.
The streamlined schedule now has all magnet programs on the same timeline, with applications open from Nov. 1 to Dec. 18. This will ensure that families know whether their student has a seat at an RISD magnet school ahead of commitment deadlines for private or charter schools, Galvan said, so that they will be able to take RISD into account when making those decisions.
Many private and charter schools announce their admissions decisions in March, she said, so RISD is aiming to beat that by releasing magnet enrollment announcements by the end of February.
“Our families [will] know, ‘Yes, I do have this spot,’ so that they’re not even tempted to make that deposit on that seat in that private school or make that commitment to that charter school,” Branum said.
Magnet enrollment is only open to families who reside within RISD boundaries, so this will not apply to families pursuing open enrollment at the district.
Looking ahead
The timeline for current students is not changing, Galvan said, as they have a guaranteed seat in the district and can already take that into account if considering outside enrollment. Feb. 23, which has been the opening date for districtwide enrollment in the past, will remain the first date of enrollment for current RISD students.
“We did not feel it was vital for them to start the process in November because we just roll those students forward naturally,” Galvan said.
Although the enrollment timeline is moving up, Branum said schools will still pursue the same informational and recruitment methods for magnet programs as they have in the past, such as tours and showcases.
“I love it most for our families because they get to make the choice ahead of time and choose us before they do private,” trustee Rose McGowan said.
