Magnet School Lottery/Admissions Update (March 16)

Due to the school district closure in response to the COVID-19 emergency, certain district personnel and school personnel who would normally help facilitate the magnet school acceptance and registration process are not available.

If your child was offered a space at a magnet school next year and you have already used the magnet school notification system to respond to that offer, thank you.  Please be aware that the Magnet School will NOT reach out to you within 2 - 4 weeks as originally promised, but will do so as soon as possible once school is back in session.

If you have not received notification about your application status, have questions, or are having issues accessing or using the Magnet Notification System, please know that we have EXTENDED our response deadline.  If we do not have a response from you when school is back in session, we will reach out and contact you by phone.  NO STUDENT WHO HAS BEEN OFFERED A SPACE AT A MAGNET SCHOOL WILL LOSE THAT SPACE UNLESS THAT STUDENT'S PARENT/GUARDIAN HAS EXPLICITLY REJECTED THE OFFER FOR ADMISSION.

We apologize for any inconvenience or concern that this school shutdown  is causing and we look forward to working with all our new and returning magnet school families when school is back in session.

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MAGNET SCHOOL LOTTERY RESULTS RELEASED

In the late afternoon on Wednesday, March 11th, the results of the magnet school lottery for 2020-2021 were sent by email to the parent/guardian of each magnet school applicant.  If you are the parent/guardian of an applicant please check the email account you used in your student's application.  If you don't find an email message from Vista USD Student Support Services, please check your spam and junk folders to make sure the message did not end up there.

Please follow the instructions you find in the email message.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact VUSD Student Support Services at (760) 726-2170, ext. 92180.

 

​Magnet Schools Overview

The Vista Unified magnet school programs were designed to both inspire and challenge students to engage in learning environments that are focused on unique pathways aligned to the growing demands of an increasingly complex global society and workforce economy. Please use this website to explore the options and follow our collective efforts to make the magnet school experience world-class.

Magnet School Purpose
Magnet schools are visionary, innovative and are free and open to anyone. Due to high demand, most schools determine student acceptance by a lottery system. The idea of magnet schools began in 1971, and in 1975, the term “magnet” had caught on so well in four short years the federal government was using the term. Today, magnet schools have emerged as educational beacons in communities, incorporating themed curricula, hands-on, experiential learning, and a diverse tapestry of students and academic requirements that often exceed those of the school district or state. Source:  Magnet Schools of America

Magnet School Historical Overview
The creation of magnet schools in Vista Unified was first conceptualized about 30 years ago, with the intent of complying with California Code of Regulations, Title 5, Chapter 7 to "alleviate the racial and ethnic segregation." To this end, the Vista School Board of Trustees directed the creation of an Elementary Attendance Area Committee on February 14, 1991. This committee was responsible for the creation of the first two magnet schools in the district (VAPA and Casita) through the design of the Voluntary Integration Plan. These two magnet schools were officially approved by the Board on August 15, 1991 and held their first classes in 1992-93. In the years since its inception, the magnet school program has grown slowly, converting Lincoln Middle into Vista Magnet Middle School in 2007, Mission Vista High School in 2009, and Washington Middle School into Vista Innovation & Design Academy in August 2014. Today, more than 4,000 students attend magnet schools in Vista Unified. Click HERE to view a detailed archive of the magnet school development process.