RSD to Launch New Enrollment Process in February

In February, the Recovery School District will launch a new city-wide enrollment process. RSD officials say the change resulted from feedback obtained during community outreach meetings held this summer, will be more convenient for parents, and will create a level playing field for all families to choose from the District’s charter and direct-run schools.

“At every meeting this summer, parents pointed out that the old enrollment system took too much time and was confusing,” said RSD Superintendent John White. “Through the new process, we will keep it simple: one application for many choices.”

Key changes to the enrollment system include the following:

• Families will fill out one application and list their school choices in order of preference;
• RSD will match every student with one school;
• RSD will try to give each student his/her top choice;
• If there are more applicants than seats, students will be assigned based on a series of objective criteria that give them priority for the school, including siblings currently attending, geographic area, and other factors.

The timeline for the new enrollment process is as follows:

Week of Feb. 6 – New application released and available at schools and RSD Parent-Family Resource Centers.  In addition, in February, the New Orleans Parent Organizing Network (NOLA PON) will publish the sixth New Orleans Parents’ Guide to Public Schools;
March 31 – Applications are due and can be submitted at the child’s school or at an RSD Parent-Family Resource Center;
Week of May 1 – Notification letters are mailed to families.

After May 1, families that did not participate in the process or that would like to change their school offer will have an opportunity to discuss their placement offers with staff from the school and RSD representatives. An appeals process will allow parents to pursue placement at a different school if seats are available.

To start the process, parents are encouraged to explore their options by visiting schools; attending workshops hosted by the RSD (beginning in January/dates and locations to be announced); or accessing information about RSD schools by visiting one of the four RSD Parent-Family Resource Centers:

• Sarah T. Reed High School, 5316 Michoud Blvd.
• L.B. Landry High School, 1200 L.B. Landry Ave.
• Walter L. Cohen High School, 3520 Dryades St.
• George W. Carver Elementary School, 3059 Higgins Blvd.

For more information on the new enrollment process, please click here.