School Choice

The following students need to submit a School Choice form: 

• New families that are interested in enrolling in a CMSD school. 
• Current CMSD eighth graders entering ninth grade; 
• Current CMSD pre-K 4 students entering kindergarten; 
• Current CMSD students who want to transfer to a different school; 
• Current CMSD students enrolled in a school that is closing or moving as a result of Building Brighter Futures. See the question "What Students receive first priority in the lottery? question below for a list os schools.

You do not need to submit an application if you want your student to return to their current school next year.  

CMSD runs a single, unified School Choice lottery to assign applicants to schools. The lottery seeks to assign each applicant to the highest-ranked school on their application that has a seat available for them, given their priority to that school and their random lottery number.  

When the lottery is run, it first organizes applicants into priority groups. An applicant can receive priority if they are currently enrolled in a closing or moving school, or if they are applying to a school where a sibling attends. Once applicants are in priority groups, they are put in order based on their random lottery number.  

Seats will first be offered to applicants who fall into the first priority group in random lottery number order. The lottery will then offer seats to applicants in lower priority groups in order of random lottery number, until the number of available seats at the school has been exhausted. 

CMSD gives certain applicants priority in the lottery over other applicants, which means they will be closer to the front of the line to receive a placement at a school. The following applicants receive priority in the lottery: 

1. First priority: Current CMSD students enrolled in grades K-7 and 9-11 in a school that is closing or moving because of Building Brighter Futures. See the next question below for a list of the schools this applies to; 

2. Second priority: Applicants to a school that a sibling already attends;  

3. Third priority: All other applicants residing within CMSD’s boundary; 

4. Fourth priority: All other applicants from Ohio. 

Current CMSD students enrolled in grades K-7 and 9-11 in a school that is closing or moving because of Building Brighter Futures:  

Applicants can receive one of the following lottery outcomes:  

1. Assigned to #1 ranked choice: If an applicant receives an offer to the school ranked #1 on their application, that is the only offer they will receive. 

2. Assigned to #2 or below ranked choice: If an applicant is assigned to a school ranked #2 or lower on their application, they will be added to the waitlist of the school ranked above the school to which they received an offer. 

3. Unassigned: If an applicant is unable to be assigned to any of the schools ranked on their application, they will be reassigned to their current school (if they can return next year) or the Welcoming School identified on the School Choice form. If an applicant does not have a current or Welcoming School to be reassigned to, they will be able to request enrollment in a school of their choice with available seats remaining.  

CMSD values giving families the opportunity to keep siblings together in school if that is important to them. We do this in several ways: 

1. An applicant to a school where a sibling is already attending will receive priority in the lottery. For example, if a parent/guardian submits an application for their entering kindergarten student to attend the same school as their third grader, they will receive priority in the lottery.  

2. For students impacted by Building Brighter Futures, every effort is being made to ensure that siblings who currently attend school together are assigned to the same welcoming school so they can continue to attend school together.  

Given limited seat availability in some schools and grade levels, we cannot guarantee that concurrently applying siblings in the lottery will be assigned to the same school.  

In the School Choice process, current CMSD students who apply will be assigned to a school in their prospective grade. This means that a current seventh grader will be assigned to eighth grade.  

As schools make retention and promotion decisions in the Spring, the student’s grade level will be adjusted to reflect the final grade placement and the school to which they are assigned will accommodate the student in the correct grade.  

Applicants can apply to up to 5 schools on the School Choice form. It is very important to rank schools in order of preference, with the most desired school being ranked #1.  

If an applicant needs a new school to attend next year, we recommend ranking at least 3 choices.  

Yes, students will continue to receive the services required as part of their Individualized Education Plan at their new welcoming school. 

To ensure a continuation of services for some of our students, it is sometimes necessary to assign students to a different welcoming school than their peers. In these instances, we have identified a welcoming school that can accommodate the full class of students as well as any siblings that are currently enrolled with them in the same school.  

Yes! You can edit the submitted School Choice form until the deadline. The deadline to submit or edit a School Choice form is February 27, 2026, at 5pm.  

CMSD will notify families of their school assignment the week of March 30.  

The chance of being assigned to a school depends on a number of factors. In some instances, there will be more applicants to a school than there are seats available, which means that not all applicants will be able to be assigned to that school. For this reason, families can apply to up to 5 schools, and we encourage all applicants to consider at least 3 schools to rank on their application. Only list schools that you prefer to your welcoming school or current school. If you do not get assigned to your choice options, you will keep your current placement. 

If an applicant is assigned to a school ranked #2 or lower on their application, they will be added to the waitlist of the school ranked above the school to which they received an offer. Waitlist offers will be made in order if seats become available at the school. Holding a spot on the waitlist does not guarantee that a placement will become available for the applicant.  

Waitlists will be sunset each October 1 and do not carry over from one year to the next.  

Current eighth graders who do not submit a School Choice form will need to visit or contact the Office of School Choice and Enrollment to select a high school with seats remaining for next year.  

There are a number of ways to learn more about what different CMSD schools have to offer: 

1. Use CMSD’s new School Finder to view detailed school profiles and search for schools that meet your needs.  

2. Attend one of CMSD’s School Choice Expos to meet with school personnel.  

3. Visit a school to take a tour! Contact schools directly to learn about how to schedule a school tour.  

The portal to submit a School Choice form is open from January 5 at 5pm to February 27 at 5pm. All forms are processed in a single, unified lottery after the close of the portal. 

If you want to attend a school other than your welcoming school, we encourage you to submit an application as soon as you identify the schools you prefer. There is no advantage gained in the lottery if you apply early in the application window. 

Once lottery results are available in the School Choice portal, families will have until April 17 to log-in and accept or decline their assigned seat.  

• Current CMSD students who accept the seat offer will be assigned to attend the school next year and will see this school listed as your student’s next year school on their final report card.  
• Current CMSD students who decline their seat offer will be re-assigned to their current school or assigned to their welcoming campus. Current eighth grade students who decline their seat offer will need to visit or contact the Office of School Choice and Enrollment to select a high school with seats remaining for next year. 
• New students to CMSD who accept their seat offer will need to complete registration to finish the enrollment process. 
• New students to CMSD who decline their seat offer will need to visit or contact the Office of School Choice and Enrollment to select a school with seats remaining for next year. 

Students new to CMSD must complete the registration process to finalize enrollment in a CMSD school.  

1. Create an account with CMSD 
2. Upload required documents by taking a photo of them or scanning them: 
3. Student's official Birth Certificate 
4. Student's shot records and immunization records - two different forms. 
5. Proof of residency (must NOT be older than 30 days): Utility bill, bank statement, government documents, lease or rental agreement 
6. Parent or Guardian ID 
7. Custody Paper (if applicable) 
8. Individual Education Plan (IEP), Evaluation Team Report (ETR), OR 504 Plan (if applicable) 
9. School records (withdrawal form, last report card, transcripts or home school documentation) 

Registration must be completed by April 30 in order to complete the enrollment process in the assigned school. If a new student does not complete registration by that date, enrollment at the assigned school is no longer guaranteed.  

We know the critical importance of providing students with safe and reliable transportation. Building Brighter Futures will allow us to continue to offer transportation to all students who meet the district’s eligibility requirements. This includes students who: 

• Live within 1–3 miles of their K-8 school 
• Attend and live more than 1 mile from a K-8 specialty school that currently offers district-wide transportation (Campus International, Dike School of the Arts, Douglas MacArthur Girls’ Leadership, Kenneth Clement Boys’ Leadership, Stonebrook-White Montessori, Tremont Montessori, Valley View Boys’ Leadership, Warner Girls’ Leadership, and William Rainey Harper) 
• Live more than 1 mile from their high school (RTA transportation) 
• Have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that requires transportation 

Most K-8 students affected by mergers live within 3 miles of their new school; those farther away will receive extended transportation.