FAQs about Magnet Schools

1. Who may apply? Hartford and suburban residents with children entering prekindergarten (age 3 and 4) through 12th grade.
2. Where are the schools located? The Interdistrict Magnet Schools available to families through the RSCO application are located in Hartford and surrounding towns including Avon, Bloomfield, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Hartford, Rocky Hill, South Windsor, West Hartford, and Wethersfield.
3. How many magnet schools may I select? Applicants may choose up to five (5) magnet schools and rank them in order of preference. Families may also add the “All Magnet” selection as an additional selection on top of their individual school choices.
4. What type of themes are offered at magnet schools? There are a wide range of innovative and engaging 21st century themes available at the magnet schools in the Greater Hartford Region, ranging from themes like performing and visual arts and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to Montessori, Reggio and character education.
5. How do placement priorities help in placements to magnet schools? Placement priorities (such as enrolled siblings, staff, neighborhood, zone, pathway, and other factors) do not guarantee placement in a school, however, it may increase likelihood of a placement. These priorities vary by school and program and depend on the availability of seats. Placement priorities generally increases your likelihood of placement if they apply to the magnet school you select as your first choice.  
6. What is the All Magnet option? There is an “All Magnet” option included in the application for families applying to magnet schools. Selecting “All Magnet” puts your child in a pool of applicants for a magnet school that you did not choose as one of your magnet selections. If a magnet school exhausts its applications, we will offer placement opportunities to applicants that selected the “All Magnet” option. Families interested in the “All Magnet” option can select “All Magnet” in addition to their regular magnet school selections.
7. Do all high schools have schedules that are compatible with the schedule of the half-day program at Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts (GHAA)? Before applying to the half-day program at GHAA, families must speak with staff in their home school district to make sure that the home school high school has schedules which are compatible with the schedules at GHAA.

Contact Us! We are here to help you! Although COVID-19 raises challenges for all of us, the RSCO Office staff is available to help you at rsco.sde@ct.gov or 860-713-6990.