First look at your child's interests and needs, and talk to the child's teachers. Then, visit all schools you are considering, including your zoned comprehensive school. All schools—comprehensive, magnet programs and specialty academies programs—are built around the same core curriculum in all disciplines and meet all state Standards of Learning. Transportation is provided for all programs.

To find out the comprehensive school to which your child is assigned, call 757-591-4500 or use our Zone Finder.

All magnet applications must be submitted electronically. A separate application must be submitted for each child desiring admission to a magnet program for the 2024-2025 school year.

Families of current NNPS students seeking magnet admission for the next school year, must submit the magnet application using their ParentVUE account and the online registration option. If you need help accessing your ParentVUE account or setting up a ParentVUE account, please contact your child's school.

If your child is not currently enrolled in NNPS, you must submit an external application.

Current NNPS students submitting an external application will not be processed in the magnet lottery. The magnet application must be submitted through the parent portal only for student on roll in NNPS.

If you need additional assistance, please contact the NNPS Magnet Office at (757)283-7850 x.10314.

If your child is a current NNPS student desiring to make an adjustment to your magnet application selection, you can do so through your ParentVUE account up until December 16, 2024. If you have submitted an external application for your child and would like to make a change to your magnet application selection, please request the change in writing prior to the closing date.

Applicants are assigned a random lottery number by the computer, and students will be selected based on these numbers.

Acceptance is based on numerical order and outlined priorities with attention to racial balance.

For magnet programs, application priority is given in this order to:

1. Students currently enrolled in a magnet program who wish to continue in that program, including students who are moving from elementary to middle school magnets or middle to high school magnets of the same type. For example, students in the STEM magnet at Crittenden have priority for the Heritage High School Governor's STEM Academy; however, each student must fill out a magnet application for Heritage. Also, rising 6th grade magnet students at Deer Park, Newsome Park and Discovery STEM Academy will have a priority to Crittenden Middle School; however, each student must fill out a magnet application for Crittenden.

2. Students who are siblings of students currently enrolled in that program at that specific school. This means, for example, that if you have a seventh grader at Booker T. Washington Middle School, your rising sixth grader will be given priority at Washington.

3. Other applicants based on their lottery numbers.

Note concerning admission of non-Newport News students (outlined in School Board Procedure JFAB-P): Newport News Public Schools students are given first priority for inclusion in magnet programs. Non-resident students cannot enter the lottery for magnet program admission. Non-resident students interested in attending magnet programs will be considered only after the lottery and selection process for resident students has been completed and the steps outlined in School Board Procedure JFAB-P have been completed. Applications for non-resident students may be submitted on August 1.