Choice High Schools

Application Process:

Students must submit an online application to be considered for enrollment in the school or program. The application window for Choice High Schools opens December 1st at 12:00 am and closes January 31st at 11:59 pm. The application must be completed by the parent or guardian.

Priorities and Restrictions:

Choice Schools are open to all students with some priorities and restrictions, including, but not limited to:

• Priority to incoming siblings who reside in the same household and who will attend the same school
• Priority to ECISD full-time employees who work at the same Choice School
• Priority to families who reside within Ector County

Application for Multiple Children:

ECISD does everything possible to keep families together. However, it is possible to have one child accepted and the other child on a waitlist.

Students with Disabilities:

For students with disabilities, the 504 or ARD committee determines which instructional related services are required for the student and recommends placement based on the student’s IEP currently in effect. An invitation through the lottery shall be denied if the 504 or ARD committee recommend services not available at the assigned campus.

Applicant Pool:

Students not selected during the lottery process will be placed in the Applicant Pool for possible future placement. The Applicant Pool remains in place until the window opens again for the following school year.

Late Applications:

Applications are considered late if they are received after January 31st. The Choice Application will re-open on March 15th, and all late applicants will be placed in the Application Pool.

ECISD selects students for Choice High Schools through an automated lottery system which maintains the integrity of the process while providing transparency to our community.

There are two possible outcomes after this process:

• Accepted: The lottery ran and the student was selected to fill a seat at one of their options.
• Applicant Pool: The lottery ran and the student was not selected to fill a seat and is therefore assigned to the applicant pool.

During the lottery, the system processes all ‘eligible’ applications equitably. Applications are coded as ‘eligible’ once parents have met all campus requirements. During the lottery, all ‘eligible’ first choice applications are considered and placed. If a student is not selected, their ‘eligible’ application is placed into a lottery for their second option, and if not selected, then their third choice. Students who are not selected for any of their options will then be placed in the applicant pool for their first school option only.

As openings become available, Choice Schools will accept students from the applicant pool.

Families will apply for choice schools in Focus and will be notified if their child is eligible for the school lottery. A random computerized selection of eligible students who applied and completed all additional campus requirements will take place on February 7, 2025. Lottery results will be emailed to the family of eligible students on February 11, 2025. Parents of students must accept or decline their lottery result on or before February 14, 2025.  

The online application reopens on March 15, 2025 to continue accepting applications from the Applicant Pool when previously accepted students decline acceptance or do not register

Here are three scenarios which explain how the lottery works. A student applies to three schools:

• School A (1st choice)
• School B (2nd choice)
• School C (3rd choice)

Scenario #1:

The lottery runs and the student gets the following outcome:

• School A (1st choice): Selected – Student is not considered for School B or C. A seat is offered to the student to attend School A.
• School B (2nd choice): The application is cancelled since student was selected for School A.
• School C (3rd choice): The application is cancelled since student was selected for School A.

Scenario #2:

The lottery runs and the student gets the following outcome:

• School A (1st choice): Not Selected – Student is placed in lottery for School B.
• School B (2nd choice): Not Selected – Student is placed in lottery for School C.
• School C (3rd choice): Selected – A seat is offered to the student to attend School C.

The parent/student can accept at School C, or they can decline the seat and request to be placed in the applicant pool for either School A or School B.

Scenario #3:

The lottery runs and the student gets the following outcome:

• School A (1st choice): Not Selected – Student is placed in lottery for School B.
• School B (2nd choice): Not Selected – Student is placed in lottery for School C.
• School C (3rd choice): Not Selected – Student is placed on the waitlist for School A.

The student was not selected for any of their options and is in the applicant pool for School A only. If a parent wants to be added to the Applicant Pool for School B and/or C, they must contact our office at 432-456-8890.

New Tech Odessa, Odessa Collegiate Academy, OCTECHS, and STEM Academy are Choice High Schools in Ector County ISD. 

These campuses each have additional requirements. Please reference the application for those additional requirements. 

For questions regarding each school’s program, please contact the campus directly. For questions regarding the application process, please contact the campus or the Office of Student Admissions at 432.456.8890.