Admission Policy

Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary & Middle Schools

 

School Overview

 

Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Elementary (Grades 1-5) and Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools-Middle (Grades 6-8) are authorized International Baccalaureate World Schools. They offer a curriculum approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization and provide a project based learning environment. Students learn to discover knowledge, to create a better world, and to serve in a way that respects others.

 

Admission Policy

 

1. 1. Students residing in any Tuscaloosa City School zone are eligible to apply for enrollment at the Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools in grades 1-8. Applications will be available to all students currently enrolled in the Tuscaloosa City Schools and to students currently enrolled in private or home schools who reside in the city schools attendance zone.
2. The enrollment distribution will be based on a 7 percent allocation from each school, along with a 7 percent allocation from the University Place Choice Zone (UPZ). Students that currently live in the University Place Choice Zone will be allotted the number of spots, equal to the number of spots available for the largest 7% allocation.
3. The 20-day report from the current year will be used to determine the 7 percent allocation. Private and home school students that reside within the Tuscaloosa City Schools attendance zone will be allocated any remaining slots available, not to exceed 7% of enrollment from the largest elementary school within the Tuscaloosa City Schools.

 

Student Eligibility

 

1. 1. The Tuscaloosa City School’s Attendance Office will open the online application process. The online application will electronically collect student data for currently enrolled students from the TCS student information system.
2. Students currently enrolled in private schools, homeschools, or schools outside the Tuscaloosa City Schools attendance zone will be contacted by the Office of Teaching and Learning with a scheduled time to complete assessments required for the screening process.
3. Students currently enrolled in private schools or homeschools will need to provide the following information at the time of application or bring them prior to the scheduled assessment time:
   • Proof of Residence within Tuscaloosa City Schools Attendance Zone
   • Current report card
   • Any other data that may be requested by the Attendance Office or Teaching and Learning
4. All current Tuscaloosa City Schools kindergarten students will be administered the Universal Screeners for reading and math. Once all data has been collected, the online Specialty School application system will generate a Student Profile Page for each applicant. Students will be assigned an overall percentage score based on the following data:

 

 

Application Process

 

1. Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools information and registration will be available on the Tuscaloosa City Schools’ website at http://specialty.tuscaloosacityschools.com/
2. Information will be distributed to all rising first through seventh grade students in the Tuscaloosa City Schools district. Interested parents will complete the application online or return a completed paper copy to the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education no later than the close of the business day on the last day of January. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

 

Selection Process

 

1. The Tuscaloosa Specialty School online system will process applications and make the final selection of students for enrollment. The system will be overseen and administered by a committee. The committee will be chaired by the Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning or their designee. Members will include, but are not limited to, the following personnel:
   • The Director of Literacy
   • A District EL Specialist
   • A District Special Education Specialist
   • A District Literacy Specialist
2. Applicants must have an overall percentage score of 73% or higher in order to be eligible to attend.
3. The following procedures will be utilized to identify rising 1st grade applicants to attend Tuscaloosa Magnet School.
   • A minimum qualifying score of 55 points or 73% on the Student Profile is required for consideration of application.
   • Applicants will be ranked from highest percentage Student Profile score to lowest percentage Student Profile score within each school.
   • The system will calculate the number of seats available from each grade for each home school zone within the Tuscaloosa City Schools by multiplying the current grade enrollment by .07. The system will select students with the highest score from each school until the number of seats allocated for each school has been filled. The number of applicants invited from private and home schools will not exceed 7% of enrollment from the largest elementary school within the Tuscaloosa City Schools.

Available spots will be filled in the following order:

• Applicants currently enrolled in the Tuscaloosa City Schools
• Applicants currently residing in the Tuscaloosa City Schools attendance zone, but attending private or home schools. The number of applicants invited from private and home schools will not exceed 7% of enrollment from the largest elementary school within the Tuscaloosa City Schools.
• If seats remain in the 1st grade, the system will go to the school with the lowest percentage representation and place the highest scoring students. This will continue until all schools are represented at 7% or a school is out of eligible students, based on the number of applications received from each school.
• If seats still remain in the 1st grade and eligible students still remain on the list, the system will place the highest scoring students until all seats are taken or all eligible students are placed whichever occurs first.

4. The following procedures will be utilized to identify rising 2nd through 8th grade applicants to attend Tuscaloosa Magnet School.
   • A minimum qualifying score of 55 points or 73% is required for consideration of application.
   • Applicants will be ranked from highest percentage score to lowest percentage score within each school. Based on the available number of spots in that grade level, qualifying students from underrepresented schools (those below 7% allocation) will be placed first followed by other schools.
   • If seats still remain in any grade and eligible students still remain on the list after all schools are at 7% or all eligible students from those below 7% are placed, the system will place the highest scoring students until all seats are taken or all eligible students are placed whichever occurs first, based on the number of applications received from each school.

 

Enrollment

 

Applicants that are invited to attend Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools must respond to their invitation by going online at http://specialty.tuscaloosacityschools.com/offered to accept or decline the offer or call the attendance office by the deadline listed on the invitation. Applicants that do not respond to the invitation by the deadline listed on the invitation will forfeit their spot at Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools.

1. Students currently attending Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools will be required to complete a commitment letter regarding their decision to or not to attend Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools for the next school year. The commitment letter must be completed and returned to the school no later than the last working day of January. Students not returning a commitment letter will lose their spots at the end of the current school year. Any student that is not present on the first day of school will be no-showed and may lose their opportunity to be a part of the Magnet program. 

Vacant spots will be filled through the end of the second week of the school year. In filling vacant spots, the online system will invite the next student on the list to fulfill the 7% representation of each school. For students entering 2nd – 8th grades and rising 1st grade, the system will select the highest scoring student on the list from any underrepresented school. Parents will be notified of the invitation by US mail letter and by email if an email address was provided on the application.

 

TCS Specialty Programs

The following guidelines apply to all TCS Specialty Programs:

A. Application Process

1. Applications for enrollment to all specialty programs must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. on the last school day in January.

1.1. Student applicants must reside within Tuscaloosa City School zones.

1.2. Students not currently enrolled in a Tuscaloosa City School must provide proof of residency at the time of acceptance to a specialty program.

1.3. Eligibility for enrollment is dependent on the number of student vacancies and current enrolment per grade or discipline in specialty schools.

2. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline.

3. Application forms will be available on the website and automated communication will be made to all eligible families. Hard copies of the application will be available at the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education and at each school offering specialty programs.

B. Transportation

1. Bus transportation will be offered to transportation-eligible students. This is to be accomplished in accordance with state regulations.

C. Appeals Process

1. The following procedures will be followed in requesting an appeal of notification:

1.1. Appeals must be requested in writing to the Office of Curriculum and Instruction.

1.2. The appeal must be received no later than the first school day in May.

1.3. The Office of Curriculum and Instruction will review the appeal and provide a written response within two weeks of the time that the appeal is received.

2. Following the first appeal in 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3 above, a written request for review may be made to the Superintendent.

2.1 Appeals must be requested in writing to the Office of the Superintendent.

2.2 The appeal must be received no later than two weeks following the written response from 1.3 above.

2.3 The Superintendent will provide a written response to the parent or guardian

Specialty Schools Application Information 

• The online application will be available from Monday, January 5, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. through Friday, January 30, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
• The application portal will close promptly at 3:00 p.m. on January 30, 2026. It is important to begin the application process early as no applications may be submitted after that time.
• Failure to complete the application correctly may result in disqualification of the applicant.
• Only one application may be submitted per student. Duplicate applications will result in disqualification of the applicant.
• For families with multiple students, a separate application must be submitted for each student.
• Applicants may select up to two specialty school choices on their application. Applicants who choose to apply to more than one specialty school must selection their specialty school choices in order of preference (i.e., first choice, second choice).
• No changes can be made after the application has been submitted. Therefore, it is important that applicants verify all submitted information is correct. Inaccuracies in the application may result in rejection of the application or forfeiture of offer for placement.
• Applicants who are currently enrolled in Tuscaloosa City Schools will need their 10-digit Student State ID number (SSID) to complete the application.
  • Parents can locate their student’s SSID in the Parent Portal of I-Now. Parents who do not have a password to the I-Now Parent Portal should contact their student’s current school counselor for assistance in obtaining their student’s SSID. Once the student’s SSID and date of birth have been entered into the application, the student’s information will be pulled from I-Now.
  • All pulled information and displayed during the application process should be verified before the application is submitted. If there are any information errors, parents must notify their student’s current school immediately. Changes must be requested in writing. NOTE: A change of address will require proof of residency. Once the change has been submitted to the student’s current school, it may take up to 72 hours for that change to be reflected in the application portal. Therefore, it is important to begin the application process early.
  • If there is a change in address or phone number after the application has been submitted, parents must notify both their student’s current school AND the Attendance Office. Changes must be requested in writing.
• Applicants who are NOT currently enrolled in Tuscaloosa City Schools will need to complete all information required in the application.
  • Student transcripts must be submitted to the Attendance Office. Official transcripts and conduct/discipline records must be received by the TCS Attendance Office at 1210 21st Avenue; Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 no later than 4:00 p.m. on Monday, February 9, 2026. The sending school should provide an official explanation of grade equivalences. Applications with transcripts received after this deadline will be considered incomplete and will not be processed.
• A system-generated confirmation number will appear on the screen once an application has been successfully submitted to confirm and track each application. The applicant may print this confirmation screen. If an email address was provided by the applicant, the confirmation number will also be sent to that email. It is important to keep this confirmation number for reference.
• Selection will tentatively occur by February 20, 2026.
  • Applicants who provided an email address will be notified of their status via email. Applicants accepted into a specialty school will be sent an email offering acceptance. The email will contain a link where applicants can either accept or decline the offer. The offer must be accepted by the deadline indicated in the email. Failure to accept the offer by the deadline will result in an auto-decline, resulting in the applicant forfeiting the offer.
  • A letter will also be mailed via U.S. mail to notify applicants of their status. Accepted students who have not already accepted their offer electronically may use the link provided in the letter to accept. Accepted students may also call the telephone number provided in the letter to accept. When accepting by telephone, applicants must use the confirmation number received upon submission of their application. The offer must be accepted by the deadline indicated in the letter. Failure to accept the offer by the deadline will result in an auto-decline, resulting in the applicant forfeiting the offer.

Revision Date: December 2, 2025