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Dates reviewed October 2026.

Applying to private school with LAUSD as a backup: a month-by-month plan for 2027–28

  • Keep both tracks active until you know where your child has a place.
  • LAUSD Choices is the application for magnets and other participating programs; private applications follow each school's process.
  • Submit Choices by November 6, 2026, to keep magnet points in play.

What should we do each month?

  • October 2026: Make a private-school shortlist and check each school's deadline: 2 of the schools we track have deadlines before November 6. Start your Choices application.
  • November 2026: Submit Choices by November 6. If applying to Schools for Advanced Studies (SAS) and your child needs gifted eligibility verification, arrange the school-submitted form by November 20.
  • December 2026: Finish private applications due in December and January (see /deadlines/).
  • January 2027: Finish any remaining applications and school-specific steps. Confirm each application is complete with the school.
  • February 2027: Watch for LAUSD Choices selection or waitlist notices in early February. Keep private applications active while you review the result.
  • March 2027: Respond to an LAUSD offer by March 5. Most verified private kindergarten decisions arrive March 12. Use our March decision guide to plan the gap.

Why apply to LAUSD if private is plan A?

For magnet programs, priority points apply only to on-time applications; late applications receive no points and go to the end of the waitlist. Applying on time preserves the points rule while you continue private applications. Learn how points work in the magnet points guide.

LAUSD says declines are final, and no response by the deadline counts as a decline. Selected applicants can accept only one Choices placement, and accepting one does not affect waitlist status for other programs. Review LAUSD programs alongside private schools.

What should we do next?

Submit your LAUSD Choices application by November 6, 2026, then continue each private school's process on its own schedule.

Reviewed October 2026. LAUSD dates and rules are from the 2027–28 Choices brochure. Private application deadlines and decision dates are verified from school-published sources and listed at /deadlines/.