High School Specialty Program Application

High School Specialty Programs

Overview

Thank you for your interest in Sacramento City Unified School District¡¯s high school specialty programs. Our high school specialty programs offer students the opportunity to dive deeper into an area of interest that may support a future career pathway. These free public education programs give students a chance to learn about industries outside of standard core subjects, like culinary arts, digital media, criminal justice, construction and more.

The High School Specialty Program application window is now closed. It was open Monday, November 4 at 8:00am ¨C Friday, November 22 at 5:00pm.

Step 1: Learn about the programs

Step 2: Apply online

Students who live within our district boundaries can apply to high school specialty programs from November 4, 2024 at 8:00am, through November 22, 2024 at 5:00pm. Learn how to apply. 

Students who live outside the ÈËÆÞÂÒÂ× boundaries can apply through the inter-district permit transfer process from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm. 

Out-of-district applicants who meet the program requirements will be accepted after qualified in-district applicants per California Education Code.

Step 3: Currently enrolled ÈËÆÞÂÒÂ× students ¨C Eligibility Requirement

If your student is currently enrolled in ÈËÆÞÂÒÂ×, a primary household guardian must complete the Annual Update through the  by November 22, 2024, at 5:00pm to be eligible for the lottery.

View directions on how to complete the Annual Update form. If the parent/guardian does not have an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, please request an activation key from your student¡¯s current school office to . Once you have an active Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, follow the steps to complete the Annual Update form.

Step 4: Additional program requirements

Only the following programs have additional requirements: 

C.K. McClatchy HISP

Students applying to the C.K. McClatchy HISP will answer survey questions as part of the application. These questions are designed to help prospective students review the HISP Program and affirm their commitment to eleven statements reflecting the program¡¯s expectations. Additionally, applicants will submit a writing sample that will not be scored; instead, it will help HISP teachers understand the cohort¡¯s baseline writing skills.

C.K. McClatchy VAPA Programs

Students applying to one of the four C.K. McClatchy VAPA specialty programs will answer survey questions as part of the application.

In addition, a portfolio, video, or audition must be submitted to the C.K. McClatchy VAPA program by November 22, 2024, at 5:00pm. Instructions on each specialty program submission requirements can be found at .

West Campus Program

ÈËÆÞÂÒÂ× students that apply to West Campus will not need to complete any additional exams. West Campus will be using the PSAT 8/9 scores taken at school in October for ÈËÆÞÂÒÂ× 8th Graders in lieu of extra assessments. 

All other students who apply to West Campus can register to take the PSAT during a make-up session on Saturday, December 7, 2024. Registration for this session will be available through the online application. 

Step 5: Receive a lottery notification & new student registration

Lottery notifications will be sent to families on January 13, 2025.  Families will receive the notification based on what preferences (email, text message or both) were selected when registering. Families can log into their  at anytime to see status of their application(s). 

New Students to the District ¨C Acceptance Requirement

If offered placement in a specialty program, new students to the district* must accept the offer on SchoolMint AND submit a complete registration form, using the link provided in the offer notification. Families will need to provide photo identification, address verification, proof of birth documentation, and immunization records with the registration form.

Please note that applicants will be automatically removed from the specialty program acceptance list if they do not submit a complete registration form by the offer deadline.

Support

Please contact Becky Petrie at becky-petrie@scusd.edu with questions about your student¡¯s application.