JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Starting Monday, December 1, families in Duval County can take advantage of a unique lottery window that enables students to attend a neighborhood school different from their assigned one.

The district emphasizes that this period offers the best opportunity for students to secure a spot at their school of choice for the 2026–2027 academic year. To identify a child’s current assigned school, parents can utilize the DCPS School Locator dashboard.

It’s important to note that families approved for this transfer option must arrange their own transportation to and from the school.

Applications are open to both residents and non-residents of Duval County, with submissions being accepted until January’s end.

Seats are filled on a lottery basis, with families expected to receive result notifications no later than mid-March. Those who don’t get a seat will be added to the school’s waitlist.

More parents within Duval County may opt for the School Choice program due to proposed consolidations and boundary changes that are expected to shuffle students around. 

The school board is set to vote Monday night on whether to consolidate four different schools before the 2026 – 2027 school year.

• Anchor Academy into Mayport Elementary
• Long Branch Elementary into R.L. Brown Academy

The board will also consider changing the boundaries for six separate high schools for the 2027 – 2028 school year, including Atlantic Coast and Terry Parker.

Applications for this Special Transfer Option can only be filled out online through the family portal and must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 31. 

Families of students who would be new to the district need to complete a new student application and create a linked parent account.

For those who do not apply during the lottery window, a similar controlled open enrollment period opens up multiple times each school year.