The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools student-assignment lottery application will close in on Monday, Feb. 8. The online lottery will be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day through Feb. 7. On Feb. 8, the last day of the lottery-application period, the application will close at 10 p.m.

Only families who wish to apply for a magnet program, or a seat in one of the schools with space available, need to participate in the online process. CMS sent personalized instruction sheets home with all current students during the first week in January. Students who will be new to CMS, and students who are assigned to Title I Choice schools, received the information in the mail. The sheets include student identification and PIN numbers, as well as directions to apply online. The sheets also list a student’s current assignment for the 2010-2011 school year.

The online application form is available in both Spanish and English. CMS will provide free computer access from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Family Application Center (700 Marsh Rd.) and at all learning-community offices. Customer-service representatives are also available by phone from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Feb. 8. The phone number is 980-343-5335. Spanish-speaking representatives are also available.

CMS will offer 11 magnet programs at 41 schools for the 2010-2011 school year. Programs include visual and performing arts, language immersion, International Baccalaureate, leadership and global economics and Montessori. All CMS students are taught the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, but magnet programs also promote students’ special abilities or talents.

Any student may apply to a magnet program. Students must meet eligibility requirements, if any, before enrollment is finalized. Transportation is provided if the magnet school serves the student’s transportation zone or is a countywide program. Click here for more information about magnet programs.