Cedar Rapids schools’ magnet lottery now open

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Cedar Rapids Community School District’s magnet school lottery is now open, giving families a chance to choose to send their child to a K-12 school with specialized, theme-based learning outside their attendance boundary.

The lottery, which closes Feb. 21, is a computer-generated, random process to select and accept students who live outside of magnet attendance boundaries for the 2025-26 academic year. Students who choose a particular magnet school but already live within its attendance zone do not need to enter the lottery to enroll in that school.

Magnet schools offer theme-based learning — such as science, technology, engineering, arts and math; or leadership and entrepreneurship, for instance. Each year, families can choose a magnet school for their child through the lottery process.

Students outside the district also can apply for a magnet school through the district's open enrollment program.

Priority is given to siblings of students already placed at a magnet school. Siblings who live at the same address and share at least one biological or legal parent are given priority to attend the same magnet school as their sibling if there is space available in their grade level.

Transportation is offered to families whose child or children are attending a school outside of their attendance boundary through the magnet school lottery.

For more information or to apply to the lottery, visit crschools.us/schools/magnet-schools.

There are six magnet schools for students from kindergarten through high school in the Cedar Rapids district. They are:

Jillian Schulte, director of magnet programming for the Cedar Rapids Community School District, said magnet schools offer students an opportunity to explore specialized curriculum and diverse learning environments.

The magnet schools in the Cedar Rapids district are in some of the city’s most diverse neighborhoods, Schulte said. This fosters an environment where students can learn from each other by bringing together students from different backgrounds.

‘It’s so active’

Students at Johnson STEAM Academy, in one example of a magnet school, have opportunities to explore arts and culture.

In the fall, fourth-graders in the school got a behind-the-scenes tour of Theatre Cedar Rapids’ production of “Beauty and the Beast,” for example. Afterward, they got to see the show, said Sarah Jones, Johnson magnet coordinator.

Other elementary schools in the Cedar Rapids district are able to attend Theatre Cedar Rapids’ shows on a rotation basis, Jones said. But because of Johnson’s focus on the arts, students get to go annually.

Currently, another partnership because of Johnson’s STEAM theme is West Liberty’s Eulenspiegel Puppet Theatre's residency at the school.

These opportunities and more are being built in part by the school’s new arts integration consultant Christina Farrell, Jones said. Farrell also is working with Johnson teachers to develop their capacity to bring arts into their regular lesson plans.

When second-graders studied the War of 1812, Farrell worked with teachers to make it relevant to Johnson’s arts theme. Students contextualized their learning by talking about portraits of historical figures during that time to learn about symbolism. They created self-portraits and compared them with the historical figures, Jones said.

“Engagement with the arts always is so high because they’re doing and making and feeling and bringing themselves into the learning. That’s where I can tell they’re hooked. It’s so active,” Jones said.

‘Wonderful experience for our kids’

At another of the district’s magnet schools, Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy, Principal Jason Martinez is proud of the leadership opportunities students are given.

Students can access business and leadership classes like financial literacy, global economy, marketing, branding, business etiquette, graphic design and time management, Martinez said. “All those future ready 21st century skills you need in today’s workforce,” he said.

The school partners with local businesses including United Fire Group, Corda Credit Union and Van Meter where students get to interact with professionals and tour businesses.

Martinez — who previously served as principal of McKinley STEAM Academy — said he “celebrates” the diversity of students at Cedar Rapids magnet schools.

Roosevelt in particular is “probably the most diverse building in the district. That’s something we really celebrate that’s a wonderful experience for our kids,” Martinez said.

All Cedar Rapids district magnet schools will host family visits before the lottery ends.

To learn more about how to tour a magnet school, visit crschools.us/schools/magnet-schools/magnet-school-visits

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