San Dieguito holds lottery for next year

By: BEN FRUMIN - Staff Writer | Wednesday, January 19, 2005 12:51 AM PST ∞

ENCINITAS ---- While many had excellent odds of getting to attend their public high school of choice this fall, about 165 students will be getting bad news in the mail this weekend. They were the unlucky ones in a lottery Tuesday at San Dieguito Academy in Encinitas, where Principal Don Rizzi spent 90 minutes randomly selecting the names of new students who will be invited to attend his school next year.

San Dieguito Academy is a "school of choice," meaning any high schooler in the 12,000-student San Dieguito Union High School District can apply to attend. The academy has become a popular option since its inception in 1996 ---- largely because of its relatively small student body, relaxed atmosphere and flexible schedule ---- and usually has to turn hundreds of students away.

This was the sixth year running that school administrators held a lottery to determine enrollment at the Encinitas campus.

High school students that don't get into their school of choice go to the traditional high school ---- La Costa Canyon in Carlsbad or Torrey Pines in Carmel Valley ---- that serves their neighborhood. The district opened a second school of choice, Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley, last August that will not have a lottery.

Officials have set a 1,475-student enrollment goal for San Dieguito Academy in the 2005-06 school year, and hope for about 375 students in each grade level. Almost all of this year's freshmen, sophomores and juniors applied to be automatically reinstated next year, and any of their siblings interested in attending the academy are also automatically accepted.

"The spirit of the law in allowing siblings is to not break up families," Rizzi said.

More than 1,100 students applied to return next year, along with 99 siblings, leaving 627 students hoping for the 426 remaining seats that were decided by lottery. The academy accepts about 200 more students than it plans on enrolling, based on an annual attrition average of 219 students, Rizzi said.

Starting with the 11th grade ---- where 26 of 67 applicants were selected ---- Rizzi drew each card and announced the name on it, while two school employees recorded the order in which they were drawn. After the first 26, the remaining cards were drawn and recorded in the order they'll appear on the waiting list.

All 36 applicants to the 12th grade were accepted. Ten of 78 sophomores were selected, and 390 of 446 freshmen made the cut. All others will be placed on a waiting list.

Parents will be mailed the results of the lottery Friday.

Along with the three school employees conducting the lottery, the selection process was viewed by two parents and a reporter, and videotaped by the school's multimedia technician. The video will be kept in the school's office with those of past lotteries, and is available for people to view if they are concerned with the lottery's fairness.

The lottery has been a point of contention with some residents. In 1999, a group of 10 parents unsuccessfully sued the district, alleging that the lottery system was "arbitrary and capricious." Superior Court Judge David Moon ruled that San Dieguito had acted lawfully and fairly.

At the award-winning district's other school of choice, Canyon Crest Academy, every student who applied to attend the $97 million high school next year was accepted.

Canyon Crest still has room for about 100 more freshman and about 100 more sophomores, who will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis, Registrar Patti Gaul said.

Gaul said she expects Canyon Crest to hit its 2005-06 enrollment goal of 1,000 students ---- 500 freshman and 500 sophomores ---- this spring.

The school, which opened in August, serves 365 freshmen this year, though the annual addition of a freshman class would have the school populated by 1,700 ninth- through 12th-graders by fall 2007.

For information on applying to Canyon Crest, visit www.canyoncrest.cc.

Contact staff writer Ben Frumin at (760) 943-2313 or bfrumin@nctimes.com.

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