Waitlist Information

Waitlist Notification and Information

Every application year, we have more families applying to a RSCO School Choice school/program than we have available seats. The families that do not receive a placement offer are sent a notice to inform them that their child’s application is on the waitlist for the schools and programs they selected on their application. Families that receive a waitlist notification for the 2023-24 school year still have an opportunity to be placed at one of their school choices. The placement process begins in April and continues throughout the spring and summer months as seats become available.

Things You Need to Know!

1. Does a waitlist notification mean that my application was denied? No, the application was not denied. Your application remains in the applicant pool until September 30, 2023 for the 2023-24 school year. As seats become available, RSCO sends out placement notifications to applicants on the waitlist.

2. How can I find out when placement offers for the technical high schools and other programs (magnets, Open Choice) are sent? You may visit our announcements page regularly for updates. We will be notifying families through email and text messages of new placement offers during the spring and summer months, through September 30, 2023.

3. Can I remove or add a school/program to my application? Yes, RSCO has a new process that allows families to add schools and program to their application using information about the likelihood of receiving an offer based on the size of the waitlist for a school. Applicants may also remove schools from their original application and/or change their choice order for their school selections.

4. Who is eligible to add or remove schools or programs? In general, applicants who did not receive a placement offer are eligible to add new schools to their applications.

There are two exceptions:

a.) Applicants who receive and decline a CTECS offer are eligible to add magnet schools and Open Choice districts to their application.

b.) Hartford residents who decline their first Open Choice offer are eligible to add additional Open Choice districts to their application.

5. How many schools or programs can I add or remove, and can I change my choice order? Families with students on the waitlist are now able to add schools and programs to their application(s), as well as adjust their choice order, using information about the likelihood of receiving an offer to help guide their selections.

Depending upon eligibility, families will be able to:

add up to five (5) additional magnet schools,
add up to five (5) additional Open Choice districts/schools,
add the Hartford Regional Technical High schools as a region for those students applying to grade 9,
remove schools and programs from the student's application, or
change the choice order of the original school selections.

6. What are my chances of getting an offer if I add or remove schools to my child's application? To make an informed decision, a colored waitlist indicator will display on the student's application of original school selections and on the school directory to describe the size of the waitlist at each school.

Small (green) indicator means a good chance of an offer if seats are available.
Medium (yellow) indicator means an offer is unlikely in the next round of placements.
Large (red) indicator means a placement is unlikely.

Note: There are no set numbers of small, medium, or large waitlists. The cut-off can vary by grade and the number of available seats. In general, the waitlist indicator provides information on the likelihood of receiving an offer if seats become available.

This information will updated on a real time basis, so families know the size of the waitlist at any given time.
Choosing schools with a small waitlist increases your likelihood of a placement!
Families will be able to indicate their order preference for their school/district selection per program type (magnet schools, Open Choice, CTECS).
Based on the choice order, the system will attempt to place students in the families' preferred schools or districts first before moving to the other

7. How do I add schools/programs to my child's application?

Log-in to your RSCO Account
Go to Your Dashboard and download your notification letter from the Documents section under Tools for instructions about the waitlist
Go to view details on your child's student card
Go to view details on your child's magnet or Open Choice or CTECS application card
Once on the application page, you may
- select "Browse & Add School to Application" and add schools to your application from the school directory
- use the arrows on the application to change the choice order of your school selections. Remember to SAVE when you are done
- remove schools from your application

For step-by-step instructions, watch our video on how to navigate the new Waitlist process:

Important Note: Be sure to monitor your RSCO account often for updates. It is important to keep in mind that indicators can change over time. As offers are made or people remove themselves from the waitlist, the applicant pool could get smaller. A medium waitlist can turn to small, and a large waitlist can become a medium.

8. How long am I on the waitlist? Your child’s application will remain on the waitlist for all the program types (magnet, Open Choice, technical high schools) that you selected until September 30, 2023, unless you receive a placement offer.

9. Do you have a different question or are you looking for something and could not find it? We are here to help you. Contact us in the way that works best for you: