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Principal outlines blind lottery and demographic weighting for Bristol Arts & Innovation Magnet School
Summary
Principal McCabe explained BAS's centralized, blind lottery system (policy 5117.1), sibling priority, overpull strategy to achieve an 88-seat sixth-grade cohort and the district's effort to maintain demographic and geographic representation; the board received data on retention and the automated platform linked to PowerSchool.
Principal McCabe presented the Bristol Arts & Innovation Magnet School (BAS) lottery process to the board, explaining how the district runs a centralized, blind selection to keep admissions equitable and representative.
McCabe emphasized that BAS is not a selective-admissions school and that students are not screened by auditions, portfolios, tests or recommendations. She described the process under policy 5117.1 and explained two operational strategies used this year: a modest overpull in the first round to account for families who decline offers, and reserved seats for Bristol residents not currently enrolled in district schools. "BAS is not a selective admissions school. Students are not screened," McCabe said, describing the safeguards built into the computerized system staff developed in-house.
This year the district pulled 92 names in round one for an 88-seat sixth-grade target (four seats set aside for Bristol residents who attend non-public or magnet programs). McCabe said the school's retention rate is about 96%, reducing the need for repeated lotteries for grades seven and eight. The board also saw a demonstration of a lottery platform integrated with PowerSchool, which generates blind reports and demographic analyses to guide additional weight-list polls when gaps appear.
Board members asked questions about outreach, transparency and how families are notified. McCabe said the district will share materials and the recorded parent information session and that parents can be directed to the BAS website for the lottery platform and guidance.
Next steps: administration will post materials and continue outreach, and the district will use the lottery platform to monitor representation as openings evolve through the summer.
