Admission Procedures

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Applicants must show proof of primary residence within AISD boundaries by the application due date. 

  •  Students not currently enrolled in Austin ISD schools must provide a lease, deed, or proof of home purchase showing a primary residence within the Austin ISD boundaries. This proof must be included with the application materials.
  • Primary residence within AISD boundaries must be maintained in order to remain in the program.

Who is Eligible? 

  • Students currently in grades 5 and 6 residing within AISD boundaries are eligible to apply. Due to high volume, we are unfortunately unable to accept any new current grade 7 applicants.

Applicants must show proof of primary residence within AISD boundaries by the application due date.

  • Primary residence within AISD boundaries must be maintained in order to remain in the program. If a student moves out of AISD while attending the program, he/she will be allowed to finish the semester in the program. The principal or director may request proof of residence at any time. Primary residence, in accordance with board policy, "requires living in the district and having the present intention to remain there."
  • Any false statements provided on a student's application regarding primary residency may result in permanent denial of this and future Kealing magnet applications and/or revocation of Kealing magnet transfer.


How are Admissions Decisions Made?

Our desire is to serve students from every part of Austin ISD. As a result, we made a few adjustments to our admissions practices in 2017. Acceptance into the Kealing Magnet Program will be comprised of two halves. 50% of acceptances will be based purely on the top ranking of total rubric scores. The other 50% of the seats will be proportionally divided by AISD Middle School feeder patterns to students who meet the requisite rubric score. A visual representation can be found below:

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Application Scoring Rubric

  1. 10 Pts: STAAR Assessments (average of math and reading scores) 
  2. 10 Pts: School Performance (average of grades and teacher recommendation scores)
  3. 10 Pts: Video Presentation (double scored using rubric)
  4. 10 Pts: Essay Admissions Test (double scored using rubric)

Additional Notes for Reference

  • Applicants who don't have STAAR scores can submit alternate standardized test scores such as MAP or ITBS.
  • All accepted students are automatically provided a curriculum transfer, if they are not currently zoned for Kealing Middle School. A separate transfer form is not necessary.
  • Acceptance into this program will supersede any other transfer.
  • If a student receives Special Education services, there may be a review by the Special Education Department to ensure that the student’s needs can be met at this campus. Final acceptance is contingent upon this review. 
  • FDA Regulation: https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/1146?filename=FDA(REGULATION).pdf