west ada school district - schools of choice

West Ada School District has schools that provide alternate and specialized environments to which parents can choose to apply. These schools have processes required to attend outside of regular student registration.

Alternative Schools

To apply to an alternative school, contact the school directly, or visit their webpage for more information:

Online School

Contact the school directly for further information about transferring to Virtual School House.

STEM Academies and Art Schools

Admission to STEM Academies and Art Schools will either be lottery- or audition-based.

  • Barbara Morgan STEM Academy (grades K-5)
  • Elisa Hart Spalding STEM Academy (grades K-5)
  • Galileo STEM Academy (grades K-8)
  • Summerwind STEM Academy (grades K-5)
  • Chief Joseph School of the Arts (grades K-5)
  • Christine Donnell School of the Arts ('22-'23 grades K-6; '23-'24 grades K-5)
  • Pioneer School of the Arts (grades K-5)
  • Renaissance High School (grades 9-12)
  • Idaho Fine Arts Academy (grades 6-12)

General Application Process

To attend one of these schools, applications are required. All applications are online. You are not provided a confirmation email of submittal. The last page on the application is the confirmation. All applications are reviewed and all information submitted is verified. Idaho Fine Arts Academy hosts the audition process in place of lottery draw for placement.

There are two time periods to apply. To be in the lottery or audition for the next school year, applications are due in the month of November. If you missed this time period or would like to apply to another School of Choice, February through November 2024 is the late application period.

Only the applications submitted in November can qualify for the lottery that takes place in December.

IMPORTANT: You can apply to multiple schools. Applicants should be aware they can only be drawn for one lottery. Once an applicant is drawn in a lottery, they are removed from any subsequent lotteries.

The late application period takes place February through November 2024. Through submitting an application in this time period, an application is placed on the late pool list. If and when a seat becomes available, the schools use these lists to fill open seats. No lottery is used for these applications.

LATE APPLICATION:

For more information on Schools of Choice, or to apply, please visit: https://www.westada.org/o/wasd...

If you are interested in attending one of our School of Choice tours, please review the information below for upcoming dates and times: