Manor Independent School District Schools of Choice Lottery

Frequently Asked Questions

The Online Application Process 

Q. How long does it take to complete the online application process?
Typically, filling out the application should take roughly 10 minutes. Collecting the required documents and submission material could take a matter of days.

Q. What do I need to do for my child's application to be eligible.

After completing an application, Manor ISD will have a further requirement that applicants must meet for their application to be marked as eligible. The parent or guardian of each applicant is responsible for providing the items necessary for the application to be processed.

Admissions are based on an equal value consideration of:

Early College High School

• Submitting the online application by the posted deadline
• Attending an online (via Zoom) interview orientation (15 minutes) to discuss why the scholar wants to attend the Manor Early College program. Scholars need to schedule their interview with Dr. Sadikova. Out of district applicants will need to email Manor Early College principal, Dr. Alime Sadikova at alime.sadikova@manorisd.net 
• Immediately following the interview, scholars will stay online with a proctor for one hour to write an essay (via Zoom) and submit it via Google docs. The essay topic and  Google link will be provided at the interview process.

New Tech Programs 

• Out of district transfers will still need to comply with board policy regarding the transfer process

Q. What if I do not have access to a computer? 

Computers and/or iPads will be available at the front desk of each campus for parents to use to fill out an application. 

Q. Is there another way of submitting an application other than online?

Please contact the program that you are interested in applying for to obtain additional support.

Q. Once I've submitted the application electronically, how will I know that the submission is successful?
Once the application is completed online and the required submission materials are submitted, you will receive a generated message based on the email address you provided when you created an account.  

Q. Should I allow anyone else to use my account?
It is the user's responsibility to protect the integrity of any information entered in the system. This includes but is not limited to passwords or personal information about you or your child. You must also agree not to share your login information or password with anyone except a parent or legal guardian.

Q. My account has been disabled because I've attempted to login too many times. Should I set up another account?
No. You must call the office of the campus you're applying for an administrator to assist you.

Q. Are students selected based on a first-come, first serve process?
All eligible applications submitted by the application deadline with the required materials will be entered into the lottery. Students are selected based on pre-defined Board-approved criteria (if applicable) such as: sibling and staff priorities.

• Children of board members or Manor ISD employees

• Siblings of students who attend the school to which the student is applying

• For New Tech High, preference will be given to the current 8th-grade students attending Manor New Tech Middle School and Decker Middle School

• For New Tech Middle School, preference will be given to current 5th-grade students attending Blake Manor, Lagos Elementary School, Pioneer Crossing Elementary School, or ShadowGlen Elementary

All preferences are dependent on applications being submitted before the Jan. 30 deadline.

Q. How is the lottery conducted?
An external consultant conducts the lottery for each application period using Board-approved criteria.

Q. When will parents be notified if they are selected to participate in a program?
Parents will receive notification by email if their child has been selected once the lottery has been completed. Please make sure you have a valid e-mail address tied to your account.

Q. What if my child is not selected for the initial lottery process?
Once the initial emails have been sent to those students who are accepted, parents must accept or decline the seat. Once vacancies become available, students in the waiting pool will be offered seats using the selection process.

Q. Can I submit an application after the January 30th deadline?
Yes. However, no priorities (i.e. sibling attending, current staff member, current board member, or graduating classes) will be applied to late applications (New Tech programs), and students will be placed at the end of the wait list in the order in which their applications are received.

Q. If I live outside of the district boundaries, will I need to fill out a transfer form for my child(ren)?
Yes. Out-of-district students who receive a seat from the lottery still need to submit transfer paperwork to Manor ISD as per the board’s intradistrict transfer policy. Email communication will be sent via the SmartChoice lottery platform to these families with more information on the transfer process.​

More information about the transfer process can be found on the Transfers page of our website.