Milwaukee eighth graders planning to attend a Milwaukee Public Schools high school next fall can begin applying Saturday, Sept. 26, for the 2027-28 school year. The priority enrollment period ends Monday, Nov. 2. MPS will hold an enrollment fair from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 26 at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, 2300 W. Highland Ave., where staff will help families complete the online application and provide computer access. Every eighth grader must submit an application, including students already enrolled at an MPS school that serves grades nine through 12. Students who want to remain at their current school should list it as their first choice. Michael Spidell, MPS enrollment manager, said those students will not compete with applicants from other schools for a place at that school. Families may rank as many as five high schools. MPS recommends reviewing each school’s academic programs, career offerings, extracurricular activities and transportation options before submitting an application. The district’s school search tool and individual school open houses can help families compare options. Listing a school first matters. Schools that receive more applications than they can accommodate use a points-based process that considers seventh-grade grades and attendance, standardized test results and a required writing assessment. Students can earn up to 12 points, with seventh-grade report card results carrying the most weight, followed by attendance. If a school has room for all of its first-choice applicants, it then considers students who ranked it lower, in score order. But at competitive schools, first-choice applicants may fill every seat, leaving no openings for students who listed the school second or later, Spidell said. The application itself takes about 15 minutes. All applicants must also complete a two-hour writing test that includes a short reading section and an essay. MPS eighth graders will take the assessment during class. Students transferring into MPS must complete it independently by Nov. 2. MPS will automatically provide academic and attendance records for students who attended an MPS school in seventh grade. Information for MPS charter students is also shared with the district’s assessment team. Students coming from schools outside MPS must upload their final seventh-grade report card, final attendance report and standardized math and English language arts scores. Students receiving special education services may be evaluated differently depending on their curriculum. Those in an alternative curriculum are assigned a number and selected at random based on available seats at schools that offer appropriate services. Students in a general curriculum are evaluated through the standard process, with schools required to accept a designated share of students with Individualized Education Programs. Families should consult their school’s special education supervisor about available programs. Families who miss the Nov. 2 priority deadline can apply from Feb. 1 through Aug. 1, 2027, but a preferred school is not guaranteed. Students who still lack an MPS high school placement after the annual enrollment period will be assigned to the closest school to their home with available space. Parents who need internet access can get help from school parent coordinators or attend the Sept. 26 enrollment fair. Questions can also be sent to MPS enrollment manager Michael Spidell at spidelmg@milwaukee.k12.wi.us. Several schools will host open houses before the deadline, including: - Lynde and Harry Bradley Technology and Trade School, 5:30-7 p.m. Sept. 29, 700 S. 4th St. - Reagan High School, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 and 4-5:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 4965 S. 20th St. - Alexander Hamilton High School, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 6215 W. Warnimont Ave. - Milwaukee School of Languages, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Sept. 30, 8400 W. Burleigh St. - James Madison Academic Campus, 4-6 p.m. Oct. 1, 8135 W. Florist Ave. - North Division High School, 5-7 p.m. Oct. 1, 1011 W. Center St. - Bay View, Casimir Pulaski and Riverside University high schools, Oct. 6. - The Alliance School of Milwaukee, Harold S. Vincent School of Agricultural Science and Milwaukee High School of the Arts, Oct. 7. - Milwaukee Marshall and Rufus King International high schools, Oct. 7. - Golda Meir High School, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15. - South Division High School, Oct. 14. - MacDowell Montessori School, 5-7 p.m. Oct. 19, 6415 W. Mount Vernon Ave. Families should confirm times, locations and school-specific details through MPS before attending.