"Magnet" criteria

[Maude]

What makes a "magnet school" a magnet school? What criteria has to be met for a school to be designated as "magnet"? I hear the term a lot, but I have never really heard a specific definition.

[JenK]

Magnet schools draw from all over the city to provide a more diverse student population & give students options outside of their neighborhood schools. It's a pure lottery system with a percentage going to "proximity" (1.5 miles from the school) and a percentage to the rest of the city --- all after siblings are admitted. Magnet schools usually have a focus like technology or arts that is incorporated into the entire curriculum.

Magnet doesn't automatically mean it's a 'great' school. Some are, some aren't. Do the same research you would do with neighborhood schools.

[Chicago Mama]

There are also magnet clusters, although these are just neighborhood schools with a differentiation or focus on a certain area.