Recent hurricanes have impacted school attendance dates, and families may be wondering about other changes to the district calendar, such as when to apply to Hillsborough County Public Schools’ (HCPS) magnet and choice programs for the 2025-26 school year.
According to an email statement from district officials, “The only change is the Magnet Window is now revised due to the hurricane. The window now is November 11 to December 31.”
The district’s magnet schools emphasize distinct subject themes ranging from science and technology to performing and visual arts with classes that can teach technical skills such as robotics or develop a student’s talent as a dancer.
One feature of the school district’s magnet programs is that school attendance is not determined by where a student lives. Hillsborough County families can apply to magnet programs anywhere in the school district. Bus transportation is provided for most magnet school choices, based on the student’s address. Students using district transportation are picked up by buses in their neighborhoods and driven to local magnet transportation hubs, or ‘magnet ramps,’ that provide supervised transfer of students to buses that will take them to schools that each hub services.
School choice options include attendance based on student interests, location or hardship situations.
For students who like to learn virtually, one popular choice is the option to learn online via Hillsborough Virtual K-12 (HVK12). Access to course content and teachers is provided remotely, which offers convenience to students and their families in scheduling educational instruction.
A real-world education is available through the school district’s career and technical education (CTE) program that provides hands-on skill development and education for various technical careers in fields such as health care and data management. Students may follow up on their CTE experience with college education, internships, skill certification, apprenticeships or employment opportunities.
Families can apply for Hillsborough County magnet and school choice options during open enrollment periods. According to the HCPS website, elementary and middle magnet, school choice and CTE applications are subject to a computer lottery to choose applicants, except CTE middle schools and all magnet high schools, which base acceptance on student academic scores.
You can learn more about educational options available through HCPS by visiting www.hillsboroughschools.org or calling 813-272-4692.
