The Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD) will open its application window for high school specialty programs on Monday, November 3 at 8:00 a.m. The period to apply runs through Friday, November 21 at 5:00 p.m. This process allows students to apply for enrollment in specialty programs for the 2026-2027 academic year, depending on space availability.
Families are encouraged by SCUSD to attend information sessions and campus tours to learn more about the available programs. These events provide opportunities to meet faculty and current students involved in the specialty offerings.
To assist families in making informed decisions, SCUSD offers the SchoolFinder tool. This online resource helps users explore different specialty programs across the district’s schools. The tool allows filtering by various criteria and provides details about each school’s academic pathways, advanced placement classes, extracurricular activities, and athletics. Users can also create profiles to save their preferred schools for future reference.
SCUSD offers a total of 36 specialty programs at both neighborhood and specialized high schools. Programs include health care and medical science education at Arthur Benjamin Health Professions High School; Air Force Jr. ROTC, Criminal Justice Academy, Humanities & International Studies Program (HISP), Law & Public Policy Academy, Dance VAPA Program, Music VAPA Program, Theater VAPA Program, and Visual Art VAPA Program at C.K. McClatchy High School; as well as similar academies in other district schools such as Hiram Johnson High School and John F. Kennedy High School.
Other options include project-based learning at New Technology Early College High School; individualized learning with internships at The Met Sacramento; science and engineering-focused pathways at the School of Engineering and Sciences; culinary arts and media programs at Rosemont High School; IB Middle Years Programme and IB Diploma Programme at Umoja International Academy; and college preparatory tracks at West Campus High School.
For more information about how to apply or details about specific programs offered within SCUSD’s high schools, families are directed to visit the district’s High School Specialty Program webpage.
“Apply to a first and second choice program Monday, November 3 at 8:00am and will run through Friday, November 21 at 5:00pm. Choose your selections carefully and apply anytime during the application window; no priority is given to early applicants, so you have some time to think about it,” according to SCUSD.
