3 Extra Lottery Choices? A Look at the CMS School Performance Priority

CMS School Performance Priority (SPP) is a school-choice provision in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools that gives eligible students additional school options when their home schools have been designated low performing by the state for three consecutive years. Those students may apply to up to three designated neighborhood schools in addition to their usual three lottery choices.

That could mean as many as six choices for your family, including neighborhood schools you might not otherwise be able to choose through the lottery. Before submitting your 2027–28 application, it’s worth understanding whether your child may qualify and which additional schools CMS makes available.

Who Qualifies for CMS School Performance Priority?

CMS Board policy S-APSL (opens in a new tab) describes the priority as “available for students attending home schools designated by the state as low performing for three consecutive years.” This is one important way that CMS realizes its goal of providing families with options when their home school is not meeting state performance standards.

Eligibility is based on your “home school,” which is the school assigned to your address (also called your zoned school). Each year, CMS identifies home schools that have been designated low performing by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) for three consecutive years. If your child is assigned to one of those schools, your family qualifies for additional lottery options through SPP per board policy.

What Has CMS Said About 2027–28?

At the time of writing, an SPP list for the 2027–28 school year has not been publicly shared. When I contacted CMS on October 12, 2026, to ask whether the list was available, they said:

“Families of students assigned to [SPP] schools will receive information about the additional lottery options available to them as part of the School Choice process. Information regarding the 2027-2028 lottery, including eligibility and available options, will also be provided when the application window opens.”

So, families should look for details in the CMS Family Dashboard when lottery applications open and in information shared directly by CMS. I’ll update this article when CMS publishes its 2027–28 SPP list.

Which Schools Could Qualify for SPP in 2027–28?

Only CMS can confirm the SPP schools for 2027–28 and their alternative home-school options. However, the three-consecutive-year criterion in CMS policy gives us a starting point for identifying schools that may be included. The table below identifies 11 CMS schools that NCDPI marked low performing (opens in a new tab) in each of the past three years.

IMPORTANT: This is NOT CMS’s confirmed 2027–28 SPP list. It is a list of schools that appear to meet the board's criterion for SPP based on data from NCDPI that RYSE analyzed.

CMS did share a 2026–27 SPP list (opens in a new tab). It included 20 SPP schools and at least one alternative home school option for each. Eleven of last year’s SPP schools are no longer identified as low performing for 2025–26, which is encouraging in terms of those schools’ progress.

How Do the Extra Lottery Choices Work?

The regular CMS lottery allows up to three magnet school choices. Students who qualify for SPP may also apply to up to three designated home-school alternatives. CMS selects those additional home schools based on available seats and geographic proximity to the student’s residence. Seats in alternative home schools are not guaranteed and are based on the number of seats available and the lottery.

Last year, 17 of the 20 SPP schools had just one designated home-school alternative. Based on families’ experiences in the past, it seems that SPP-eligible families have been able to choose their designated SPP home-school alternative as one of six options and use the other five for magnet schools. However, this is not something that has been clarified in writing from CMS. Review your available options in the CMS Family Dashboard when lottery applications open. See RYSE’s CMS Magnet Lottery Key Dates page (opens in a new tab) for the application window and other deadlines. Contact CMS directly with any questions.

What About Transportation and Staying Enrolled in the School?

Students placed in a designated home school through SPP receive CMS transportation, even if the school is outside of one’s transportation zone. The policy also provides continuation through the last grade of their school level and into the designated next school or continuation program. So, students are allowed to remain in the new school’s feeder pattern through 12th grade, with transportation. (Note: A feeder pattern is the sequence of schools students generally attend as they move from one school level to the next.)

It is important to know that moving outside the original home-school attendance area where you lived when you received the SPP assignment can change your SPP eligibility and impact the continuation and transportation guarantees. Check with CMS if you plan to move.

What Should You Do Now?

• Check to see if your child’s home school appears in the table above.
• If your home school appears on the list above, sign in to the CMS Family Dashboard (opens in a new tab) and look for any additional school options available to your child.
• If the number of choices does not match what you expect, contact CMS to confirm eligibility and check that your child’s assignment information is correct.
• If you have one or more home-school alternatives available through the SPP provision, consider how those options line up with your family’s priorities. Determine whether you want to rank them as one of your six lottery choices and how that may impact the order of your choices.
• For updates, sign up for the RYSE newsletter (opens in a new tab) or follow RYSE on Instagram (opens in a new tab), Facebook (opens in a new tab) or LinkedIn (opens in a new tab). Want a second set of eyes? Book a free 15-minute chat with me (opens in a new tab), or explore student growth at CMS schools in RYSE (opens in a new tab).

Quick Answers

Does SPP Guarantee My Child a Seat at Another School?

No. It allows eligible students to apply for additional designated schools. Offers depend on available seats and the lottery.

Will CMS Provide a Bus?

Yes, for students placed through SPP. The policy provides transportation, with exceptions if a family later moves outside its original home-school attendance area.

What If My Home School Is Not on the SPP List?

You can still apply through the regular CMS lottery, subject to the eligibility requirements of the programs you choose.

When Is the 2027–28 CMS Lottery?

See RYSE’s CMS Magnet Lottery Key Dates page (opens in a new tab) for the application window and other deadlines, with links to official CMS information.

Sources

CMS Board Policy S-APSL (opens in a new tab); CMS Student Assignment Plan (S-ASGP) (opens in a new tab); CMS 2026–27 SPP List (opens in a new tab); NCDPI 2025–26 State Designations (opens in a new tab); CMS School Choice Key Dates (opens in a new tab); NCDPI Low-Performing School Definition (opens in a new tab).