TCSI W-NET presents

Stamford School
Information Session

A practical family guide from elementary school through high school.

DateSaturday, August 29, 2026

Time4:00-5:30 p.m.

Event

Session schedule

Teachers from different schools and grade levels, together with high school students from the TCSI Youth Committee, will share practical information for incoming families.

4:00-4:05

Welcome and panel introductions

4:05-4:25

Elementary school information and Q&A

4:25-4:45

Middle school information and Q&A

4:45-5:10

High school information and Q&A

5:10-5:30

Open questions and wrap-up

Elementary school

Choosing a school and starting strong

A magnet school is an option, not a guarantee or a requirement. Compare school culture, theme, transportation, supports, commute, and fit.

Neighborhood and magnet schools

Districted schools enroll students from their attendance areas. Magnet schools use a controlled lottery and offer a theme. Both follow Connecticut academic standards.

Elementary magnet options: Hart, Toquam, Rogers International, Strawberry Hill, and Westover.
Middle-grade magnet options: Rogers, Strawberry Hill, Westover, and Scofield.
High school magnet: AITE, a STEAM-focused interdistrict magnet school.

How the lottery works

Attend information sessions for every school you may rank.
Apply with the child's correct legal name, grade, and address.
Use the elementary/middle/K-8 application or the separate AITE application.
Save confirmations and monitor the application email.
Accept an offer and register by the stated deadlines.

The lottery is not first-come, first-served. Central Office manages the waitlists.

Confirmed 2027-28 magnet timeline

Date	Action
September 15, 2026	2027-28 lottery opens
January 15, 2027 at 4:00 p.m.	All magnet applications due, including AITE
February 16, 2027	Lottery drawing
March 9, 2027	Acceptance due
April 1, 2027	Registration deadline for newly admitted students

Magnet school information sessions

No advance registration is listed as required. Recheck the official SPS page before attending.

School	Date	Time
Toquam Elementary	September 24, 2026	10:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
Westover K-8	October 22, 2026	10:00 a.m. or 6:30 p.m.
Hart Elementary	October 27, 2026	9:15 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
Scofield Middle	November 5, 2026	10:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
AITE High School	November 7, 2026	9:30 a.m.
Strawberry Hill K-8	December 1, 2026	10:00 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
Rogers International K-8	December 2, 2026	9:30 a.m. or 6:00 p.m.
AITE High School	December 10, 2026	6:00 p.m.

Open School Night

Elementary Open School Night: September 24, 2026. This is a group introduction to classroom routines, curriculum, homework, communication, assessments, and arrival/dismissal procedures. Request a separate meeting for private concerns about your child.

Parent-teacher conferences

October 14-16, 2026 and February 10-12, 2027. All are early-release days. Review attendance, grades, and work samples; bring two focused questions; agree on one school action and one home action.

Family communication

ParentSquare is SPS's school-home communication platform. PowerSchool contains grades, attendance, report cards, schedules, bus information, and forms. Keep contact and language-preference information current.

Kindergarten 2027-28

Children must turn five on or before September 1, 2027. Registration will open in March 2027; the exact date was not yet posted. Families need parent ID, proof of age, two proofs of residency, and health records.

Middle school

Attendance, grading, and the high school bridge

Middle school shifts students toward self-advocacy. Consistent attendance, organization, and mastery matter more than chasing every point.

Attendance

Connecticut defines truancy as 4 unexcused absences in 30 days or 10 in a school year. Chronic absence means missing 10% or more of enrolled days for any reason - about 18 days in a 180-day year.

Report absences promptly using the school's required method.
Submit documentation when requested.
Contact the counselor or administrator early when health, disability, transportation, or family issues affect attendance.
Excused absences still mean lost instruction and count toward chronic absence.

Grading

Course and teacher practices may differ. Read each syllabus, understand assessment categories, and check PowerSchool weekly. SPS states grades should be posted at least at the midpoint and end of each quarter.

Ask how late work, retakes, revisions, and missing work are handled.
Open the assignment list instead of looking only at the average.
Published middle-school guidance references homework as no more than 10% of a grade.
The finalized report card is the official record.

High school preparation

SPS uses an Integrated Math sequence: Integrated Math I, II, and III, followed by Precalculus and advanced options. Placement depends on completed courses, mastery, recommendations, assessment data, and the chosen high school program.

Ask what evidence supports the course recommendation.
Confirm whether a middle-school course earns high school credit.
Review prerequisites and realistic alternates with the counselor.
Balance rigor across the entire schedule.

Middle School Open School NightSeptember 15, 2026Fall 2027 Middle School OrientationMay 25, 2027Grade 7 entryAnnual physical required

High school

Build a four-year credit plan

Choose the right level, protect attendance, build relationships with teachers and counselors, and join at least one school community.

College Prep

College- and career-preparatory level. Mastery in the appropriate level is more valuable than overload.

Honors

Faster, deeper, and more independent. Consider prerequisites and the total workload.

Advanced Placement

College-level course aligned to a May exam. College credit depends on the institution and exam score.

ECE / CT State

Dual-enrollment or partnership courses that may create a college transcript. Confirm transfer policies.

IB MYP / IBDP

Stamford High programs: MYP in grades 9-10 and the Diploma Programme in grades 11-12.

High Honors

An honor-roll category, not a course level. It is different from taking an Honors class.

Graduation: at least 25 academic credits

In this school context, “credits” means academic credits - not a financial credit score.

9 HumanitiesEnglish 4; Social Studies 3 including 0.5 Civics; Arts 1; subject elective 1 including 0.5 Financial Literacy

9 STEMMathematics 3; Science 3; STEM subject electives 3

2 WellnessPhysical Education 1; Health and Safety 1

1 World LanguageMinimum required credit

4 General ElectivesCourses selected within the four-year plan

Grade 10: 6 creditsGrade 11: 12 creditsGrade 12: 17 credits

GPA and honor roll

Unweighted GPA: cumulative final grades in grades 9-12 on a 4.0 scale, with stated exclusions.
Weighted GPA/rank: SPS currently states +0.05 for Honors and +0.07 for AP, ECE, CT State/NCC, and IBDP courses.
Honors with Distinction: straight A's.
High Honors: all A's except one B.
Honors: all A's/B's except one C.

AP and course selection

There is no single districtwide “AP application date.” Students request AP courses during school course selection and must meet prerequisites or recommendations.

Exact 2027-28 school course-selection dates were not posted; watch February-March 2027 messages.
AP exam registration is a separate fall process managed by each school.
2027 AP exams: May 3-7 and May 10-14.
Selected digital portfolio deadlines: April 30, 2027; AP Art and Design: May 7.

Programs beyond the regular curriculum

AITEInterdistrict STEAM magnet; incoming grades 9-11. Deadline January 15, 2027 at 4 p.m.

IB MYP and Diploma ProgrammeStamford High; MYP grades 9-10 and IBDP grades 11-12.

Early College StudiesStamford High with CT State Norwalk; application generally begins in grade 8.

Academy of FinanceWesthill; grade 8 entry for out-of-zone students or grade 9 for zoned students.

Regional AgriscienceWesthill; interdistrict application and interview.

High School of BusinessStamford High; application/interview during grade 9.

JROTCWesthill intradistrict program.

Career pathwaysPre-apprenticeship, Cooperative Work Education, internships, Seal of Biliteracy, and college-credit options.

Most 2027-28 intradistrict program deadlines were not yet posted. Do not reuse prior-year dates; follow current counseling messages.

Electives and clubs

Choose electives that build an interest or fulfill a graduation area, and list realistic alternates. Club examples include debate, robotics, programming, Girls Who Code, environmental club, Model UN, medical careers, FBLA, service, music, theater, publications, cultural groups, esports, intramurals, and athletics.

Freshman success

Learn the A/B schedule and use a planner.
Ask for help before a grade becomes a crisis.
Meet the counselor and understand the four-year plan.
Join one meaningful activity and participate consistently.
Protect sleep, attendance, and academic honesty.
Save program and course-request confirmations.

College readiness testing

SAT and PSAT dates for 2026-27

Weekend SAT registration is handled by families. In-school SAT and PSAT registration is handled by the school or district.

Saturday SAT dates and registration deadlines

SAT date	Regular registration deadline	Late/change deadline
August 22, 2026	August 7	August 11
September 12, 2026	August 28	September 1
October 3, 2026	September 18	September 22
November 7, 2026	October 23	October 27
December 5, 2026	November 20	November 24
March 6, 2027	February 19	February 23
May 1, 2027	April 16	April 20
June 5, 2027	May 21	May 25

Important: U.S. deadlines expire at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Students who need a College Board device must request one at least 30 days before test day. Start accommodation requests early through the school counselor or SSD coordinator.

PSAT/NMSQT - fall 2026

Official national testing window: October 1-30, 2026. Stamford Public Schools states that the PSAT/NMSQT is offered free during the school day to all sophomores and juniors in October.

It is a digital assessment similar to the SAT and provides practice plus diagnostic information.
For eligible juniors, it is the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program.
Sophomores may take it for practice, but sophomore scores do not qualify for National Merit.
Families do not register separately for an SPS school-day administration.

PSAT 8/9 and PSAT 10

PSAT 8/9 fall window: October 1-30, 2026. It establishes a baseline for students in grades 8 and 9 when administered by the school.
PSAT 10 spring window: March 1-April 30, 2027. It is designed for grade 10 and is identical in content to the PSAT/NMSQT.
Neither PSAT 8/9 nor PSAT 10 is used for National Merit qualification.
The school decides whether and when to administer these assessments within the national window.

SPS had not posted its exact 2026 PSAT date as of August 27. Watch school and counseling messages for the assigned day.

Fall score releaseDepending on submission date, student scores are scheduled for October 22, November 5, or November 12, 2026.SAT School DayAll Connecticut grade 11 students test during March 1-April 30, 2027; SPS will announce its exact day.

Calendar

2026-27 master date guide

June graduation, early-release, and last-day dates are tentative. Weather cancellations may extend the school year.

Date	SPS district event
August 24, 2026	Orientation for grades K, 6, and 9
August 25	First day for all students
September 7	Labor Day - no school
September 15	Middle School Open School Night
September 17	High School Open School Night
September 21	Yom Kippur - no school
September 23	Early release for students; staff professional development
September 24	Elementary School Open School Night
October 12	Columbus Day - no school
October 14-16	Early release - K-12 parent-teacher conferences
October 28	Early release for students; staff professional development
November 3	Election Day - no school for students
November 11	Veterans Day - no school
November 25	Early release for all
November 26-27	Thanksgiving holiday - no school
December 23	Early release for all
December 24-January 1	Winter break - no school
January 18, 2027	Martin Luther King Jr. Day - no school
January 27	Early release for students; staff professional development
February 10-12	Early release - K-12 parent-teacher conferences
February 15	Presidents' Day - no school
February 16-19	Mid-winter break - no school
March 10	Eid al-Fitr - no school
March 24	Early release for students; staff professional development
March 26	Good Friday - no school
April 12-16	Spring break - no school
April 28	Early release; Play & Learn Night for fall 2027 kindergarteners
May 25	Middle School Orientation for fall 2027
May 26	Early release for students; staff professional development
May 31	Memorial Day - no school
June 9-10	Tentative early release for students
June 10	Tentative high school graduation
June 11	Tentative last day; early release for all
June 18	Juneteenth observed - offices closed

Help and official sources

Where families can verify information

Always recheck an official page before submitting an application or registering for an exam. Dates can be updated after this guide is published.

General SPS203-977-4105

888 Washington Boulevard, Stamford

Welcome Center203-977-5312

OFCE@stamfordps.org
11 W. North Street at Cloonan

Magnet lottery203-977-4198

Cristina Alfano, SPS Teaching & Learning

Course placementSchool counselor

Contact the student's assigned counselor.

SPS 2026-27 district calendar Magnet school information Magnet information sessions Magnet lottery dates and deadlines Student registration Kindergarten information PowerSchool parent portal School counseling services SHS/WHS Program of Studies AITE Program of Studies High school credit requirements High school grading system Intradistrict high school programs College Board SAT dates SPS PSAT and post-secondary planning College Board PSAT comparison College Board AP exam dates Connecticut SAT School Day

This family information guide summarizes public information reviewed on August 27, 2026. It does not replace Board policy, individualized counseling, or decisions made through an IEP, 504 plan, or PPT process.