Program Eligibility
To be considered for a Clifton program, students must meet the following criteria:
- Be a rising 10th or 11th-grade student (based on cohort year);
- Plan to attend an Austin ISD high school for the upcoming school year;
- Have a self-expressed interest in a Clifton program.
An exception may be made for a rising 12th-grade student who has earned previous credit aligned with a Clifton pathway (e.g., a transfer student who took welding in a previous district). Clifton does not schedule current or rising 9th-grade students in our programs.
Students interested in a Clifton program that is ALSO offered on their home campus will be considered on a case-by-case basis if there is a specific reason for the consideration (e.g., the student is a rising 11th-grade student and will not be able to complete the sequence at their home campus).
Expressing Interest in a Program
Prospective students should select Clifton courses under the “Student Sharing” section of their choice sheets (courses were added to the Universal Choice Sheets developed by Counseling and Academics).
In addition to selecting Clifton courses on their choice sheets, students may choose to complete our Clifton Interest Form (bit.ly/CliftonCDS) and/or contact Clifton directly. Student interest may also be communicated through school staff (counselors, assistant principals, special education case managers, etc.) and/or families. To be considered for first-round scheduling, students must communicate interest by the choice sheet Self Serve deadline in March.
Program Conversation
After the choice sheet Self Serve deadline has passed, campuses will be sent a comprehensive list of all students who have expressed interest in a Clifton program. The Clifton principal or assistant principal will coordinate with school staff to schedule program conversations. A program conversation is required to be considered for a Clifton program. It provides a time for students to discuss their interests, goals, and previous experiences; it also helps students gain a clearer understanding of Clifton.
These conversations will occur one-on-one or in small groups depending on the number of interested students from a particular campus. Program conversations may take place in person at Clifton or a home campus or occur virtually via Google Meets. If a campus has a large group of interested students, the home campus is asked to support Clifton in coordinating these conversations (e.g., identifying a designated space to meet with students and some system for bringing students to that space in intervals of 15-20 minutes).
Campuses are also invited to schedule group tours of Clifton between January and March. Additional tour dates may be provided in April for students who missed earlier tours and/or families interested in visiting the campus. Tours are encouraged but not required.
Program Confirmation
After a majority of program conversations have occurred (date TBD based on earlier deadlines met or extended), Clifton will email campuses with confirmed students for SY 26-27. Students are NOT confirmed unless they are included on the official student list sent by the Clifton principal or assistant principal.
If course requests EXCEED available space in programs, a rubric will be used to prioritize student scheduling. This rubric will consider several factors, but places the greatest weight on a student's post-secondary interests/goals.