Join MAD!

The majority of each cohort’s spots are assigned via lottery and student data during the Spring of the 8th grade year. We offer admission to incoming freshmen based on a 50/50 model that is in alignment with the requirements of the California Partnership Academies educational code. 

50% of our seats are allocated to students who meet the “at promise” criteria of the California Partnership Academies Ed code. Eligibility for these seats will be determined using student data.

The remaining 50% are assigned via lottery using a random number generator.

Our Academy is a California Partnership Academy that receives annual funding from the California Partnership Academy grant. Our current enrollment model was developed in an effort to comply with the CPA grant requirements, to meet the needs of our community as a whole, and to further progress towards our goal of creating an academy student body that is more reflective of our high school as a whole. Ed Code regarding California Partnership Academies can be found here: Article 5: Partnership Academies [54690 - 54697].  

For students to be included in the freshmen enrollment lottery, parents must fill out the MAD Academy freshmen interest form by March 1st of the applicant’s 8th grade year. This form is distributed by SBHS counselors at the 8th grade school sites or at designated private school meetings between December and February. It is also posted here on our website during that time. Indicating interest in our program is not a guarantee of enrollment. 

After March 1st of the applicant’s 8th grade year, our admissions system changes to an application based model. Application admissions are merit-based, and we also follow the 50% “at promise” ratio when selecting applicants to fill spots that may open up due to attrition. To be part of the applicant pool, you will need to fill out the MAD Application that corresponds to your graduating year. Our application includes a statement of interest as well as an optional portfolio submission. We are looking for students who demonstrate creativity and interest in learning more about media arts.

We only pull from our application pool when spots open up due to attrition. Average attrition has been around 0-10 students per grade per year, and attrition can happen at any time throughout the year. For this reason, there is no date by which applicants can definitively know whether or not they will be offered a spot in MAD. Your application will be kept on file until the end of your junior year.

FORMS AND APPLICATIONS

To be considered for an open spot in MAD after the initial freshmen lottery, please fill out the form that corresponds to your graduating year:

Class of 2026: Our grant rules do not allow new 12th grade students.

Class of 2027: Class of 2027 new - MAD Application

Class of 2028: Class of 2028 - MAD Application

Class of 2029: Class of 2029 - MAD Application

Important Dates for the Class of 2030:

Academy Interest Form window: November 2025 - March 1st, 2026

Enrollment communication: March 13th, 2026

Acceptance of enrollment offer deadline: March 20th, 2026

Students must be enrolled at SBHS to be enrolled in MAD. If you are coming from out of district, you must first complete the transfer process by January 26th:

 SB Unified Enrollment and Registration

Please note that SBUSD is currently accepting intradistrict (From within the district) transfers, but not interdistrict transfers, or transfers from students who do not hold residence within our district.

Demand for SBHS academy enrollment varies greatly year by year. Some years there are more applicants than we can accommodate. There is no guarantee of enrollment in our program. For this reason we strongly advise against enrolling at SBHS for the sole purpose of enrolling in our academy, and encourage families to keep their options and their minds open. There are many wonderful courses and programs at SBHS in and outside of our academies.

Thank you for your patience and understanding throughout this process!