Deadline for Magnet Schools

The Los Angeles Unified School District has extended the deadline for applications to its expanded magnet school program to Friday.

The school board expanded the program May 2 to help alleviate long waiting lists and to offer a wider choice of schools. The move is expected to create 24 new magnet centers and will accommodate nearly 8,000 more students, said district officials.

Students who applied before the original deadline of April 15 but who wish to be considered for the new locations must reapply, officials said.

This year, the district received more than 40,000 applications. The program has 9,500 openings.

Created in the late 1970s in response to pressure to desegregate the district, magnet classes specialize in particular subjects, are smaller and tend to produce higher test scores, officials said. The program now has 108 centers and schools, and serves nearly 37,000 students.