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Your navigation kit for the choice maze

To reach the best school for your child, you must scan the programs, scores and opinions and then steer through the paperwork.

Welcome to School Search.

For the ninth year, we are publishing a complete guide dedicated to helping you pick the right school for your child.

It's one of the most important decisions a parent will ever make, and yet it's potentially one of the most puzzling.

First, you need to understand that your child will not automatically go to the school closest to your home. Don't argue about whether this is right or wrong. Save your energies for understanding how the system works and making the best possible selection.

The public schools use a system called "controlled choice." What it means is this: If you are new to the system and don't actively seek out a school for your child, the district will put your child in one that has room - in other words, in a school that other parents did not choose. Do not let this happen.

There are procedures and there are deadlines. Read this guide and understand them. Miss a deadline and all of your work will be for naught. If your child is already in a school, you may jeopardize her spot simply by applying - depending on the kind of school you are seeking.

Confused already? Don't be afraid. The system is complex. Our goal is to help you sort it all out.

We break out our own coverage into two distinct parts. We help you to understand how to make a good choice for your child. Then we help to explain the actual mechanics of applying to various public schools. It is important to pay attention because there are so many ways to do something wrong.

It is also important to understand that with many of the most popular schools, wanting to go there doesn't mean you get to go there. Have a backup plan.

To help, we list schools, we explain the different offerings and programs at each level from kindergarten through senior high school, we print test scores - and grades - for each of the schools, and we give you some sense of your odds of getting in, based on last year's numbers.

School Search is a simple idea, really: Help parents find the best school for their children by arming them with information about the schools and how the system works.

We have added something new this year. We have asked public officials - mayors, city council members, School Board members, teachers and the school superintendent - which schools they chose and why. We also asked them for pointers about conducting the search.

There is a wide range of choice out there: public school ("choice," magnet and fundamental), private school (both religious and secular) and even homeschooling.

No matter how many examples we offer and how much information we provide, though, it's nothing more than the start of your personal journey through the maze.

In the end, the choice is yours.

One piece of advice: Go see for yourself. No amount of reading will make up for what you can learn by actually visiting a school. Trust your instincts.

Assume nothing, even about the basics. Don't assume there is recess. Public schools have organized physical education, but not recess. Don't assume that lunch is at noon. Some eat as early as 10:15 a.m. Don't assume schools wait until sunrise to start class. Public high schools begin at 7:05 a.m. Yup, 7:05.

Don't hesitate to raise basic questions. Right now is the time to do so.

Ask around. Ask friends, relatives, neighbors and co-workers about schools. And then stop to think about their views: How do they know what they know? Is it based on current first-hand knowledge? Or have they heard from a friend of a friend?

Sorry if we sound like a bit of a scold, but we cannot stress how important it is to understand how the system works. The more you know, the better your chances of making a good choice. Make some of your own luck.

And on that note - good luck!