Huntsville City Schools Selects Avela to Modernize Application and Lottery Management for Its Magnet Programs

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Avela, the K-12 enrollment management platform built on two decades of school choice research, recently announced that Huntsville City Schools (HCS), serving nearly 24,000 students across the district, has selected Avela Explore, Apply, and Match to manage applications, evaluations, and lottery placement for its magnet program and transfer process portfolio.

HCS offers eight magnet programs spanning STEM, performing and creative arts, and advanced pathways, including its Academy for Gifted and Talented program for middle schoolers and The College Academy, a dual-enrollment pathway at Jemison High School. Demand for these programs is high and growing: HCS's roughly 2,936 magnet seats drew 3,572 applications in the most recent cycle, meaning more than one in ten students districtwide (12% of total enrollment) applied for a spot. HCS is now moving this process onto Avela's platform.

With Avela Explore, HCS families can research and compare all district schools in one place. Avela Apply lets the district manage each program's distinct requirements, including the essays, interviews, and auditions required for HCS's middle and high school magnet applicants, while Avela Match runs a transparent, lottery-based selection process and keeps waitlists moving systematically as seats open up. The result is a single, modern system built to handle the scale and complexity of HCS's magnet application volume as it continues to grow.

HCS joins Avela's robust roster of district partners bringing transparency, accessibility, and efficiency to choice and transfer programs.

About Avela

Avela provides districts, charter networks, and early childhood programs with best-in-class enrollment software, helping families discover, apply to, and manage school enrollment while helping institutions streamline admissions. Founded by CEO Greg Bybee alongside economists Parag Pathak and Nobel laureate Josh Angrist, Avela translates two decades of school choice and market design research into technology that makes enrollment easier, fairer, and more accessible for families and schools alike. Learn more at avela.org.