Hawthorne Elementary

What this school is

Hawthorne is JCPS's Spanish-immersion elementary magnet. The Spanish Choices material calls it the only Spanish-immersion magnet in the district: every student who enters is in a Spanish-immersion environment in all grades.

It is not a resides school assigned by address. Elementary magnet seats are filled by lottery, and there is no extra test packet. The Early Childhood site closed after 2025–26, so the current span is K–5.

This is a language magnet, not extra Spanish class. If your child would not be comfortable learning core subjects in Spanish, tour an immersion lesson in the grade your child would enter before you use one of your magnet choices.

How families get in

You apply. Address does not place a child here. Elementary magnet applications submitted in the window go to a lottery, with no extra materials, and on-time applications are processed after the deadline rather than first-come.

• Register with JCPS first if the child is new to the district or entering kindergarten.
• Run School Finder so you know the resides elementary — that is the fallback if the lottery does not land.
• Apply to Hawthorne during the magnet window.
• Tour a Spanish-taught lesson, not only a welcome speech.
• Watch the response deadline if a seat is offered.
• Siblings of current magnet students do not get preference.

Do not assume a bus. For 2026–27, Hawthorne is not on the JCPS list of magnet schools that receive transportation for every enrolled student — Coleridge-Taylor is on that list and Hawthorne is not. Winning a seat does not create a bus stop, so check the current Transportation Verification form before you apply.

Who it tends to fit

Lottery plus language is a two-part decision. Tour an immersion class in the grade your child would enter before you spend a magnet choice.

Students

The official JCPS count is 415 students in a building listed at 461 optimal capacity. The Choices Guide still printed 455. Do not use the 429 count or the 18-38-31-14 race row — that row belongs to Hazelwood.

Gender: Confirm current counts with the school Counts move after the first month of school.

• Title I: No
• 2024–25 attendance: 95.4%
• PTA membership: 63 in 2024–25 and 73 in 2025–26
• Student counts are rounded from the official JCPS shares; confirm exact numbers with the school

Academics

The live school banners currently match this split. JCPS reports the official combined figures as 63% reading and 53% math — not 62 and 52, which is what you get by adding the rounded pieces.

• Reading: 37% proficient and 25% distinguished; 63% official combined P+D.
• Math: 37% proficient and 15% distinguished; 53% official combined P+D.
• Confirm the testing year on the state report card before comparing schools.

Awards and recognition

• Certified National Magnet School

  Hawthorne earned National Magnet School Certification from Magnet Schools of America in 2024, announced by JCPS in August 2024.

• Whole-school immersion, not a pull-out

  This is not 30 minutes of Spanish specials. The magnet is the school, and JCPS says every student who enters experiences immersion in all grades.

• How the day is structured

  The About page says K–2 students spend half the instructional day in Spanish, including math, science and Spanish literacy, while grades 3–5 continue Spanish literacy with math taught in English. The homepage describes it more generally as half the day in Spanish. Confirm the current grade-specific schedule when you tour.

• No Spanish at home required

  Immersion magnets are built for children who may start with little or no Spanish. Ask how kindergarten scaffolds the first months.

• Climate snapshot

  2025–26 Comprehensive School Survey student constructs: overall satisfaction 93.3%, caring environment 95.5%, personal safety 97.7%. The 37.6% bullying-construct agreement is the 2024–25 figure; that construct is not in the 2025–26 table. Survey numbers are student perception, not an inspection grade.

Location and daily life

Hawthorne is on Clarendon Avenue in the Highlands, with an 8:40 a.m. start and a 3:20 p.m. dismissal.

Because there is no all-student magnet bus for 2026–27, the Clarendon Avenue car line is part of the decision — ask how long it runs at 8:20.

Compare before you commit

• Coleridge-Taylor Montessori ElementaryAnother districtwide elementary magnet, and one that is on the 2026–27 all-student magnet transportation list.
• Carter Traditional ElementaryThe Traditional path if you want English-only structure instead of immersion.
• Audubon Traditional ElementaryA second Traditional option families weigh against a language magnet.

Questions to ask on a tour

1. 1.May I watch a Spanish-immersion lesson in the grade my child would enter?
2. 2.What share of the day is currently in Spanish versus English?
3. 3.How do you support a kindergartner who arrives with no Spanish?
4. 4.How do you support a child who already speaks Spanish at home so they are not bored?
5. 5.Who teaches reading in English, and what happens if a child is behind?
6. 6.How many teachers are native or near-native Spanish speakers this year?
7. 7.Is there a JCPS bus for Hawthorne magnet students this year?
8. 8.How long is the Clarendon Avenue car line at 8:20?
9. 9.What middle-school Spanish or immersion options exist after fifth grade?
10. 10.The building is near listed capacity — what is class size in this grade?
11. 11.How do families who do not speak Spanish get report cards and conferences?
12. 12.If we decline a lottery seat, what is the deadline?

What to do next

1. 1.Register with JCPS if your child is new to the district or entering kindergarten.
2. 2.Run School Finder so you know the fallback resides school.
3. 3.Apply during the magnet window and watch the response deadline.
4. 4.Check the current Transportation Verification form before assuming a bus.
5. 5.Call the Office of School Choice at (502) 485-6250 or the school at (502) 485-8263 with questions.