Lottery & Enrollment

Mandela International Magnet School offers an opportunity for students to experience the rich academic setting of the International Baccalaureate Programme. Both our mission as a Santa Fe Public School, and as an IB school, is to develop multilingual, inquiring, knowledgeable and caring learners who will help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

All students who reside in the District and are entering seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grade are eligible to apply for enrollment.  Regardless of residency, the rigor of the multi-year IB program structure prevents the District from accepting the applications of students entering eleventh or twelfth grades, and tenth-grade students seeking to enter MIMS after the second week of tenth grade.  Exceptions may be made for students seeking to transfer from another IB school, at the discretion of, and after a review of academic credentials by, the principal.

In addition to being intellectually rigorous and highly academic, IB learners strive to be open-minded, caring, reflective, balanced, principled, knowledgeable, and hard-working.  Our students are known as enthusiastic inquirers, creative and ethical thinkers, resilient risk-takers, and collaborative communicators.

Is Mandela International Magnet School a good fit for your child and your family? Prospective students looking to join the MIMS community should:

  • Be prepared to cope with multiple demanding classes simultaneously

  • Be ready to think critically and creatively

  • Have a desire to acquire some fluency in a second language

  • Engage in an international mindset

  • Be compassionate and have a genuine concern for others

  • Desire to develop self-discipline, self-motivation, and time management by establishing personal study habits

  • Seek to support the local community through volunteer work and mentorship

By providing comprehensive and balanced curricula, in tandem with challenging assessments, Mandela’s aim is to develop the individual talents of our students while encouraging independent, critical thinking and engagement with the world as global citizens.

SFPS Data & Analytics department manages Mandela's lottery and the Student Transfer Lottery application.