What Is a Del Mar Union Option Area? Can You Choose Your Own Elementary School?

A Del Mar Union Option Area means families living in that area can choose between two elementary schools. It is not a boundary drawn wrong, and it is not a loophole. It is an area marked on the district map as a choice zone. On the Del Mar Union boundary map, Option Areas are marked with diagonal lines, with the two school names written beside them, for example Ocean Air or Torrey Hills, meaning a child at that address can attend either school.

There are several Option Areas on the map today: Pacific Sky or Sycamore Ridge, Ashley Falls or Sycamore Ridge, Ashley Falls or Sage Canyon, Ocean Air or Sage Canyon, Ocean Air or Torrey Hills, Carmel Del Mar or Del Mar Heights, and Carmel Del Mar or Ashley Falls. These areas mostly sit where two school boundaries meet, and the district handles border areas this way instead of cutting them apart with a hard line.

Living in an Option Area does not mean completely free choice. In principle you can choose, but you still need to confirm that year's practice with the district. Enrollment differs every year; if one school's grade is full that year, the district may coordinate the order or ask parents to rank preferences before assigning. The sooner you confirm with the district, the better; do not wait until just before school starts. Also note that an Option Area choice is usually limited to the two schools named, not any school in the district.

For families buying a house, an Option Area is actually a plus. Many families agonize over one particular school when buying, but if the house falls in an Option Area, you get two choices at once: your child can start at one school and switch to the other if it does not fit, without moving. Among the parents we interviewed, one had a child in Ocean Air in first grade who moved back to Ashley Falls in second grade because of the drop-off route; under the Option Area system, that kind of adjustment is allowed.

So when you look at houses, if an agent tells you a house is in an Option Area, do not find it strange; it is a good thing. Confirm with the district how many seats the two schools have that year, then choose based on your child's personality and the drop-off route. The diagonal lines on the boundary map look unremarkable, but for a family, they mean the right to choose.