It starts here:

Education-obsessed parents of New Jersey public school students snap to attention when high school rankings appear in national and state publications. We all want our children have a superlative academic experience, and sometimes we’re unsure of the quality or opportunities available in our local districts. So when we see magnet after magnet school topping the “best schools” list, it’s natural to wonder, could my child go there? 

The answer is: maybe. In NJ, magnet schools are really “gifted and talented” schools with strict residency requirements—you have to live in the county where they’re located, and admissions criteria are rigorous.

Read the rest here.