Public School Open Enrollment Begins Tomorrow

Julie Wittmann wrote up this handy summary of the public school sitch:

Open Enrollment for School Choice is February 24 – March 7!

Parents of new students should visit the SPS Enrollment page, and look for the “guide me through the enrollment process” at the bottom of the first column.

All current Seattle Public Schools students should have received a letter with their 2013 – 2014 school assignment. If you’re happy with your student’s school assignment, no further action is required. However, should you desire a different school choice (or program) for your student, you must apply for it during Open Enrollment through the SPS Enrollment page, or call the SPS Enrollment Service Center at (206) 252-0760.

The deadline for SPS Open Enrollment is 4:00pm on March 7. Applications must be received by the SPS district office by that date and time (postmarks do not count). Applications are still accepted after the deadline, but will be processed after those received before the deadline. We suggest getting confirmation from District of application receipt.

JSIS and McDonald are now an Option Schools. What does that mean for my child?

John Stanford and McDonald International Schools will become option schools (instead of attendance area schools) beginning with assignments for 2014 – 15. Assignment to option schools is by application only – no one receives an automatic assignment to an option school.

To apply to attend an option school (or other choice school such as Montessori or Spectrum), visit the SPS Enrollment page, and look for the “guide me through the enrollment process” at the bottom of the first column, as above.

All current JSIS and McDonald students are grandfathered and do not need to reapply. Current students should receive a letter from SPS showing JSIS / McDonald as their assigned school for next year. If JSIS / McDonald is not shown on the letter, we suggest speaking with enrollment services.

Tiebreakers for option schools are, in order, (1) siblings, (2) GeoZone, and (3) lottery. GeoZones are NOT a guarantee of assignment, but do give priority before the open lottery for students who live in the GeoZone. See below for the John Stanford and McDonald geozone maps.

What if my child already has a sibling in the school system?

In order to get sibling priority for incoming kindergarteners, families must first enroll in their attendance area school and then submit a Choice Form application during Open Enrollment.

More information about kindergarten enrollment can be found on the SPS website.