Enrollment and School of Choice Timeline
November 2023 Marks Start Date for 2024-25 School Enrollment
Redwood City School District (RCSD) families who will be new to RCSD for the 2024-25 school year and current RCSD families looking to transfer to another program or school next August of 2024, are encouraged to complete their application during the District’s priority window. The enrollment and School of Choice application priority window is scheduled for Thursday, November 2 - Friday, January 19, 2024.
What is the Priority Window?
Because placement into a specific program or school is determined based on seat availability, applying during the priority window increases the possibility that a student will be placed in the program or school of their choice. The later the family applies, the less likely seats will be available.
In addition, students who register during the spring and summer, which is considered late registration, are only temporarily enrolled in their neighborhood school for the first 10 days of the school year, and may be moved if it is determined that there are not enough seats available.
While students can enroll at any time during the school year, applying during the priority window with all required documents submitted and approved, is highly encouraged as it increases the probability for placement.
Getting Started:
RCSD is a stellar PreK-8 school district known for its very unique and popular award-winning programs. Families are invited to engage in the enrollment process by:
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Attending information sessions offered by RCSD schools to learn more about the family’s school or program of interest, meet teachers, parents, and administrators
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Talking to current parents whose children are attending the program in which the new family is interested
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Filling out an enrollment application for the assigned neighborhood school. If the family is interested in transferring to another program within RCSD, they will also need to fill out a School of Choice application. School of Choice applications will be processed and placed in the random computerized lottery only after a child's enrollment application has been fully completed with all required documents. The School of Choice application will appear as an option at the end of the registration form.
Here is the timeline to keep handy as we welcome new families to RCSD:
Thursday, November 2, 2023:
All RCSD school principals begin to welcome families to tours and/or information sessions to learn more about the school or program of interest. Families are invited to check the program’s or school’s website in which they are interested as different programs schedule specific dates and times for tours and/or information sessions:
Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School
Clifford School
Garfield School
Henry Ford School
Hoover School
Kennedy Middle School
McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT)
North Star Academy
Orion Alternative School
Roosevelt School
Roy Cloud School
Taft School
Thursday, November 2, 2023:
Incoming families for TK-8 grade levels can register their student into their neighborhood school.
In order to complete the registration process, the following documents are required:
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Student’s birth certificate or passport
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Immunization records:
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PreK and TK (18 months through 5 years of age): 4 DTaP, 3 Polio, 3 Hep B, and 1 Varicella
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K-6: 5 DTaP, 4 Polio, 3 Hep B, 2 MMR, and 2 varicella
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7th grade: One additional dose of DTaP
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Two (2) different and current documents showing proof of residence: utility bills, rental agreement, vehicle registration, etc.
If the child’s guardian is renting a section of a home, a letter from the landlord is required along with a current utility bill under the landlord’s name. Please note: Current is defined as showing a date of within the last two months.
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Photo ID for parent or guardian
Once families have determined their assigned neighborhood school using their address on the school locator, they can then register their student as follows:
The application can be completed online.
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Families who do not have a device at home and need face-to-face support from school staff, can visit the District Office on the following days and times:
- Every Tuesday: 8 am-2 pm
- Every Thursday: 8 am-2 pm
The District Office is located at 750 Bradford St. in Redwood City.
(Please note: Families interested in having their child attend the California State Preschool Program can enroll their children in preschool, the RCSD Child Development Center (CDC), by calling (650) 482-2417, which is a separate process).
Thursday, November 2, 2023:
Incoming families and current RCSD families looking to transfer to another program or school other than their neighborhood school may do so starting at this time by filling out a School of Choice application.
Please note:
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Families who are new to RCSD will need to register first before filling out a School of Choice application. Only fully completed and approved applications with all required documents move forward to the random computerized lottery.
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Families who fill out a School of Choice application with the intention to transfer to a different program or school other than their neighborhood school, will be entered into a random computerized lottery. All applications will need to be completed and approved, with all required registration documents, by the Priority Window deadline, which is Friday, January 19, 3:00 p.m.
Monday, November 27 - through Friday, December 8, 2023:
North Star Academy (NSA), the Redwood City School District’s (RCSD) 3-8 grade school that houses the District’s Accelerated Learning specialized program, welcomes applicants for the 2024-25 school year, which starts with the Cognitive Abilities Test™ (CogAT®). The CogAT is the assessment RCSD uses in the NSA admissions process.
RCSD 2nd grade students will participate in the CogAT assessment at their current RCSD school during the school day. RCSD schools will administer the CogAT assessment to RCSD 2nd graders on the following dates:
Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School: Friday, December 8
Clifford School: Tuesday, November 28
Garfield School: Friday, December 1
Henry Ford School: Thursday, November 30
Hoover School: Wednesday, November 29
Orion Alternative School: Monday, December 4
Roosevelt School: Wednesday, December 6
Roy Cloud School: Tuesday, December 5
Taft School: Monday, December 4
Current RCSD 2nd grade students do not need to register for the assessment as testing will take place at their current school.
Monday, November 28 through Wednesday, December 8, 2023:
RCSD welcomes families of 2nd graders who don’t attend RCSD schools, but live within the RCSD attendance zone, as well as all 3rd-7th graders (including RCSD 3rd-7th graders), to sign up to take the CogAT assessment. The CogAT for these two groups of students will take place at North Star Academy on the following dates and times:
Saturday, December 2, 8:30 am and 10:30 am
Wednesday, December 6, 3:30 pm.
Friday, December 8, 3:30 pm.
All 3rd-7th graders (including RCSD 3rd-7th graders) and non-RCSD 2nd graders need to sign up to take the CogAT assessment:
Wednesday, December 20, 3 PM:
North Star Academy mails out CogAT assessment results to families of all students who participated in the assessment program.
Tuesday, January 9, 2024, 9 AM:
Application to North Star Academy opens. Using the CogAT assessment results, families will determine if they would like to apply for the 2024-25 school year. Only students who have already participated in the CogAT assessment in December of 2023 will be able to apply for the 2024-25 school year.
Parents with additional questions can visit North Star Academy’s website or call 650-482-2411.
Friday, January 19, 2024, 3 PM:
Applications close for families of students interested in North Star Academy for the 2024-25 school year. All North Star Academy applicants will be entered in a random computerized lottery.
Friday, January 19, 2024, 3 PM:
The Priority Window for all registrations, including the School of Choice application for all programs, closes. All applications are entered into a random computerized lottery.
Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 3 PM:
RCSD begins the 1st Round of notifications. This notification is for program or school placement based on the family’s School of Choice application and random lottery results. The district also will notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
The families who will be notified during this 1st Round are families who applied for the following program:
North Star Academy
This 1st Round of notifications goes out via regular mail. North Star Academy will also notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 3 PM:
Deadline for families of students who have been accepted to North Star Academy to confirm with the school on whether they will be accepting the spot. Families who do not notify the school by this date will be removed from the list and the seat will be offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Friday, February 9, 2024, 3 PM:
RCSD begins the 2nd Round of notifications. This notification is for program or school placement based on the family’s School of Choice application and random lottery results. The district also will notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
The families who will be notified during this 2nd Round are families of the following student groups:
TK Notifications: Students at Adelante Selby, Clifford, Garfield, Henry Ford, Hoover, Mandarin Immersion (program at Orion Alternative), Orion Alternative (Parent Co-Op, English strand), Roosevelt, Roy Cloud, and Taft schools.
Wednesday, February 14, 2024, 3 PM:
Deadline for families in the 2nd Round to accept their school placement based on their School of Choice application and the lottery results. Families who do not notify the District by this date will be removed from the list and the seat will be offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Friday, March 1, 2024, 3 PM:
RCSD begins the 3rd Round of notifications. This notification is for program or school placement based on the family’s School of Choice application and random lottery results. The district also will notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
The families who will be notified during this 3rd Round are families of the following two student groups:
Kindergarten Notifications: All rising kindergartners at non-neighborhood schools, which are Adelante Selby Spanish Immersion School, Mandarin Immersion (program at Orion Alternative), and Orion Alternative School (Parent Co-Op, English strand).
McKinley Institute of Technology: All rising 6-8 graders at MIT whose families submitted a School of Choice application during the priority window.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 3 PM:
Deadline for families in the 3rd Round to accept their school placement based on their School of Choice application and the lottery results. Families who do not notify the District by this date will be removed from the list and the seat will be offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Friday, March 8, 2024, 3 PM:
RCSD begins the 4th Round of notifications. This notification is for program or school placement based on the family’s School of Choice application and random lottery results. The district also will notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
The families who will be notified during this 4th Round are families of the following student groups:
Kindergarten Notifications: All rising kindergartners at all neighborhood schools, which are Clifford School, Garfield School, Henry Ford School, Hoover School, Roosevelt School, Roy Cloud School, and Taft School.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 3 PM:
Deadline for families in the 4th Round to accept their school placement based on their School of Choice application and the lottery results. Families who do not notify the District by this date will be removed from the list and the seat will be offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Friday, March 22, 2024, 3 PM:
RCSD begins to notify families in the 5th Round of their program or school placement based on their School of Choice application and random lottery results. The district also will notify families if they are placed on a waitlist.
The families who will be notified during this 5th Round are parents of rising 1-8 graders at all schools with the exception of McKinley Institute of Technology (MIT) and North Star Academy.
Wednesday, March 27, 2024, 3 PM:
Deadline for families in the 5th Round to accept their school placement based on their School of Choice application and the lottery results. Families who do not notify the District by this date will be removed from the list and the seat will be offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Monday, April 29, 2024, 9 AM:
The School of Choice process for the second application window for the 2024-25 school year opens for submission.
Please Note: The random lottery only takes place during the first application window of every school year. Families looking to transfer during the second application window in the spring of every school year are placed in the program, school, or a waitlist based on the order that the application is received. In addition, North Star Academy is not available as an option during the spring. North Star’s process only takes place once a year.
Because placement into a specific program or school is determined based on seat availability, applying during the second window is based on seat availability. Families are notified of their placement on a case by case basis as each student is placed based on the order that their application was received.
In addition, students who register during the spring and summer, which is considered late registration, are only temporarily enrolled in their neighborhood school for the first 10 days of the school year, and may be moved if it is determined that there are not enough seats available.
Friday, August 30, 2024, 3 PM:
The second window for the School of Choice application process closes in its entirety for the 2024-25 school year.
The registration and School of Choice process for the 2025-2026 school year opens for the priority window during the fall of the 2024-25 school year.