What is Open Enrollment?
Open Enrollment is an opportunity for each student who
resides permanently within the boundaries of Sacramento
City Unified School District to apply for enrollment for schools
(Grades K-8) within the district, when space is available.
Who is eligible
apply?
Only those
students who reside within the SCUSD attendance area are eligible
to participate in the Open Enrollment process.
How many schools can my student apply to?
Students may apply to up to two school programs.
Which schools have additional requirements for
admission?
What schools do not have an attendance area boundary assignment?
Can I make a change to my student’s application?
Yes, changes can be made to a submitted application anytime
between February 1 – February 15.
Please be sure to:
- update the Rank Choices (Step 4) if a change is
made to the Program Selection (Step 3) in order for
the application to be processed correctly.
- resubmit edited applications by February 15, 2023 at 5:00
p.m. to be considered.
How will we know you received my student’s application?
Once you successfully submit the open
enrollment application, there will be a confirmation screen
and notification confirming the submission. Families will
receive the notification based on what preferences (email, text
message or both) were selected when registering. Families can log
into their SchoolMint account at
anytime to see status of their application(s).
Should I register my incoming kindergartener in his/her
neighborhood school before I apply for Open Enrollment?
It is recommended that you register your incoming kindergartener
in his/her neighborhood school ( i.e. school of residence) before
or after you apply for Open Enrollment in case your child is
not selected through the lottery. Learn how to register for
Kindergarten.
I want my student to be enrolled into kindergarten even
though they would qualify for 1st Grade. Can I still apply
for kindergarten?
If your student’s date of birth falls before 09/02/17, you
must complete the following additional step to be admitted into
the Open Enrollment Lottery for kindergarten.
- Parent/ Guardians must request a meeting with the requested
school(s) principal to discuss the reasons for your request by
March 21, 2023.
- The principal must then email their Instructional Assistant
Superintendent and the Enrollment Center Director with the
approval/denial status of the request.
- Once approved, your student will be allowed into the
Open Enrollment lottery.
Do all schools participate in the Open Enrollment?
No. Not all district schools participate in the Open Enrollment
process. Some schools reach their grade level enrollment
capacity prior to the Open Enrollment time period.
What happens if I am interested in a school that doesn’t
participate in Open Enrollment?
Parents can apply for an intra-district permit and
will be contacted if/when space becomes available.
Is transportation provided by the school district to my Open
Enrollment School?
No, transportation is not provided for Open Enrollment Students.
Parents are responsible for transporting their Open Enrollment
students.
Can I use my work address for my student to apply?
The Sacramento City Unified School District interprets the Allen
Bill in the following ways:
- A parent/guardian is required to provide on letterhead a
statement from the employer verifying employment and the work
address.
- Since our district utilizes addresses for placement, in order
to establish residency the student must enroll in the
neighborhood school associated with the work address. So for
example if the work address is associated with California Middle
School the student must enroll in California Middle School (IF)
the school has space for the student. If the school does not have
the space, the student cannot enroll.
- Once this is complete and the student is attending, the
student can then apply for any programs through the High School
Specialty Program (HSSP) or Open Enrollment (OE).
- Families cannot use their work address to apply for the HSSP
or OE if they are not attending our school(s) through the Allen
Bill currently.
- Residency is established by enrolling.
Students who live outside the district boundaries may apply in
April 2023 to high school specialty programs that still have
openings.
Can I turn in a late application for my student?
All applications must be turned in by 5:00 p.m on
Wednesday, February 15, 2023. No late applications
will be accepted.
When do I find out if my student is accepted?
Notification will be sent to families through SchoolMint
in late March 2023. Families will receive the
notification based on what preferences (email, text message or
both) were selected when registering.
If placement is accepted, applicants will need to
complete the process by registering. Instructions will
be included in the notification communication. Open Enrollment
acceptance is considered a change in enrollment and requires
additional verification.
Applicants will be automatically dropped from the school
acceptance list, if they do not register by the deadline.
Are translation services available during the application
process?
The application uses Google Translate and can be translated into
over 100 languages.
Does my student have the right to return to their original
neighborhood school after registering in Open Enrollment?
After accepting placement, the open enrollment
school becomes your student’s neighborhood school. In order
to return to their original neighborhood school, you must
apply for an intra-district permit
through the Enrollment Center in April 2023. Intra-district
permits are requests and not a guarantee for placement.
My family is moving outside of the SCUSD boundary. What will
happen to my student’s acceptance?
If you move outside of the SCUSD boundary, it voids all open
enrollment and you must register your student with the new
school district.
I live within the SCUSD boundary, but my
student attends a private school. Can my student apply
through Open Enrollment?
Yes. Learn more at https://www.scusd.edu/oe-application-process.
If my student is attending a SCUSD School on an inter-district
permit (i.e., you live outside the district boundaries) can I
apply through Open Enrollment?
No. Students who live outside the district boundaries are not
eligible. Students who live outside our district boundaries can
apply for a permit in April
2023.
I live outside of the SCUSD boundary. Can my student apply
through Open Enrollment?
No. Students who live outside the district boundaries are not
eligible. Students who live outside our district boundaries can
apply for a permit in April
2023.
I live outside of the SCUSD boundary and one of my students
already attends a SCUSD school. Do my other students have sibling
preference?
No.
I am a SCUSD employee and live outside of the SCUSD boundary.
Does my student have preference to attend the school I
work at?
No. However, students who live within our district
boundaries whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment is
at the selected school are given lottery priority.
How does the lottery work?
Open Enrollment is not a first-come, first-serve basis. You may
apply anytime during the application window to be considered.
SCUSD uses a computerized, third-party lottery system to place
students at their specialty program of choice. A lottery must be
implemented if applications exceed the grade capacity at the
requested program.
One of the following lottery scenarios will occur:
- Your student is selected for their first school of choice and
receives a notification communication to register.
- If your student applied to only one school of choice and was
not selected, they will be placed on a waiting list.
- If your student applied for two schools of choice and was not
selected for their first choice, the computer will look for their
second choice. Note: Second choice selections are placed behind
all first choice selections.
- Your student is selected for their second school of
choice and receives a notification communication to
register.
- Your student is not selected for their first or second
specialty program choice. They will be placed on a waiting list
for their first choice only.
What happens if my student doesn’t get accepted to the first or
second school of choice?
Your student will only be placed on the waiting list for their
first choice. Placement from the waiting list occurs only if
space becomes available.
The school principal working with the Enrollment Center Director
will contact the parent/guardian when and if space becomes
available.
Students who apply to a school and have not met the school’s
admissions requirements will not be included in the lottery. If
the student hasn’t applied to another school of choice, the
student must attend their neighborhood or current school.
If my student is accepted to their 2nd choice, will
they be put on the 1st choice waiting list?
No.
Who has priority in the lottery selection process?
Lottery Selection Priorities
First priority
- Siblings of students already in attendance at the selected
school and will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school
year.
Second priority
- Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment
is the selected school.
Third priority (administrative priority)
- When unique circumstances occur at a school, such as a school
closure, program changes, and/or over-crowding occurs; district
administrators may institute a specific priority to meet staffing
and housing needs.
Schools without Attendance Boundaries
First priority
- Siblings of students already in attendance at the school and
will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school year.
Second priority
- Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment
is the selected school.
