Enrollment
Admissions and Attendance Office
Central Administration Annex Building
1835 Allston Way
Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone: (510) 644-6504 E-Mail: Admissions@berkeley.k12.ca.us
Hours: 8:00 a.m. - noon and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Note: Enrollment for the 2009/10 school year will begin in January for elementary and middle school, and mid-March for high school.
Welcome to the Berkeley Unified School District’s Admissions and Enrollment page. Here you will find pertinent information on the enrollment procedures and deadlines.
For your further convenience and to help make the enrollment process easier – especially for first time parents – the Admission and Attendance Office conducts a Kindergarten Fair every year. At the fair you will be able to find information about each school , visit with the principals and staff, learn more about special programs offered (such as after school programs), and get information about the assignment process. The next Kindergarten Fair will be held in December, 2008. School sites also offer convenient visitation hours to incoming parents – both at the elementary and middle school level. These visits can be valuable to parents who want to get a better “feel” for the school site campus and staff.
All of our school buildings have been remodeled or rebuilt, offering safety features and enhancements for the educational program. We invite you to visit our schools; you will find a pleasant, welcoming environment as well as exciting learning taking place in our classrooms. Below you will find specific information about enrolling your child at each grade level, as well as a page where you can find what schools serve your neighborhood (listed below as Maps/Assignment Zones).
Kindergarten to 5th Grade Enrollment
Elementary enrollment materials and instructions are available on the "Enrolling New Elementary Students" page. Our office will be accepting forms for the first lottery for fall 2009 between January 5th, 2009 and February 6th, 2009. Forms must be submitted by 4 pm February 6th to be considered for the first lottery. We will mail out assignments for the first lottery by March 6th, so families should receive them by March 11th. If you do not submit your application by February 6th, you will not receive your school assignment until mid-June.
Berkeley Unified has planned many events to introduce new parents to Berkeley's schools. The calendar for the following events will be in place by the beginning of November :
- School Visiting Hours (Horas de Visitas Escolares en Espanol)-- From November 18th to December 18th and January 5th to February 6th, the schools will be open to visitors on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Since each school has different hours, and they sometimes have events that preclude visitors, please call the school before visiting.
- Kindergarten Nights (Noches de Kinder en Espanol) -- Each elementary school will host a kindergarten night in January where parents will have a chance to visit the school, meet teachers and the principal, and discuss curriculum. Kindergarten nights are a great opportunity to ask questions! Although the nights will be mainly directed at kindergarten families, all new families are welcome.
- Kindergarten Fair (Feria Informativa) -- On December 13th, the district will host a fair with representatives from many district services and from each school. Additionally, there will be a presentation on the district's school assignment process. If you want to get information about the Berkeley public elementary schools and district services all in one stop, please come to the fair! This year, the fair will be at LeConte Elementary School from 10 am to 1 pm.
Middle School Enrollment
Middle School enrollment materials/instructions are available on the "Enrolling New Middle School Students" page.
- Middle School Nights (Noches Informativas en Espanol) -- Each middle school will host an information night in January where parents will have a chance to visit the school, meet teachers and the principal, and discuss curriculum. Information nights are a great opportunity to ask questions! All new middle school families are encouraged to attend -- both those new to the district and those matriculating from a Berkeley elementary school. For more information, please call the school or the Admissions Office at (510) 644-6504.
| School | Information Night | Phone Number | Address |
| King | January 13 | 644-6280 | 1781 Rose St |
| Willard | January 20 | 644-6330 | 2425 Stuart St |
| Longfellow | January 27 | 644-6360 | 1500 Derby St |
High School Enrollment
High School enrollment materials/instructions are available on the "Enrolling New High School Students" page. Enrollment for fall 2009 will begin in mid-March. For information on Berkeley High tours and information nights, please refer to Berkeley High's website at http://bhs.berkeley.net/index.php?page=tours.
Map/Assignment Zones
A map of the district's assignment zone is available on the "District Map" page, as well as a list of zones by address.
Attendance
Attendance is very important to the school district for two reasons. First, we cannot teach your child if he/she is not in the classroom. Many wonderful opportunities for teaching and learning take place every hour of every day. Students need to be in class to take advantage of these experiences.
Secondly, the money each school district gets from the State of California is based on each district’s average daily attendance of students. Average daily attendance (or ADA) is calculated daily. If a student misses a day or even part of a day, the district does not get “credit” for that student and, ultimately, loses money. Please be mindful of this fact when scheduling vacations or appointments for your child.