What is the average deadline for public school enrollment?

Submitted by greg281 t3_zc9jji in Pennsylvania

My girlfriend and I are moving this summer. We have it narrowed down to 2 or 3 areas but we’re still in the process of figuring out where we want to live. She has a 7 year old daughter and we’re trying to factor in the deadline for enrollment in a new district. We’re letting her finish the year at her current school. I know each district has their own deadlines but I’m just wondering if there’s an average time frame we would need to have her enrolled by. Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

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jemb39 t1_iyvbuza wrote

You can enroll at anytime theoughout the year. I'm a public school teacher and we get new students all the time due to families moving.

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nomuggle t1_iyve0oy wrote

There is no deadline to enroll in public school. Private and charters are different and will most likely have a deadline to apply for them, but public schools have open enrollment and you can register at any point in the year when you move.

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Madame_Hokey t1_iyvcz3e wrote

As the previous commenter said, with most public schools you shouldn’t have an issue. If you’re looking at Philly, there are some application deadlines if you want a school you’re not in the catchment area of (it’s already passed). And if you’re looking at Charter or Private school, you’ll need to look at that individual school’s policy.

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SuspiciousOnion2137 t1_iyvuj73 wrote

I live in a suburban district that had enrolment growth they were unprepared for. They ended up building a new school to deal with it. A couple of our elementary schools were routinely at capacity, so students enrolling after a certain date in addresses zoned to those schools were more likely to be bussed to another school in the district. If you move to an area where none of the schools are at capacity and you aren’t applying for a charter school then it is unlikely you will run into any problems.

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Ghstfce t1_iyxdwmj wrote

I've never heard of public schools having enrollment deadlines and I've lived in PA my entire life outside my time in the Army. I also moved around quite a bit, so I went to 2 elementary schools, 2 junior highs, and 2 high schools. Never had any problems getting registered when we were moving no matter what time of the school year it was.

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EmergencySundae t1_iyvefp2 wrote

In my school district, kids usually need to be enrolled in the spring to guarantee placement at their home school (we have 10 elementary schools). So instead of going to the school a mile away, you could end up at whichever school has capacity within the district.

My daughter’s class added a new student just before Halloween. He can transfer to his home school for next year. One of my son’s friends moved within the district and his parents asked for an exemption to allow him to finish elementary school where his is now instead of having to switch for one year (it was granted, but they are responsible for getting him to/from school).

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Bicycle-Seat t1_iyyaxex wrote

Kids are all enrolled at the same time, whether average gifted or slow.

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discogeek t1_iyvb6i9 wrote

Average deadline isn't going to help you; you're better off checking the school districts in the areas you're wanting. Decently realistic that with 500 SDs in PA, the average is going to be a lot later than the 3 you're looking at, so you'd just be screwing yourself over.

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BrowniesAndMilk1 t1_iyxkpss wrote

You should have no say in this. It’s not your child.

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greg281 OP t1_iyykxj1 wrote

What went through your head where this sounded like an intelligent thing to say?

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