Wherever you are in the Oakland public school enrollment process, there are always important next steps to take. Let us help!
I would like to apply for the next school year (2022-2023)!
Great! The On-Time Application period closed on February 18, 2022, but you can still submit a Late Application. You can create an account on https://oaklandenrolls.schoolmint.net to submit a charter application. The sooner you do so, the better shot you have at getting an offer to a school of your choice. For more information on applying to an OUSD District school, please visit https://www.ousd.org/enroll.
I applied for the next school year (2022-2023)–what are my next steps?
If you applied before the February 2022 Deadline
1. Once you apply during the On-Time Application period:
You will be included in the March 10, 2022 lottery for each charter school you applied to. For each application you submit, there are two possible outcomes: 1. you could receive an offer, or 2. you could be placed on the school’s waitlist.
There will be nothing left to do until after the school lotteries. All lotteries are held in early March. You will be notified of your results on March 10, 2022 by text and/or e-mail. You can also check your results by logging into your SchoolMint account on or after the March offer date. Once the lottery has run, please see below for next steps.
2. If you applied during the Late Application period:
You will be placed on the school’s waitlist – seats are not guaranteed. You will only be offered a seat if one becomes available. We recommend applying to more than one school to increase your chances of getting a seat.
If you applied after the February 2022 Deadline
1. If you receive a lottery offer on/after March 10, 2022
This means the school has a seat for your child and is extending you an offer to take that seat. If you receive an offer, you may either 1. accept it, or 2. decline it. Accepting means you are telling the school you plan to attend. Declining means you are telling the school that you plan not to attend. If you accept one school’s offer, all other charter school offers will be automatically declined. However, accepting an offer will not take you off of any charter waitlists.
2. If you accept an offer
This means that you communicated to the school that you plan to attend the following year. However, you still need to register for the school in order to secure your seat. Registration requirements are different for every school. You will have to fill out forms, and/or bring documents into the school, and/or go to a meeting or orientation – or more. The best thing you can do is contact the school directly to make sure you are completing all of the required steps for registration by the school’s deadline.
Schools will take away the offer if a child is not registered by a certain date so it is best to contact the school and complete registration right after accepting the offer.
3. If you register for a school
Once you accept an offer, you must register. Each school’s registration process is a little bit different, but usually includes turning in documents (birth certificate, immunizations, proof of address, and more) and filling out more forms with information on you and your child. Some schools require that you attend an orientation or other meeting, and some require other things as well.
If you believe you have completed all the registration paperwork and fulfilled any other requirements for the school, make sure you confirm with the school that they have verified your registration and there is nothing else for you to do to keep your seat.
4. If you are placed on a waitlist
If you are placed on a school’s waitlist (WL), it means there are no open seats at that school. You will remain on the waitlist until:
1) you remove yourself, or
2) you receive an offer because a seat has opened up, or
3) the waitlist expires.
It is important to note that just because you are on a school’s waitlist, you may never get an offer to that school. If more seats don’t open up, the school won’t make any more offers.
Waitlists generally expire at the end of each school year. So if you applied to a school for the current (2021-22) school year, the waitlist will expire May 2022 Waitlists do not roll over to the following school year. If you are on a waitlist and the waitlist expires, you must apply again for the following year in order to be considered for the school.
I need to apply for this school year – 2021-2022
Just move here? Want to change schools because things aren’t working out for your child or family? We can help. Although Oakland public schools start every year in August, some schools may still have openings. Applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis:
- Charter Schools: To enroll in a participating charter public school, apply online here. You will be placed on a waitlist at each of your selected schools, and offered enrollment if space becomes available. Late applications are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Some schools use priorities in Late Applications, so your school waitlist positions may change up or down depending on the actions of other applicants. The school will notify you by text, email, phone and/or mail if space becomes available. Waitlists expire at the end of each school year.
- District Schools (OUSD): To enroll in a district-run school, call/text (510) 879-4600 or go to https://www.ousd.org/enroll for more information.
To contact specific charter schools, visit our list of participating schools for their website and contact info at https://oaklandenrolls.org/participating-schools/
For questions about the Oakland Enrolls common charter application, call/text us at (510) 454-9360.
For questions about a district (OUSD) school, call/text (510) 879-4600 or go to https://www.ousd.org/enroll for more information.
Not looking to apply, just getting prepared to or want to help others choose the best Oakland public school for their child?
Whether you are a future parent or one of a young child who has not started school yet, you may already be planning for your child’s future schooling. Or maybe you are a concerned citizen, tax-payer, media, government official, funder, or advocate. Great! We welcome all interest and support. We would not be here without it. Here are three easy first steps:
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