Open Enrollment (K-8)

Open Enrollment provides an opportunity for students who reside permanently within the boundaries of the Sacramento City Unified School District to apply for enrollment in schools or programs (Grades K-8) within the district, when space is available.

Students residing within the Sacramento City Unified School District boundaries who will be entering grades K through 8 for the 2026-2027 school year are eligible to apply.

Students who live outside our district boundaries (including those that are currently on a district permit) can apply to schools and programs with space available through an inter-district permit transfer in April 2026.

Visit Permits & Transfers

Out-of-district applicants who meet the program requirements will be offered placement after qualified in-district applicants per California Education Code.

SCUSD requires that the parent, legal guardian, and/or educational rights holder of the student complete the application. The guardian will be required to certify this at the end of the application. Providing inaccurate information will invalidate the application and any potential offer to the student.

Visit SCUSD’s School Finder, to find your family's neighborhood school.

No, not all district schools participate in Open Enrollment. Some programs reach their grade level enrollment capacity before the Open Enrollment period begins.

View Participating Schools by Grade Level

Applicants must live within the district boundaries.

Students may apply to up to two open enrollment schools or programs. 

None, No programs have additional requirements for admission. 

No.

The application uses Google Translate and can be translated into more than 100 languages.

The district’s Matriculation & Orientation Center (MOC) also provides in-person application support for families in the following languages:

• Spanish
• Hmong
• Cantonese
• Mandarin
• Vietnamese
• Russian
• Pashto
• Dari/Farsi

• A.M. Winn Public Waldorf TK-8 School
• Alice Birney Public Waldorf TK-8 School
• Bowling Green Charter Chacon Language & Science Academy
• Bowling Green Charter McCoy Academy
• Camellia Basic Elementary (Grades 1-6)
• Leonardo da Vinci TK-8 School
• New Joseph Bonnheim Elementary
• Phoebe Hearst Elementary
• School of Engineering and Sciences

Once an application is successfully submitted, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a message in your SchoolMint Message Center confirming the submission. Parents/guardians will also receive a confirmation via email and/or text message, depending on their selected SchoolMint preferences.

Log onto your SchoolMint Parent/Guardian account and click the Messages button in the top green navigation bar. The Message Center has all messages sent to you from the platform organized by date.

On a mobile device, the Message Center is a gray text bubble at the top of the screen. If you only receive text message notifications, you can log into SchoolMint and read full messages in the Message Center.

No, transportation is not provided for Open Enrollment students. Parents/guardians are responsible for transporting their students.

All applications must be turned in by 5:00 pm on Friday, February 27, 2026. No late applications will be accepted.

Yes, it is recommended that parents/guardians register their incoming kindergarteners at their neighborhood school (school of residence) before applying for Open Enrollment. This ensures a spot in case the applicant is not selected through the lottery. Learn how to register for Kindergarten.

Notifications will be sent to families via SchoolMint on March 16, 2026, based on the communication preferences selected during registration (email, text message, or both).

Applicants must accept the offer through SchoolMint by the deadline specified in their offer notification.

Additional Requirements for Acceptance for New Students to the District

New students to the district must also complete a full registration form. A link to this form will be included in the notifications sent to families. Additionally, the following documents will need to be provided: photo identification, address verification, proof of birth, and immunization records. Applicants will be automatically removed from the open enrollment program acceptance list if they do not complete registration by the offer deadline.

Once you accept a placement, the Open Enrollment school becomes your student’s neighborhood school. When your student moves to the next school level (e.g., elementary to middle school or middle school to high school), they will be enrolled at their neighborhood school based on your residence.

If you want to return to your original neighborhood school, you must apply for an intra-district permit. Please note that intra-district permits are requests, not guaranteed placements.

Visit Permits & Transfers

If you move outside the SCUSD boundaries, your Open Enrollment placement will be voided. You will need to register your student with the new school district.

Yes. 

No. Students who live outside the district boundaries are not eligible.

Students who live outside our district boundaries (including those that are currently on a district permit) can apply to schools and programs with space available through an inter-district permit transfer in April 2026.

Visit Permits & Transfers

No.

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:

1. Your student is selected for their first choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
2. If your student applied to only one specialty program and was not selected, he/she will be placed on a waiting list.
3. If your student applied for two specialty programs 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 choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
• Your student is not selected for their first or second choice. They will be placed on a waiting list for their first choice only. Applicants are never placed on a second choice waiting list. 

Your student will only be placed on the waiting list for their first choice.

Lottery notification from SchoolMint will be sent on March 16, 2026 notifying parent/guardians regarding placement on the waiting list. 

When space becomes available, a notification will be sent through SchoolMint notifying the parent/guardian of the offer. 2026-2027 waiting lists will be valid until 5:00pm, on July 31, 2026 and then closed. Families can withdraw their application from a waiting list at any time through SchoolMint. 

No.

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 – Current SCUSD TK Students Only
  • Students who apply for kindergarten at the school they attended for TK will receive priority. 

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.