- How old does my child need to be to enroll in Kindergarten?
To start Kindergarten your child must be 5 years old on or before September 1st. If your student is 6 and has not previously attended kindergarten, work with school staff to determine if they should enroll as a Kindergartner or a 1st grader.
- Can I enroll my child in KG if they turn 5 after September 1st?
No. If your child turns 5 after September 1st, you will have to wait until next year to enroll.
- Can my child skip Kindergarten?
Kindergarten is not required in Oregon. If you choose to keep your child out of school until they are six, they may enroll directly into 1st grade. If you feel your five-year-old is advanced enough to skip Kindergarten and enroll in 1st grade, you would still need to enroll them in Kindergarten and then work with your school administrators and the Talented & Gifted department. The process is called Whole Grade Acceleration.
- Is there a deadline to enroll my child in school?
We encourage new kindergarten families to please enroll your child by June 1 for the following school year. That way, school staff will be ready for your student and keep you informed over the summer. Other students entering PPS should register as soon as possible. Portland Public Schools has no deadline to enroll.
- I want to enroll my child during the summer, but the school is closed. What are my options?
Online Enrollment is available year round, and will put your student’s registration in a queue for review by school staff when they return from summer break, a few weeks before school starts. Enrollment & Transfer staff are available to help with registration all summer long, including accepting paper registrations. Please email enrollment-office@pps.net for more information.
- Do I have to register my child every year?
No, you only have to register your student once. After that, as long as your student is active, they will automatically roll over to the next grade without you needing to do anything. Yearly Verification can be completed through ParentVUE online or by contacting your student's school who can provide a paper copy for updating.
- I submitted a transfer request to another PPS school. Should I keep my child at home until there is a decision on the transfer request?
Transfer decisions generally take between one and three weeks to process. Students do better when they attend school regularly, and should remain at their current school until a decision is made on the transfer request.
If you are new to PPS you can complete an online registration while waiting for your transfer results. If your transfer is approved, your neighborhood and transfer school Admin Assistants will work together to move your records to the new school. If your transfer is denied, you have the right to enroll at your neighborhood school.
- My student is bilingual. How can I enroll them in an immersion program?
At the Kindergarten level, Dual Language IMMERSION programs enroll through a lottery held the spring before school starts. At higher grades, or after the lottery closes, you can request entry to an Immersion program through the petition process. Acceptance is based on space in the program and native speakers of the immersion language have enrollment priority.
- I am not the parent of the student I am registering. Can I enroll the student?
Only a parent or legal guardian with proper documentation can automatically enroll a student in school. If you are helping a parent or guardian register, they need to be present and able to sign registration forms in order for the student to enroll. If the parent or guardian is not regularly present in the child’s life and you are acting as a supervising adult, please contact your school or Enrollment & Transfer for more information about the supervision agreement process.
