Seattle Public Schools

Enrollment

Enrollment Help

Enrollment Services

Welcome to Seattle Public Schools! Seattle Public Schools has award-winning neighborhood and option schools where families find great educators, strong academic programs, and engaged community.

Student Enrollment

Will your child be 5 by August 31? Will your family be new residents of Seattle? It’s time to enroll!

Help is Available

Enrollment help is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Amharic, Somali or Vietnamese.

Questions?

Contact the Enrollment Services team.

Contact us

Hours of Operation

In-Person: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

By Phone: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Please note: Enrollment Services at the John Stanford Center will be closed every third Wednesday from 12 – 5 p.m. for monthly staff meetings and trainings.

Phone: 206-252-0760
Fax: 206-252-0761

Please contact a bilingual specialist directly:

  • Amharic and Oromo: 206-252-0121
  • Chinese: 206-252-0013
  • Somali: 206-252-0880
  • Spanish: 206-252-0208
  • Vietnamese: 206-252-0778

Office Location:
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
2445 3rd Ave. S
Seattle, WA 98134

Address Changes

Have you moved

If you are moving it is important to update your address with Seattle Public Schools.

Update Your Address

Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to Seattle Public Schools! Parents and guardians can enroll their students for the current school year online or in person at the John Stanford Center.

We will require some basic information and proof of address for all new students.

Visit our Enroll My Student webpage to get started.

Students are initially assigned to an attendance area school based on where the student lives.

As a general rule if your student is already an SPS student, they will be assigned to the same school they are attending now. In the case of students moving up to middle or high school, students will be automatically assigned to their neighborhood school.

Use our address lookup tool and find attendance area maps on our About Our Schools webpage.

All SPS students are required to submit an admission form which includes basic information such as name, date of birth, address, emergency contacts, etc.  

A Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) is also required for all students. The parent or legal guardian’s photo I.D., as well as two additional address verification documents must be provided for proof of residency.

More information is available on the Enroll My Student webpage.

Kindergartners must be 5 years old on August 31 of the year they wish to enroll in school.

Proof of birth date and other standard enrollment must be provided when enrolling in school.

If you would like your child to be evaluated to enroll early, please read about Early Entrance to Kindergarten.

Visit our Early Learning Department Preschool webpage to learn about enrolling your child in preschool. 

Students may apply for assignment to a different school or program through School Choice.

A School Choice period occurs each spring for students to submit choice applications for the following school year.

If there are more applicants than seats available for a particular school and grade, then certain tiebreakers are used to determine which students are selected. If there is not a seat available for an applicant, then that student is placed on a waitlist and contacted if space becomes available.

Students who do not apply on-time (during Open Enrollment) may still submit a choice application through May 31. However, after Open Enrollment fewer seats are available for school choice.  After August 31, all waitlists dissolve and school transfers are not permitted with few exceptions. (Exceptions may include a change of address, or if a student requires ELL or Special Education services that are not available at their current school.) Learn more about School Choice.

Seattle Public Schools welcomes all of our families. Assistance is available to student who qualify under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.

If you are homeless, living in temporary or transitional housing, or are an unaccompanied youth, please let our staff know so can help you through the enrollment process.

If you are affiliated with an agency or case worker, please feel free to have them contact us online.

Visit our Students Experiencing Homelessness webpage for more information.