Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is the school choice process that allows families to complete an application to attend a school other than their assigned neighborhood school. (Not sure which is your assigned school-of-residence? Use PUSD’s School Locator) Although many families choose to attend their neighborhood school, some families find another program, school culture, or school location is more in line with their family’s needs.
The Open Enrollment process is a random lottery where students are admitted to schools outside their neighborhood based on the available seats projected at any given school. A timeline with key dates for the 2025-2026 Open Enrollment application process can be found on PUSD’s Open Enrollment page. View PEN’s virtual Navigating Open Enrollment program which was held on Tuesday, 12/5/23. View here in Spanish.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) students must turn 4 by September 1, 2025. Kindergarten students must turn 5 by September 1, 2025. TK programs will be located at all PUSD elementary campuses with the exception of San Rafael.
Please note that there are some changes to the Open Enrollment process for students who are enrolling in 2025-2026
Families MUST submit an Open Enrollment application to attend any TK program, even if they want to attend their neighborhood school.
Kindergarten - 12th grade students who want to attend a school that isn’t their assigned neighborhood school or any Dual Language Immersion Program (DLIP) must submit an Open Enrollment application.
Students who currently attend a school where they were placed in the lottery, but want to return to their neighborhood school next year, must submit an Open Enrollment application.
Open Enrollment data shows that at kindergarten, with the exception of three schools who each had 6 or less students waiting, all families who entered the 1st or 2nd lottery and stayed with the process were placed at their top choice. At middle school, only Sierra Madre Middle School was unable to accept all students who selected it as their top choice. All high school students who participated in the 1st or 2nd lottery and continued through the process were matched with their top choice school. Last year’s numbers are not predictive of the number of open seats or demand for those seats in future years.
Open Enrollment Tip! Apply to More Than One School
The percentage of students receiving placement increases from 90% to 98.6% for students that apply to one versus three schools. Less than 2% of students receive offers outside of their first two choices.
View the 2024-2025 Open Enrollment first choice placement rates
October 22-Nov. 12, 2024 - Sibling & Priority Enrollment
Sibling & Priority Enrollment for sibling preference, dual language program 5th & 8th graders, and students in magnet or other signature programs who wish to continue those programs in middle or high school complete an online application.
Results are available online: December 3, 2024, by 11:59 PM; families have until December 13, 2024, 4 PM to accept their placement.
Includes Altadena Arts to Eliot Arts to John Muir’s Arts, Entertainment, and Media Academy. STEM Magnet: Washington Elementary and Jackson Elementary to OEB Magnet Middle, to John Muir’s Engineering and Environmental Science Academy. Willard IB to Blair IB. Spanish DLIP to Blair or OEB Magnet to Blair High School. Field Mandarin DLIP to Sierra Madre Middle to PHS. French DLIP from Altadena Arts to Eliot Arts to PHS; Webster Armenian program to Blair Armenian Academy. Middle School Math Academy to PHS Math Academy.
If you are eligible for sibling or priority preference and miss the sibling & priority enrollment time frame, you should contact PUSD’s enrollment at 626/396-3639 to confirm if space is still available.
December 3, 2024 - PEN’s Navigating Open Enrollment program - learn about the process and get your questions answered at this free online program. (RSVP for Zoom link)
January 2025
PUSD website posts the projected range of seats that will be available to Open Enrollment students for each grade at each school.
January 8 - January 24, 2025 - The Open Enrollment application submission period takes place from January 8 at 9 am - January 24 at 4 pm. Parents can select as many schools as they prefer to their neighborhood school on their Open Enrollment application, ranked in order of preference.
Who should submit an application?
Parents who wish to enroll a student in TK for the 2025-2026 school year.
Kindergarten - 12th grade students who want to attend a DLIP program or a school other than their neighborhood school.
Students who attend a school where they were placed in the lottery, but want to return to their neighborhood school for the 2025-2026 school year.
City of Pasadena and PUSD employees.
Families who missed the sibling or program priority application period.
Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or who have accommodations through Section 504 and attend a regular classroom may participate in Open Enrollment. If a student is in a special day class or has a specific school or classroom placement because of his or her disability, before participating in Open Enrollment, please check with your IEP Team to determine if your student requires special placement.
January 25 - February 26: Families who live in Pasadena, Altadena or Sierra Madre, and missed the first lottery may submit an online application beginning January 25 at 9 am and no later than February 26 at 4 pm. Families who live outside of the PUSD boundaries can submit an Inter-district transfer request to enter PUSD at this time.
February-March 2024
Random lottery takes place in February
February 12: Lottery results are posted online on February 12, 2024 by 11:59 pm. Please note that results will not be mailed to families, so check the pusd.schoolmint.com website for your results.
February 12 - February 26: Families accepted to one of their enrollment choices accept their placement and register by February 26 at 4 pm. If you are later accepted into a higher preference school, PUSD’s enrollment office will transfer your registration.
Families are notified as seats open up at their higher preference schools.
March 12: 2nd Lottery results are posted online.
March 19: Families accepted to one of their enrollment choices during the second lottery register online by March 19 at 4 pm.
August 1: Last day that PUSD will accept applications from new to PUSD students and students who missed the earlier lotteries. Lottery participants remain on wait lists for their preferred schools until August 1, 2025, and will be notified as seats become available.
How does the Open Enrollment School Choice Process Work?
Complete an online application and list every school you prefer to your assigned neighborhood school. Families who wish to enter a school other than their assigned school of residence, a Dual Language Immersion Program, or Marshall Secondary School must participate in this process. ALL TK students must submit an Open Enrollment application. Families who want to return to their neighborhood school also complete an application.
Students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or who have accommodations through Section 504 and attend a regular classroom may participate in Open Enrollment. If a student is in a special day class or has a specific school or classroom placement because of his or her disability, please check with your IEP Team before participating in Open Enrollment to determine if your student requires special placement.
Random lottery system assigns each application a random number.
Families are notified on the Open Enrollment web page where they have been assigned from the first lottery.
Families have 2 options:
Accept their placement and register online to confirm your placement - if you are later accepted into a higher preference school, PUSD’s enrollment office will transfer your registration. OR
Leave the Open Enrollment process if you do nothing
Families who entered the second lottery are notified on the Open Enrollment web page of their placement
Register online for your assigned school AND
Be placed on wait list for every school you prefer above the assigned school
Until August 1, 2025, families on the wait lists are notified as spaces become available at a preferred school