Transitional Kindergarten 
Transitional Kindergarten will not be offered for the 2024-25 school year. Click TK Info for more information.

Kindergarten Eligibility
Children turning five years old on or before September 1 of the coming school year are eligible to start Kindergarten.  Kindergarten is not mandatory. See Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten Eligibility FAQs for further information.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since school is mandatory for six-year-old students, parents and guardians must enroll their children in school once they reach the age of six (EC Section 48200). It is a local decision, with parental input, whether the six-year-old student will be enrolled in kindergarten or first grade. For first grade enrollment, California law requires a child to be six years old on or before September 1 for the 2014-15 school year and each school year thereafter to be legally eligible for first grade (EC Section 48010).

Can I enroll my child prior to moving within District boundaries?
No, only current District residents who have verified their residency through the accepted forms of proof required by the District may enroll.

What are the enrollment timelines?
Parents can enroll their child(ren) at any time of the year for the current school year. To enroll for the current school year, see the LCMSD Enrollment Process. 

We recently moved within District boundaries and reside near one of the elementary schools. Will our child(ren) attend our neighborhood school?
If you live within the District Attendance Parameter and space is available, your child(ren) will be placed in your neighborhood school. If space is not available in your neighborhood school, your child(ren) will be placed in the available elementary school and you may request to be placed on the wait-list to attend your neighborhood school if space becomes available. Changes will only be made within the first ten days of the start of the school year. Children living within the neighborhood parameter will have priority over children who do not.

Will my children be guaranteed placement at the same elementary school?
Yes, siblings will be offered an elementary school placement together. However, this placement may not always be at your school of choice.

How is school placement decided?
Parents have the opportunity to state a preference for a particular school during the online enrollment process. Final placement is determined based on the following District prioritized criteria:

1. Defined neighborhood parameters followed by defined attendance areas. (See Key Codes on List of Streets Within District Boundaries)
   
2. Siblings of currently enrolled students will be enrolled in the same school if they choose. The currently enrolled sibling must be in attendance at the school when the new enrollee enters the school.
   
3. Facility capacity and class size. 

Should the school of choice not be available at the time of placement, students will be placed on a wait-list. Wait-listed students will be placed via lottery following the above District prioritized criteria.

When will I be notified of my child’s elementary school placement?
Notification of elementary student placement will be according to the registration window and round notification timelines (see details below). Wait-list requests will be reviewed at each round of notification, and placements will be made accordingly. Notification will only be provided when space is available. If you are not notified, you will remain on the wait-list. 

• For enrollments after July 31, notification will be as soon as possible, prior to the first day of school in August.
• Final wait-list adjustments will be made by the 10^th day of the start of the new school year. 

How can I place my child on the wait-list for either elementary school? 
Parents identify their school of preference during the online enrollment process. At that time they also indicate if they would like to be placed on a wait-list if their school of preference is not available.

Will all my children on the wait-list be placed at the same time?
It is the District’s desire to keep siblings together whenever possible. If one child has a space at the school of choice and the other child(ren) do not, parents have a choice. They may choose to stay at the school where there is space for all siblings to attend, or they may choose to accept the opening for the child at the school of choice and remain on the wait-list for the other child(ren).

What happens when space becomes available at the school of choice?
When you are notified that space for your child is available at your school of preference, you will have 72 hours to respond to the District with your decision. If you decide not to accept the space or do not respond, the District will move down the list in order of priority to the next student on the wait-list.

What if my child currently attends Neil Cummins or The Cove school but wishes to change their school?
At the time enrollment opens up for the upcoming school year (typically mid-January), parents may request an Intradistrict School Transfer for the following school year by completing an Intradistrict Transfer Request Form. The completed form must be received by the District Office for review. All completed forms will be logged in the order in which they are received and parents will be notified at the close of Round 1 if the request can or cannot be accommodated.