Choosing the Right School for My Child

Choosing a new school to enroll your child in is one of the most important decisions you as a parent will make. Taking the time to thoroughly vet schools will pay off by giving your child a step in the right direction towards his or her future. We have some helpful tips and advice to assist you in your decision making process.

Identify Your School Alternatives

The first step in your process of selecting a new school for your child is to identify your school options. If you live in a larger city, then your options may be numerous including both public and private schools. If you live in a rural area, then your choices may be limited. Regardless of where you live it's always a good idea to know as much as possible about the choices available to you. If you know the name of the school you'd like to get more information on, then you may want to start by finding that school's website. If you don't know the name of all the schools in your area, then you can search websites like True Schools or use your local phone book (if you still have one ;-) to find a list of schools.

When Should You Start Looking for a School?

The sooner you start vetting schools the better. Most public schools will accept new students at any time of year, but private schools or schools that offer school choice usually have restrictions on when you can register so it's always best to contact the schools directly to get more information. Public charter schools often start taking registrations at the beginning of the calendar year (January usually) for enrollment in the following school year, which starts in the fall. However, if openings are available some charter schools will accept students immediately. The best approach is after identifying the schools you'd like to consider for your child to contact each one for enrollment details.

Required Documents

Each school has its own policies regarding documents required for enrollment, but most schools require the following:

• Child's birth certificate
• Proof of residence
• Immunization records
• Prior school's contact information (if transferring), which includes name of school, address and telephone number.

How Do You Choose the Best School?

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best school for your child, and the qualities that matter to you may differ from other parents. Some qualities to conser are:

• Class size
• Teacher/student ratios
• School programs including extracurricular activities
• Location
• Discipline procedures
• Assessment scores
• Percentage of students going on to college
• Special education needs

School Choice Options

Your local school may meet certain school choice criteria in which case you may have the option of sending your child to another school within your school district. Contact your school for more details on whether school choice is an option for you.

Staying Involved

Staying involved in your child's education is important, and it starts by contacting your child's school to see which opportunities are available for you as a parent to get involved. It's also important that you attend all parent teacher conferences and review your child's report cards and ask a lot of questions.

Return to previous page