Enrollment Process
The Basics
- All K-12 students who live within Austin ISD boundaries are guaranteed a seat at their zoned/assigned school.
- Find your zoned/assigned school using the links below:
- All families/students may apply for a general or program transfer to another school or a program at their zoned or another school. General and program transfers are based on capacity and never guaranteed. Learn more information about transfers.
- Enrollment in Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 has separate processes and policies. Some students are eligible for free Pre-K. Eligible students are prioritized for Pre-K3 and guaranteed a seat in Pre-K4. Learn more information about Pre-K enrollment procedures and policies.
- All students must apply for Pre-K3, Pre-K4, and kindergarten individually. Continuation at the same campus is prioritized but not guaranteed. The exception is students in a program such as dual language or Montessori. If a student is admitted to dual language or Montessori for Pre-K, they can continue at the same campus for Kindergarten.
- All initial enrollment, application, and re-registration is completed within Enroll Austin.
- For a family’s first enrollment in Austin ISD: Access Enroll Austin and create your parent portal account at the same time.
- For re-registration (including enrolling additional students for the first time): Log into your parent portal and select the Enroll Austin tile.
- Every student/family must register or re-register each year.
New Student Documentation
Families registering students new to Austin ISD will need to provide the following documentation either by uploading them into Enroll Austin or taking them directly to the campus:
- Child’s birth certificate, (This can also be substituted with other documents that establish the child's identity, such as a statement of the child’s date of birth issued for school admission purposes by Texas Vital Statistics, a passport, a school ID card, records or report card, a military ID, a hospital birth record, an adoption record, a church baptismal record, or any other legal document.)
- Child’s immunization records
- Child’s withdrawal form/last report card (if applicable)
- Parent/guardian photo ID
- Proof of guardianship (if applicable)
- Proof of residency
Returning Student Documentation
- Child’s immunization records (each year as updated)
- Parent/Guardian photo ID (if updated)
- Proof of guardianship (if applicable/updated)
- Proof of residency each year. (This can only be a current, within 45 days, electric bill, gas bill, lease or mortgage statement, property should be homestead)
Lottery Process
In each application, families rank the programs to which they are applying. The assignment process will attempt to match students based on their order of preference.
When a student is offered a seat at a program, the following happens:
- They will not be considered for placement at lower ranked programs for that same window. For example, a student may apply to 7 programs. If they are offered a seat to their #3 rank program, they will not be considered for programs ranked #4-7.
- They will be placed on waitlists for higher ranked programs. In the example above, a student offered a seat to their rank #3 program, would be waitlisted at programs ranked #1-2. Note that it is possible for a student to be waitlisted at all of their choices, in which case they are guaranteed a seat at their zoned school.
Students can only receive one offer. If a student receives a seat offer in Round 1 and they decline it, there is no mechanism to go back and consider other applications in Round 1. The student may move on to Round 2 applications or enroll at their zoned school.
Scenario 1
A student applies to A, B, and C. There is no capacity to accept at A, the student is offered a seat at B, and C is not processed. The outcome would be a waitlist placement for A and a seat offered at B.
Families may accept an offered seat or enroll at their zoned school while remaining on a waitlist for a more preferred option, and they can monitor waitlist movement through the parent dashboard under “Next Steps,” as well as via email notifications. A change in placement on the waitlist may occur for two reasons. 1) A student may move up the waitlist as those above them move off the waitlist, 2) a one time adjustment if a school is available in more than one round.
A student on a Round 1 waitlist may update or submit a Round 2 application. The Round 2 application does not affect the Round 1 waitlist.
A student who accepts a seat in Round 1 may also make a Round 2 application. This application does not affect the Round 1 seat. A student may only hold one seat at a time, so if they accept a Round 2 seat offer or enroll at their zoned campus, they will decline any seats previously accepted.
Scenario 2
A student applies and is accepted to their number 2 rank school, School B, in Round 1. They have a waitlist number at School A, and a seat at School B. They should accept the seat that has been granted. They may also apply to Schools C and D in Round 2, while holding the waitlist for School A and the seat for School B. If School C makes a Round 2 offer, and the student accepts, they will decline the seat at School B. They will remain on the waitlist at School A.
Once a seat is accepted, confirmation is provided by email and the student’s school assignment is changed for next year. When an offer is received, families must accept or decline it online before the expiration date. Acceptance requires submitting proof of residence and completing annual forms. Failure to respond results in automatic decline. Waitlists remain active until they close in September.