School Placement & Transfers

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Your school assignment is determined by your home address, known as your neighborhood school.
Elementary schools are grouped into clusters that feed into the same middle and high schools. If your neighborhood school is full, your student may be overflowed to another school in your cluster. They will automatically be waitlisted for your neighborhood school and will have the opportunity to move back if a spot opens. See the full placement policy [Enrollment provisions 5116.3 AR].

Important: Transitional kindergarten does not follow the neighborhood school placement process.

The Priority Registration timeframe is only for kindergarten students. If you complete kindergarten registration during this timeframe, students will receive equal priority placement at their neighborhood school.

After-school care is run by private companies, not the school district. If your child is overflowed to a different school, you should contact the after-school care provider near that school right away.

When Will I Find Out My Student’s School Placement?

If registration is completed during the Priority Registration timeframe notifications will be sent out as follows:

Kindergarten: by mid May.
Grades 1-5 and Transitional Kindergarten: by June.
Grades 6-12: late March to early April.

Students who register after June will receive their placements on a rolling basis as registration is processed.

Signing up after the school year starts? You will be notified of your placement within one week prior to your students first day of school.

Find your neighborhood school with School Finder.

School Priority
Choice Programs

School Priority

Students are assigned to a school by the PAUSD Registration Services office (at the PAUSD district office). Placement is prioritized as follows:

All registrations within the Priority Registration dates, are assigned equal priority for school placements:

Kindergarten: Notifications of school assignments are sent by early May.
Grades 6-12: Notifications of school assignments are sent by late March/Early April.

Post Priority Registrations

School Placement is based on the date registration is complete:

If registration is completed after Priority Registration closes, but before the school year starts, notification of school assignment are sent by: late May for grades 1-5 and early April for grade 6-12.
If registration is completed after the school year has started, notification of school assignment is done within one week prior to student's first day of school.

Choice Programs

Students are generally assigned to attend their neighborhood school; transfers are limited to special circumstances (details in the below School Transfers section).

However, PAUSD offers several Choice Programs at the elementary and middle school levels. For more information on the Choice Programs and the process for requesting enrollment, go to the Choice Programs web page.

School Transfers

Please submit all transfer requests to Registration Services or call (650) 329-3707 with any questions.

Transfers Within PAUSD

The 2026-27 transfer request window is currently closed. Transfer requests submitted after the school year has begun may be considered on a case-by-case basis and for special circumstances only.

Intradistrict transfer requests for the 2027-28 school year will be accepted for current PAUSD students starting on January 7, 2027, and ending on February 19, 2027.

All requests to transfer to a non-neighborhood school are subject to space availability.

Intradistrict Transfer Form

2026-27 School Year Notifications of decisions

Grades 6-12 will be completed by the end of April.

Elementary decisions can be communicated by the end of July, throughout the summer, and up to 5 days prior to the start of the new school year.

If you have any questions, please contact Registration Services or call 650-329-3707.

Transfers Into PAUSD

The Interdistrict Transfer window into PAUSD for the 26-27 school year is closed.

California mandates that students attend the public school district where their parent/guardian resides (District of Residence). Families living outside PAUSD boundaries (or RCSD boundaries for Tinsley (VTP) students) must first obtain an Interdistrict Transfer approval from their home district. If approved, the request is forwarded to PAUSD for processing.

PAUSD accepts Interdistrict Transfer requests for the 2027-2028 school year from December 7, 2026, to February 19, 2027.

Due to continued high volume of transfer requests, PAUSD does not anticipate approving any Interdistrict Transfers other than those that qualify per Board Policy 5117 and accompanying Administrative Regulation, which include the Project Search program, PAUSD employee program (80% or more employed), Junior / Senior privilege, and Hardship (documentation supporting evidence of the Hardship, from a professional or agency, must be included).

Notification for requests received during the open window timeframe will be provided no later than 14 days after instruction begins for the school year requested.

Appeals and Revocation:

California Education Code 46601(a) allows parents 30 calendar days to appeal decisions to the county board of education. For more information, visit the Santa Clara County Office of Education website.
The district reserves the right to deny, revoke, or rescind an agreement if a student does not maintain acceptable attendance or behavior.

Transfers Out of PAUSD

Students who live within the boundaries of PAUSD, and would like to attend school in another district, must first submit a PAUSD Interdistrict Transfer Request to the PAUSD Registration Services office. Transfers must be approved by PAUSD before submission to the district desired. Please note that proof of residence, in the form of a current property tax or lease agreement, is required in addition to the form; if neither of these documents exist, please call Registration Services at (650) 329-3707 to determine a document that will be acceptable.
Gardner Bullis Elementary School: PAUSD has a joint arrangement with the Los Altos School District for PAUSD families living in Los Altos Hills to request 5-year transfers (additional 2 years if needed through 6th grade) to Gardner Bullis Elementary School. Gardner Bullis school is located at 25890 Fremont Road, Los Altos Hills, CA. If you have a K-6 student and wish to consider this alternative, complete a PAUSD Gardner Bullis Interdistrict Transfer Request and submit it to the PAUSD Registration Services office.

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