Enrolling Your Child

Explore opportunities in District 196! Enrollment is available for families who live within District 196 boundaries, or are eligible to attend through an approved open enrollment or program option.

DISTRICT 196 RESIDENTs

Students living in District 196 can begin the registration process to attend their neighborhood school by following these steps (this process is for new K-12 enrollments). Before you begin, confirm your school by using our School Locator Tool.

1 - Complete Pre-registration Online

2 - Locate Required Documents

Please ensure you have the following items to complete your student's registration.

A birth certificate, passport or other evidence of your child’s age.
A copy of your child’s current immunization record, medical exemption or conscientious objection.
Proof of early childhood screening (if your child was not screened in District 196). If your child has not been through the screening process, please visit our early childhood screening page and call 651-423-7899 to set up an appointment.
School year childcare information, if applicable, including name, address and phone number of your childcare provider for transportation purposes.

3 - Complete Additional Forms

Additional Enrollment Options

Magnet Schools

Magnet schools are public schools organized around specialized themes. District 196 has magnet options for elementary, middle, and high school.

Applications are due in December or January for the following school year.

magnet schooL APPLICATIONS

Open Enrollment

If you live outside of the District 196 attendance boundaries, you can complete an Open Enrollment application to attend one of our schools.

Applications are due Jan. 15 for the following school year.

OPEN ENROLLMENT APPLICATION

Intra-District Transfer

Students can transfer from one school to another within District 196 (intra-district transfer). Review our Attendance Priorities for Transfer Students.

Applications are due Dec. 15 for the following school year.

intra-district transfeR APPLICATION

Related Information

Kindergarten eligibility

A child is eligible for kindergarten if he or she will be 5 years old on or before September 1 of the year he or she will begin school.

Early entrance guidelines are available for parents wishing to enroll students who do not meet the age requirement. Parents may also call 651-423-7739 for more information on early entrance to kindergarten.
Minnesota requires that all children complete a free screening to detect any health and/or developmental concerns prior to entering kindergarten in a public school. District 196 encourages early childhood screening between three and four years of age. This allows time for a preschool experience or other social/educational opportunities to benefit the child. Please contact Early Childhood Screening at 651-423-7899 for more information.

Learn more about Kindergarten at District 196 >

Before- and after-school child care

Sport physical and eligibility

Transportation

Busing is provided for students who live one mile and farther from school for elementary students and 1.5 miles and farther for middle school and high school students. These service distance criteria also apply to students attending the district’s magnet schools and all non-public school students. Visit the Transportation Department page for more information or call 651-423-7685.

Student Census

Census data is required to enroll your child into District 196. It also helps ensure an accurate count of district residents which is used to forecast future school attendance growth and boundary information. If you have questions about the census form or the requested data, contact the Student Information Department.

If a parent or guardian lives at a different address than the primary household, complete the Additional Family Household Census Information form: English, Spanish, Somali

Preschool Registration

Resources

Email your completed forms to census@district196.org.

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