Open Enrollment

This section applies to students currently enrolled in a school within the SCUSD boundaries.

Complete the OE Application:

1. Log in to our online registration system, School Mint
   • The username will be your email address or mobile number. 
   • If you forget your username or password use the “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password” link on the login page.
   • If you are experiencing difficulties logging in contact the Enrollment Center at enrollment@scusd.net or 408-423-3596.
2. On your Student Dashboard click “Edit New Student Application” or "Add New Student Application" next to the name of the student you will be completing the application for
3. Select “2025-2026”, choose your student’s name, enter the student’s information, and click “Next”
4. Select “Open Enrollment”, and click “Next”
5. Select the school you wish to apply to, and click “Next” (Note: Schools may not be listed alphabetically) 
6. Complete the OE Application, and click “Next”
7. Review your OE Application, and click “Submit”

Once the OE Application is submitted, you will see the status of your application as “submitted” on your Student Dashboard.

Your application will not affect your enrollment at your home school until you decline or accept an OE offer.

*Note: When applying for OE and reporting "sibling status" (i.e. a sibling is already enrolled at the school of choice; or was enrolled at the school of choice) please be advised that the connecting link in the database to establish sibling status is the "siblings permanent identification number." If you are unsure of the sibling's permanent identification number, please contact the school office where the sibling is currently attending.

This section applies to students NOT currently attending SCUSD.

Prior to applying for OE, new students must register through our centralized Enrollment Center. Only registered SCUSD students for 2025-2026 are eligible to apply for OE.

If you do not know your school of residence, please refer to the district's School Locator webpage. You can visit the Enrollment Instructions webpage for more information about the registration process.

1. Determine your school of residence using the School Locator
2. Register online through our online registration system to obtain your permanent student number
   • Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year opens December 2, 2024.
3. Wait to receive your permanent student number from the Enrollment Center.
   • This can take up to three to five business days from the date you submit your child’s registration form
   • Families of students already attending school in Santa Clara Unified will need to obtain their child's permanent student number from the school their child is currently attending.
4. Complete the OE Application by login into our online registration system, School Mint
   • The username will be your email address or mobile number. 
   • If you forget your username or password use the “Forgot Username” or “Forgot Password” link on the login page.
   • If you are experiencing difficulties logging in contact the Enrollment Center at enrollment@scusd.net or 408-423-3596.
5. On your Student Dashboard click “Edit New Student Application” or "Add New Student Application" next to the name of the student you will be completing the application for
6. Select “2025-2025”, choose your student’s name, enter the student’s information, and click “Next”
7. Select “Open Enrollment”, and click “Next”
8. Select the school you wish to apply to, and click “Next” (Note: Schools may not be listed alphabetically) 
9. Complete the OE Application, and click “Next”
10. Review your OE Application, and click “Submit”

Once the OE Application is submitted, you will see the status of your application as “submitted” on your Student Dashboard.

Your application will not affect your enrollment at your home school until you decline or accept an OE offer.

*Note: When applying for OE and reporting "sibling status" (i.e. a sibling is already enrolled at the school of choice; or was enrolled at the school of choice) please be advised that the connecting link in the database to establish sibling status is the "siblings permanent identification number." If you are unsure of the sibling's permanent identification number, please contact the school office where the sibling is currently attending.

Application Period: January 8, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. - February 7, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Families may submit one application per student for kindergarten through 12th grade. Although the date of your application does not affect your chances in the lottery, we encourage you to begin the application process as early as possible in case you need assistance. 

You do not need to submit an OE application if you would like your child to attend their school of residence. 

Notification Period 

Once the application period closes, all applications are entered into a random lottery system. Families will be contacted with an offer or a waitlist number through their preferred method of contact listed in their online enrollment account (email and/or text). Notifications will sent no later than end of day:

• High School: February 24, 2025
• Middle School: February 26, 2025
• Elementary School: March 10, 2025

If you receive an OE acceptance letter, responses are due within 5 days of the offer. 

Application Period: April 1, 2025 at 9 a.m. and closes on the first day of school at 4 p.m.

The Late Application Period for OE allows families a second opportunity to apply for Open Enrollment. Students on a current Open Enrollment waitlist who desire a second choice or students who missed the deadline for Open Enrollment may apply during this period. Applications received during this period will be placed on the current waitlist in the order received. Only one application per student will be accepted during the Late Application Period. 

Students may be on two waitlists, however, once a family accepts an OE offer they are removed from all waitlists.  

Students are offered placement based on space availability. If you receive an Open Enrollment acceptance letter, your confirmation response is due within 5 days of the offer.

To complete a Late Open Enrollment Application follow the “Step-By-Step Guide” in the “Open Enrollment Instructions” section above. Once the Late Open Enrollment Application is submitted, you will see the status of your application as “submitted” on your Student Dashboard. The Enrollment Center will send the parent/guardian an email by May 1, 2025, with your child's waitlist number. 

Late applications will not be accepted after this time.

Board Policy 5116.12 outlines lottery priorities, which include: 

1. Siblings of students who will be enrolled at the same school for the subsequent school year.
2. Students currently attending the school through the Overload process and who apply for Open Enrollment during designated Open Enrollment windows
3. The children of employees who work at the school.

4. The children of other employees.

As long as the employee privilege remains in place, siblings of employees’ children attending district schools will be afforded the same priority status as resident siblings.

Note: Twins applying to the same school must be entered separately and will each receive a lottery number. When applying, also check the "Twins" box and enter the Permanent Student Number of the sibling twin.

Elementary choice programs offer online or in-person information sessions for new families. Middle and high schools offer transition to 6th and 9th grade information sessions. All information sessions can be viewed here:  Information Session Dates and Times online.  

Acceptance into elementary schools or programs of choice is determined by a random lottery. Families wishing to enroll their child at a School of Choice are encouraged to attend a parent information session and must apply for OE. 

Don Callejon Arts and Design School 

Don Callejon Arts and Design School (DCADS) is a transitional kindergarten (TK) through 8th grade school with an emphasis on combining technical design, visual and performing arts along with an academic curriculum to create the perfect environment for budding artists and entrepreneurs to flourish. Families can expect a curriculum that goes beyond traditional boundaries, encouraging students to explore various artistic mediums, from painting and choral elements to digital design and multimedia. For more information, please attend a family information session or visit the DCADS website. 

Millikin Basics+ Elementary School

Millikin School is a K-5 alternative school, providing a program that stresses the teaching of basic education fundamentals, using established teaching techniques in a structured environment. The instructional model for students is through direct group instruction. The school philosophy is committed to a major daily emphasis on reading, math, and language arts taught at grade level. For more information, please attend a Family Information Session or visit the Millikin website.

Scott Lane Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program 

SCUSD launched its first Spanish Dual Language (DLI) Program K-5 at Scott Lane in the fall of 2020. The goals of DLI programs are to develop bilingualism/biliteracy, academic achievement, and cross-cultural competencies for all students. The DLI programs include native English-speaking students and native speakers of a foreign language. For more information, please attend a Family Information Session or visit the Scott Lane website.

Washington Open Elementary School (Parent Participation School) 

Washington Open is a K-5 parent-participation school that nurtures the whole child, offering a collaborative community that allows for a rich variety of hands-on, real-world learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom. We balance academic, social, physical, and emotional needs while encouraging creativity, curiosity, and a life-long love of learning. For more information, please attend a Family Information Session or visit the Washington Open website.

49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI)

The 49ers STEM Leadership Institute (SLI) provides a multi-year STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) enrichment, skills training, & leadership development across middle and high school. For information about the application process for the SLI program at Cabrillo Middle School (7th-8th grade) and Santa Clara High School (9th-12th grade) please visit the 49ers SLI website.

Don Callejon Arts and Design School 

Don Callejon Arts and Design School (DCADS) is a transitional kindergarten (TK) through 8th grade school with an emphasis on combining technical design, visual and performing arts along with an academic curriculum to create the perfect environment for budding artists and entrepreneurs to flourish. Families can expect a curriculum that goes beyond traditional boundaries, encouraging students to explore various artistic mediums, from painting and choral elements to digital design and multimedia. For more information, please attend a family information session or visit the DCADS website.

Mission Early College High School (MECHS)

Mission Early College High School is a dual enrollment partnership between Santa Clara Unified School District and West Valley-Mission Community College District that provides a learning environment which enables students to rediscover their love for learning, foster an appreciation for diversity, take responsibility for their education and lives, and develop the habit of mind of continual self-reflection. For more information about Mission Early College High School applications, please visit the MECHS website.

Peterson+

Peterson+ is an alternative 6th grade program that serves as a one year transition from a Basics approach to the eventual heterogeneous format found in Santa Clara Unified's other middle and  high schools. Peterson+ provides a different approach to 6th grade curriculum in Reading, Language Arts, and Social Studies.

• Science is taught to all 6th grade students by teachers who hold Single Subject teaching credentials in Science.
• Math classes for all 6th grade students will be determined by a "multiple measures matrix" placement.

The Peterson+ (6th grade) lottery will open at 9 a.m. on March 17, 2025, and end at 4 p.m. on March 28, 2025. To submit an application for Peterson+ follow the Step-By-Step Guide under the Open Enrollment Instructions. 

 If you live outside the Peterson Middle School boundaries, before entering the Peterson+ lottery, you must first apply and be accepted for open enrollment to Peterson Middle School.

For more information about the program and the application timeline, please visit the Peterson+ webpage.

Please direct any enrollment questions to the Enrollment Center at enrollment@scusd.net or (408) 423-3596.

Students on an Intradistrict Transfer must apply for the opportunity to continue at that school for the following school year through the OE process. Only students accepted to a school through the OE process are guaranteed placement for the following year. Once a student is accepted through OE, the choice school becomes the student’s permanent placement through the grade span served at that school.

• A School of Choice is a specialized school/program where enrollment is based on the Open Enrollment lottery.  Kindergarten offers are based on the Student to Teacher ratio. Offers for grades 1-5, vary and are dependent on the number of current students who disenroll from the school/program and Student to Teacher ratio.
• Neighborhood Schools are schools with attendance boundaries. To find your neighborhood school, please refer to the district's School Locator webpage. OE offers to neighborhood schools vary as students who reside within the school boundary must first be accommodated. 

• For a School of Choice your child’s OE waitlist number indicates how many students must withdraw/decline an offer from the program before an offer can be made to your child.
• For Neighborhood Schools we closely monitor current enrollment numbers and historical trends. Students may not be offered a seat until enrollment numbers become more accurate which may be closer to the beginning of the school year.