This week, parents of pre-k and kindergarten students can start preparing for the coming school year.

Garland ISD’s choice of school program for the district’s youngest students starts Monday, March 2. It will remain open until April 17.

All families new to the district must officially enroll, and choice of school will be part of the process. If the student’s home language isn’t English, they must take a language test. According to the district’s website, this allows administrators to best determine students’ needs.

The enrollment process requires parents to bring their child’s birth certificate (if available), social security card (if available), immunization records, any previous school records with a copy of your student’s Home Language Survey and proof of residency. Acceptable documents for proof of residency are a contract, lease agreement or mortgage statement, and most current water bill, gas bill or electric bill. These all must be dated within the past 30 days.

During the choice of school process, parents can rank their top three campuses they wish their child to attend. If a student is already enrolled in the district, parents can complete this via their Skyward account.

Factors that play into assigning campuses include how close a student lives to their choice, building capacity, teacher-to-student ratios, court-ordered ethnicity ratio requirements and number of students with the right to remain at their campus.

More than 96 percent of families receive their first choice

If a student lives more than two miles from campus, they may use district transportation.

Students who have accepted a seat in a magnet program do not need to participate in choice of school.

For the full story, see the Feb. 27 issue or subscribe online.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]