Application Periods and Directions
School choice policies:
The application link is below the "School Choice Applications Directions" section on this page.
About School Choice
Not sure you need to apply? Situations when applications are required and not required
When applications are not required:
- Students who wish to enroll at or return to their designated neighborhood school for the next school year do not need to submit an application. Contact the designated neighborhood school before school begins to enroll the student for the next school year.
- A student who has moved out of a designated neighborhood attendance area for a school can remain enrolled through all grades served at that school and should reach out to the school’s registrar. Parents/legal guardians will need to provide transportation for their students to that school.
- Students who intend to remain at their current school choice school for the next year do not need to reapply.
- District employees who wish to enroll their child in a district neighborhood school that is not their student’s designated neighborhood school for the next school year should reach out the school’s registrar.
When applications are required:
- A school choice application must be submitted for each student and for each school to attend a school that is not a student’s designated neighborhood school or to attend a choice-only school. This includes siblings and multiple birth siblings (i.e. twins, triplets, etc.)
- Students on a school's waitlist who have not yet received a seat offer must reapply for consideration for the next school year.
- Students who wish to change schools or return to their designated neighborhood school after the school year has started must follow the School Choice application process.
- Students changing levels for the next school year (elementary to middle school or middle school to high school) and would like to attend the next level that is not their designated neighborhood school must follow the School Choice application process.
- If a seat offer is rejected or automatically declined due to no response, parents/legal guardians can reapply to the school.
- District employees who wish to enroll their child in a district option school program that does not have a neighborhood attendance area, must follow the School Choice application process. Option program schools are Harris and Traut Elementary Schools; Kinard Middle School; Polaris Expeditionary Learning School and Poudre Global Academy.
- District employees who wish to change schools for their students after the school year has started must follow the School Choice application process.
Acceptance, Eligibility and Transportation
PSD’s K-12 school choice program allows families to select the school they feel best meets their child’s educational needs. Acceptance is subject to space availability and eligibility requirements. Submitting a school choice application does not guarantee enrollment at any school applied for.
- Centennial High School and Poudre Community Academy are alternative schools that use a separate application process; therefore, the school choice application process is not applicable for these schools. Contact those schools directly for more information.
- Charter Schools operate independently from PSD and have their own school choice process. Please contact the charter schools directly about school choice.
- Does not apply to early childhood programming.
- Round-trip transportation is the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian for School Choice students. For more information: District Policy JFBA Choice/Open /Enrollment | PSD Transportation website.
Kindergarten and School Choice
Parents/legal guardians must register students entering kindergarten at their designated PSD neighborhood school, even if an application is pending for choice/open enrollment. Please refer to District Policy JEB for age requirements for kindergarten in PSD.
- Registering at the PSD designated neighborhood school does not impact a pending school choice application or potential seat offers from a choice school or program.
- Online registration for the 2025-26 school year will open Monday, Nov. 4, for parents/legal guardians to register their incoming PSD kindergartner.
- In-person registration is available anytime for families at neighborhood elementary schools. A designated kindergarten registration day at PSD schools will be held Wednesday, Dec. 4. Contact your student’s neighborhood school for school hours.
- Parents are encouraged to register online or in-person by Dec. 4 to allow schools to determine their classroom sizes, staffing needs and the number of school choice seats they can offer.
School Choice Application Periods
First-Round Application Period
First-round school choice applications are processed through a lottery, rather than on a first-come, first-served basis, to determine order within the application's priority ranking.
All first-round school choice applications are based on space availability and eligibility requirements.
The first-round application period for the current 2024-25 school year is closed.
The first-round application period for the 2025-26 school year (next school year) will open Nov. 4, 2024, and will close at 4 p.m. on Monday, Dec.16, 2024.
Staff are available to support parents and legal guardians with their school choice applications Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. MST, excluding days when the school district is closed. It is highly encouraged that families submit their school choice applications well before the first-round application period closes at 4 p.m. on Dec. 16 as no extension to the deadline will be granted.
- Seat offers and waitlist notifications are scheduled to be sent the week of Jan. 5, 2025.
Second-Round Application Period
Second-round applications are based on priority ranking and the date and time of when the application was submitted. Applications are placed on the waitlist after any first-round applicants within their applicable priority ranking.
The second-round application period for the current 2024-25 school year is open and will close Friday, May 2, 2025.
- This is for families who wish to change schools after the current school year has started.
The second-round application period for the 2025-26 school year (next school year) will open mid-January 2025 through early May 2026. Exact dates will be posted closer to January.
- This is for families who missed applying during the first-round for the next school year.
School Choice Application Directions
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Apply for School Choice Here |
If you have an existing account, you do not need to create a new one. After logging in, you'll be prompted to update existing information.
If you don't have an existing account, you'll need to create one.
You must complete the application in full, which takes about 15 minutes (per application). An incomplete, partially filled-out application can't be saved.
Application Steps:
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For new accounts only - begin by completing the guardian demographic questionnaire to create a Family Dashboard.
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For residents of PSD, please follow the directions regarding entering the parent/guardian address.
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- Once the Family Dashboard is created, student(s) may be added to the account.
- If you are submitting applications for multiple students or multiple birth siblings (twins, triplets, etc.), each student will need to be added to the Family Dashboard.
- If the student is currently enrolled in a K-12 PSD school, please enter their PSD ID#. If you do not know your student’s PSD ID#, contact your student’s current K-12 PSD school or visit ParentVUE.
- Please note: Currently enrolled students DOES NOT include students enrolled at PSD charter schools.
- If you have a new student to PSD, you do not need a PSD ID # to proceed in the application process.
- Students can only be attached to one parent/legal guardian account. Duplicate accounts for the same student are not allowed.
- Periodically log into your account to check your Family Dashboard for updates.
- Once students are added to the Family Dashboard, school choice applications can be submitted when the application period is open.
- When applying to multiple schools, you can't rank or place them in order of preference.
- Duplicate applications for the same student are not allowed and could result in the denial of the applications.
- The school choice application process is intended for applying for the next grade level only, it is not to be used to retain a student for the same grade level for the following school year.
- Priority ranking (Policy JFBA) is determined based on information provided on the application.
- After completing and submitting a school choice application, a confirmation email will be sent from scribonline@scribsoft.com (add this email to your list of safe senders since this is used for communication).
- The confirmation email is proof of submission.
- Once an application is submitted, parents/legal guardians are not able to make changes.
- Parents/legal guardians are responsible for applying for the correct school year and for completing the School Choice application correctly with accurate information.
- If an address has changed or the incorrect grade was entered on an application after it has been submitted, please email choice@psdschools.org for directions regarding updating the parent and student profile.
- A new school choice application will need to be submitted once profiles are updated to ensure the priority ranking is correct.
- Incorrect applications will be withdrawn.
Notifications, Transfers and Withdrawing
Notifications and Seat Offer Process
Comprehensive information about the seat offer process is available in these documents: Seat Offer Process | Español Seat Offer process.
- For information about the status of a school choice application or space availability at a school, please contact that school directly.
- Seat offers are based on space availability and continue until all seats are filled. Parents/legal guardians should frequently check email and log into their account to view the family dashboard for updates, particularly during the notification period.
- Parents/legal guardians have five week days (M-F, including holidays and other school closure days) to accept or reject the seat offer. Day one begins on the week day that the notification is sent.
- Parents/legal guardians can respond to a seat offer online by accessing their Family Dashboard.
- If responding to a seat offer by cell phone, scroll to the side where the student application (s) are listed to see the "Accept" or "Reject" buttons.
- To confirm a response to a seat offer, access your Family Dashboard.
- If a seat offer is rejected or automatically declined due to no response, this cannot be reversed. Parents/guardians can reapply to the school. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to respond to seat offer notifications before the stated deadline. No exceptions are made.
- If a seat is currently not available, applicants are placed on a school’s waitlist. Students remain on waitlists until a seat is offered or until the waiting list is purged, which occurs annually.
- When you apply for school choice, and a seat is offered and you accept the seat, you are declining your student's seat at their PSD neighborhood school for the following school year. The neighborhood school may then offer your student's seat to a school choice applicant.
- Per district policy JFBA Choice /Open Enrollment: Students must commit and plan to remain in the school or program of choice for at least the remainder of the school year for which the student was admitted. Students who wish to return to their neighborhood school or attend a different school after the school year has started must follow the School Choice application process.
Changing Schools After School Year Has Started
- Students who wish to return to their designated neighborhood school or attend a different school after the school year has started must follow the School Choice application process.
- Refer to District Policy JFBA Choice/Open Enrollment for more information.
Leaving a School of Choice School
- Students who leave a school of choice school or program during a current school year and wish to return the next school year must submit a new School Choice application for the student to be considered to return.