Petaluma City Schools
Developing Effective Communicators & Critical Thinkers
- Petaluma City Schools
- Enrollment FAQs
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Enrollment Frequently Asked Questions
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What is my "school of residence" or "neighborhood school"?
Your school of residence/neighborhood school is the school that you are zoned to based on your home address. To find out what yours is, follow the steps below.
- Determine your District of Residence by using the Sonoma County District & Elected Official Lookup. (Demonstration video for the Sonoma County District & Elected Official Lookup) If you see "Petaluma City School District" that means Petaluma City Schools (PCS) is your District of Residence for grades TK-6. If you see "Petaluma Joint Union High School District" that means PCS is your District of Residence for grades 7-12. If you see both listed, that means PCS is your District of Residence for grades TK-12. If you don't see either listed, that means you will need an interdistrict or employment-related transfer to attend a PCS school.
- If PCS is your District of Residence, you will next need to determine your School of Residence. Use one of the following methods depending on what grade your student will be in:
- For elementary school (grades TK-6), please use the Elementary School Finder. Type in your address and select your grade. (Please note: If you select TK and live in the Grant Zone, it will not show a School of Residence because Grant does not have a TK program, so you may want to select a grade between K-6 to verify.) You should see a box that says, "This is your neighborhood school" in it as shown below. If you do not see that box, the finder is indicating that you do not live in the PCS Elementary District.
- For secondary school (grades 7-12), please use the PCS Street School Lookup to determine your School of Residence. This document provides a listing of streets within Petaluma and their corresponding districts of residence or neighborhood schools. This information is for general guidance only, please feel free to call or email the district office for further questions: 707-778-4813 or communications@petk12.org.
- For elementary school (grades TK-6), please use the Elementary School Finder. Type in your address and select your grade. (Please note: If you select TK and live in the Grant Zone, it will not show a School of Residence because Grant does not have a TK program, so you may want to select a grade between K-6 to verify.) You should see a box that says, "This is your neighborhood school" in it as shown below. If you do not see that box, the finder is indicating that you do not live in the PCS Elementary District.
Is your school of choice not your neighborhood school?
Enroll your student in a school outside of your residential zone through an Intradistrict Transfer -
When is the priority registration window for 2022-23?
The priority registration window for 2022-23 opens on January 7th, 2022 and closes on February 25th, 2022.
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What do "priority registration" and "priority enrollment" mean?
Priority registration/enrollment is a period of time that begins when registration opens and typically goes until the end of February. Families who apply during this time get a little more priority than those who apply after. Some elementary schools can fill up at certain grades, so the priority window can be very important for grades TK-6.The priority enrollment window does not have much of an impact on secondary (7-12) enrollment. However, the priority window can be important at smaller 7-8 programs (such as Mary Collins at Cherry Valley and Petaluma Accelerated Charter) that may fill up. -
What is the age range for Transitional Kindergarten?
Check our Transitional Kindergarten (TK) page for the most up-to-date information about the age range for TK.
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Can I apply to more than one elementary school?
Yes! During the application process, you will have a chance to select up to three schools and rank them in your preferred order.
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Does my student need a transfer? If so, how do I know what kind?
To determine if you need a transfer, you will first need to know what your District and School of Residence are. You can find out more about that on our Find Your School page.
To find out more about transfers please visit our District Transfer Information page.
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My student is currently enrolled at a PCS school but I'm considering a different PCS school for next year. What do I do?
- Make sure you are enrolled specifically at one of Petaluma City Schools' sites. There are several different elementary school districts in Petaluma so this is important. You can check our School Directory page here and if your school is listed, you're in the PCS District!
- If your student is enrolled at a PCS school and you wish to transfer, you will need to fill out a transfer form. The type of transfer will depend on where you live. Find out more about transfers and download the appropriate form on our District Transfer page.
- If you are not enrolled at a PCS school, please complete our Enrollment Process!
- If you have any questions, email our Communications Coordinator at communications@petk12.org.