Q: How old does my child have to be to attend school?
A: Children who are five years old on or before September 1, are eligible to enter kindergarten.

Q: What if my child is not five years old by September 1 and I still want him/her to attend school?
A: If your child will turn five between September 2 and October 31, your child is eligible for consideration for early admission to kindergarten. Minneapolis Public Schools also has pre-kindergarten options.

Q: Do I have a better chance of getting into our first school preference if I apply early?
A: No. All request cards received by the February 19 deadline are treated equally.

Q: Is my child guaranteed acceptance into one of my requested schools?
A: Yes, if your child is entering kindergarten, you submit your request card by February 19, and one of your requested schools is your community school. If you select a school other than your community school, you are not guaranteed a space at that school. Some schools receive more requests than spaces available, which is why it is so important to meet the request deadline.

Q: Will my kindergarten student be guaranteed all-day kindergarten?
A: No. Some schools only offer all-day kindergarten, while other schools offer both all- and half-day kindergarten. Please see schools at a glance for a list of kindergarten options or call the schools directly to determine what kindergarten sessions are offered. Individual school sites determine which students are placed in morning, afternoon or all-day kindergarten.

Q: Do we have to reapply to remain in the same school next year?
A: No. Once your child is enrolled in a school, he/she is assured a space for each year of the grade levels in the school. This policy does not apply to High Five programs. Families with a child in High Five must complete a request card for kindergarten.

Q: Who is a sibling and what is sibling preference?
A: All children living in the same household are considered siblings. To qualify for sibling preference, the older or younger sibling must be continuously enrolled in a school before the new sibling is granted preference at the same school. Sibling preference does not apply to students enrolled in city-wide special education or pre-kindergarten programs.

Q: How does sibling preference affect school choice?
A: A family must have a child already enrolled at a school who must continue to be enrolled at that school to receive sibling preference. Requests for sibling preference are honored before other requests, if there is space.

Q: If one of my children is in the school’s highest grade this year and I want my younger child to attend that school next year, does the younger child get sibling preference?
A: No. Both children must be attending the school at the same time for the younger child to enter that school with sibling preference.

Q: How can we improve our chances of getting into a particular school within our attendance area?
A: These things will help:
• Send in your request card by February 19, 2013.
• Apply when your child will be entering the youngest grade level offered by the school. This is the time when the most openings are available.
• List your preferred school first on the request card.
• Apply to your community school.

Q: What happens if my child doesn’t get into our first school preference?
A: Your child’s name will be placed in a waiting pool for that school. If space opens up before or during the school year and your child’s name is next on the waiting list, you will be notified and given the opportunity to enroll your child in that school. The waiting pools expire May 1 of each school year. Your child will automatically be placed in your second school preference if space is available.

Q: What if my child is already enrolled in a school and wants to attend another school for the next school year?
A: Elementary, K-8 and middle school families must send in a new request card by February 19, 2013, in order to request a school change for the following year.

Q: What is an attendance area?
A: An attendance area is the geographic area around a school from which students are eligible to receive bus transportation to the school unless they are in the walk zone. Magnet schools serve entire attendance zones encompassing many neighborhoods and communities.

Q: Can I apply to a school outside of my attendance area?
A: Yes, but students who live within that school’s attendance area will be placed first and you will not receive busing. You must sign a transportation waiver agreeing to transport your child to and from school. If your first preference is outside your attendance area, it is strongly recommended that your second preference be in your attendance area.

Q: What type of childcare is available for elementary students?
A: Minneapolis Kids and Minneapolis Public Schools have partnered to provide Minneapolis Kids School Age Care sites on a year-round basis at various locations. There are also many private and public childcare programs throughout the city. See Minnesota Childcare: www.mnchildcare.org

Q: Who is eligible to ride a school bus?
A: Generally, an elementary school student is eligible for transportation if the student lives within the school attendance area and outside the school walk zone (one-half mile or less) from school. Middle school students who live within a school’s attendance area will receive bus transportation if they live more than one mile from the school.

Q: Can my child attend a school based on his/her daycare address rather than our home address ?
A: Yes, but in order for the child to be bused to and from daycare, the daycare address must be within that school’s attendance area. Priority placement is given to those families who live within that school’s attendance area. If you live outside of a school’s attendance area but your daycare is located in the attendance area, you may be granted admission to the school if space remains after all attendance area requests are honored. Transportation is not provided to addresses (home or daycare) located outside of a school’s attendance area.

Q: My child has special needs. What services are available?
A: Minneapolis Public Schools offers a wide range of Special Education programs and services. If you have general questions about special education, please call 612.668.0673.

Q: What gifted and talented programs are available?
A: Most elementary schools offer gifted and talented academic programs. Please ask the individual schools about their programs.