California Department of Education — enrollment information and district referral
Education agency function; provider and jurisdiction must be verified.[2] Reviewed public-school enrollment or registration information and official education-agency district referrals. It does not establish an individual student’s eligibility or completed intake.[4]
Source checked October 26, 2026[1]Opens this office’s own website. CountyWiki does not process applications, take payments or provide personal records.
Contact details & office locations ↓Online services & information
Use the links below for official services and provider information. Check each service’s instructions and service area.
Read how intradistrict and interdistrict transfers differ, then contact the relevant school district. CDE does not decide ordinary district transfers.
Service area: Shared California public-school enrollment and transfer guidance with local-district referrals for users statewide; a school directory or district boundary does not determine an individual school assignment. [2]
Before you start
- Availability · Public education access versus a particular school assignment
- Although students have the right under California law to a free, public education, the law does not guarantee that a student can attend the school of his or her choice, or even the neighborhood school. [8]
- Eligibility & access · Interdistrict transfer; not ordinary district registration
- Interdistrict transfer/reciprocal agreement must be approved by both the student’s original district of residence and the district to which the student seeks to transfer to. Both districts must approve the agreement before it becomes valid. [9]
- Appeals · CDE-described interdistrict denial appeal; verify notice and local process
- If a request for an interdistrict transfer/reciprocal agreement is denied, the student’s parents/guardians may file an appeal to the county office of education in the student’s district of residence within 30 days of receipt of the official notice of denial of the transfer. [10]
Search the official directory for the school or district to contact about enrollment. Directory entries, city/ZIP searches and district boundaries do not establish an attendance assignment.
Service area: Shared California public-school enrollment and transfer guidance with local-district referrals for users statewide; a school directory or district boundary does not determine an individual school assignment. [2]
Read kindergarten entry and placement guidance and confirm requirements with the district. The TK subsection conflicts with the more current universal-prekindergarten FAQ, so use that separate FAQ for TK.
Service area: Shared California public-school enrollment and transfer guidance with local-district referrals for users statewide; a school directory or district boundary does not determine an individual school assignment. [2]
Before you start
- Eligibility & access · Public-school kindergarten age rule; TK differs
- Districts must admit children at the beginning of the school year (or whenever they move into a district) if they will be five years of age on or before September 1 (EC Section 48000[a]). [11]
- Availability · Age-eligible kindergarten access and district placement
- Although demographics and class size reduction restrictions may prevent parents/guardians from enrolling their children in the neighborhood school, the district must provide the name(s) of available schools. [12]
Read CDE’s updated UPK/TK eligibility and programme-choice guidance; the local educational agency confirms enrollment arrangements.
Service area: Shared California public-school enrollment and transfer guidance with local-district referrals for users statewide; a school directory or district boundary does not determine an individual school assignment. [2]
Before you start
- Eligibility & access · TK eligibility from current CDE UPK FAQ; local agency arranges enrollment
- TK is not mandatory for children; however, it is the only option that is universally available and free of cost for all families with children who turn four-years-old by September 1 starting in the 2025–26 school year. [13]
Fees
Fees are quoted only when a source document supports the amount and conditions.
Check the official website for its current fee schedule. No fee should be assumed to be free.
Forms & documents
Official forms and document pages for this office’s services.
Sources & last checked5 source pages · 13 citations
Sources were checked by an AI-assisted research process. A checked website does not mean every service or fee on it has been reviewed.
- [1] California Department of Education — cde-profile (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · California Department of Education (CDE) | CA.gov — cde-identity
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
California Department of Education (CDE)
- [2] California Department of Education — cde-transfers (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · District Transfers - California Department of Education FAQ (CA Dept of Education) — cde-role
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Policies regarding intradistrict/open enrollment and interdistrict/reciprocal agreement transfers are the responsibility of each local district governing board and are not within the jurisdiction of the California Department of Education (CDE).
- [3] California Department of Education — cde-profile (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · California Department of Education (CDE) | CA.gov — cde-website
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Department website
- [4] California Department of Education — cde-transfers (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · District Transfers - California Department of Education FAQ (CA Dept of Education) — service-cde-transfers
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Parents/guardians shall work with their local school district administration to share their concerns and to determine what local processes their district has in place regarding district transfers.
- [5] California Department of Education — cde-directory-direct (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · California School Directory (CA Dept of Education) — service-cde-directory
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
The California School Directory (Directory) contains information about California public schools, private schools (including certified nonpublic schools), school districts, and county offices of education.
- [6] California Department of Education — cde-enrollment (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · Kindergarten in California - Elementary (CA Dept of Education) — service-cde-kindergarten
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
California state law and information regarding admission to kindergarten.
- [7] California Department of Education — cde-kindergarten-faq (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · Universal PreKindergarten FAQs - Elementary (CA Dept of Education) — service-cde-tk
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) regarding California state law relating to Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) and transitional kindergarten (TK).
- [8] California Department of Education — cde-transfers (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · District Transfers - California Department of Education FAQ (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-school-choice
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Although students have the right under California law to a free, public education, the law does not guarantee that a student can attend the school of his or her choice, or even the neighborhood school.
- [9] California Department of Education — cde-transfers (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · District Transfers - California Department of Education FAQ (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-two-districts
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Interdistrict transfer/reciprocal agreement must be approved by both the student’s original district of residence and the district to which the student seeks to transfer to. Both districts must approve the agreement before it becomes valid.
- [10] California Department of Education — cde-transfers (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · District Transfers - California Department of Education FAQ (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-transfer-appeal
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
If a request for an interdistrict transfer/reciprocal agreement is denied, the student’s parents/guardians may file an appeal to the county office of education in the student’s district of residence within 30 days of receipt of the official notice of denial of the transfer.
- [11] California Department of Education — cde-enrollment (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · Kindergarten in California - Elementary (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-k-age
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Districts must admit children at the beginning of the school year (or whenever they move into a district) if they will be five years of age on or before September 1 (EC Section 48000[a]).
- [12] California Department of Education — cde-enrollment (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · Kindergarten in California - Elementary (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-k-placement
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
Although demographics and class size reduction restrictions may prevent parents/guardians from enrolling their children in the neighborhood school, the district must provide the name(s) of available schools.
- [13] California Department of Education — cde-kindergarten-faq (opens in a new tab)
California Department of Education · Universal PreKindergarten FAQs - Elementary (CA Dept of Education) — rule-cde-tk-choice
Source reviewed October 26, 2026View supporting excerpt
TK is not mandatory for children; however, it is the only option that is universally available and free of cost for all families with children who turn four-years-old by September 1 starting in the 2025–26 school year.