Future RPS kindergarten students and families, are you ready? Enrollment for kindergarten at Rochester Public Schools for the 2025-2026 school year is open!
Below is some information you will need to know before you enroll.
Neighborhood schools: Students are automatically assigned to their neighborhood school when enrolling at Rochester Public Schools. Do you need to know which school your neighborhood school is? Find your school here. Then, go to the school's website to learn more about them.
Districtwide Option (DWO) schools and programs: Each year, families can apply for Districtwide Option (DWO) Schools and Programs. These schools are located within Rochester and may deliver the curriculum in a different manner than neighborhood schools. Districtwide schools and programs are available tuition-free to students. RPS also provides regional transportation to eligible students enrolled at DWO schools/programs. To learn about a family's interest in attending a districtwide school or program, students must apply to attend a districtwide school. To apply, complete the Self-Transport Application. The deadline to be included in the 2025-26 DWO School/Program Kindergarten drawing is midnight on January 31, 2025.
Self-Transport Option: Families who do not live in the attendance area of an elementary school that is not a districtwide option school can enroll their student in any RPS elementary school if 1) all of the spaces at the school are not filled by students who live in the attendance area and, 2) the family can provide transportation to and from the school. This option allows families to have the flexibility to choose what programming best suits their child(s) needs. Learn more about the Self-Transport Option.
You can view the Kindergarten Enrollment Guide here.
Enroll
Ready to enroll? All incoming kindergarten students must enroll through our Skyward system. You can enroll online at this link or stop by the Edison Building (615 7th St SW), and we will help you enroll. Interpretation services are available at Edison.
To complete registration online or in person, please have your child/children's:
Certified birth certificate
Immunization record
Name and address of previous school (if applicable)
Current copy of IEP/Summary Evaluation (if applicable)
Submit these forms through the online registration process, fax them to (507) 328-5998, email them to registration@rochesterschools.org, or bring the documents to the Registration and Records Office in the Edison Administration Building.
Kick Off to Kindergarten Fair in May
Don't worry if you missed our Kindergarten Open Houses. In May 2025, we will have our Kick-off to Kindergarten Fair with RPS departments and community partners. We will provide more information on this event in the months ahead.
We will send a monthly e-newsletter starting in January to help you prepare for kindergarten. Sign up here to receive this e-newsletter.
In the meantime, please visit our website, www.rochesterschools.org/onmyway2k, to learn more about Kindergarten at RPS.
We're excited for you to join us at RPS!