Enrolling your child in a Tacoma Public School

Tacoma schools educate students up to age 21 in a variety of programs aimed at making them lifetime learners. Here are the steps to enroll your child in the district:

• Determine the grade of the child based on past educational experience. The student entering for the first time must be five years old before September 1 for kindergarten or six years old before September 1 for first grade.
• Go to your neighborhood school to enroll. If you do not know the name of your neighborhood school call Enrollment Services at 571-1142 with your home address. They will give you your primary school of assignment which is considered your neighborhood school.
• Tacoma Public Schools offer students who first enter elementary, middle school or high school a choice of any school provided space is available. Elementary parents/guardians must provide transportation if their student chooses a school other than the neighborhood school. Middle school and high school parents/guardians must provide transportation unless the student can get to a bus stop for their designated school
• Non-resident enrollees require permission from their district of residence. Permission must be granted annually. Contact Enrollment Services.
• If parents/guardians want to use the choice option, DO NOT go to your neighborhood school. Call Enrollment Services at 571.1142 for more information.
• In order to register, parents/guardians must provide a student’s birth certificate, immunization record, and withdrawal sheets or report cards from their last school (students entering grades 6-12 only). You will also be asked for the student’s social security number. This is a request not a requirement. The social security number is used to follow students in their post secondary pursuits, i.e., TPS would be notified that 20 graduates were in military service.
• Each student must satisfy these requirements for graduation