ACADEMICS / PUBLIC EDUCATION
Registration is usually conducted each spring at the closing of the school year, although school offices are open for registration two weeks before the school year begins to accommodate newcomers. Completing registration as early as possible is always advised. Some districts operate on a first-come, first-served basis. In order for a child to enter kindergarten, he or she must be five years of age before December 2 of the enrollment year. However, kindergarten is not mandatory and children are not required to attend school until age 6. To register your child for public school, bring proof of age in the form of an official birth certificate and proof of required immunizations. California also requires a health examination within 18 months before entering first grade, no later than 90 days after entering first grade.
It would be helpful in the case of transferring students to bring official transcripts from the previous school attended or contact information for procuring records. Newcomers must also provide proof of residence such as drivers license, voter/motor registration card, utility bill, rent statement, income tax return statement, and proof of home ownership (including a mortgage statement) or any official document showing both name and address. For complete details on registration or answers to specific questions about immunizations, medical exams, or any other issues, contact your local school district. The following state and county offices may also be helpful:
California Department of Education
1430 N Street
Sacramento 916-319-0800
www.cde.ca.gov
Charter Schools
These privately chartered public schools cover kindergarten through grade 12 and are created or organized by a group of teachers, community members, or parents. An existing local public school board or county board of education sponsors the school. California is allowing its charter schools to restructure programs around local needs, so the specific goals and operating procedures for the school are detailed in the agreement between the board and the organizers of the charter. In general, charter status allows a school to move from a rule-based to performance-based criteria of accountability. Contact your county office of education for more information about charter schools that are available in your community or within a reasonable commute:
Colusa County Office of Education
345 5th Street
Colusa 530-458-0350
http://www.ccoe.net
El Dorado County Office of Education
6767 Green Valley Road
Placerville 530-622-7130
http://edcoe.org
Glenn County Office of Education
311 South Villa Avenue
Willows 530-934-6575
www.glenncoe.org
Placer County Office of Education
360 Nevada Street
Auburn 503-889-8020
www.placercoe.k12.ca.us
Nevada County Office of Education
112 Nevada City Highway
Nevada City 530-478-6400
http://nevco.org
Sacramento County Office of Education
10474 Mather Boulevard
Sacramento 916-228-2500
www.sac-co.k12.ca.us
Sutter County Office of Education
970 Klamath Lane
Yuba City 530-822-2900
www.sutter.k12.ca.us
Yolo County Office of Education
1280 Santa Anita Court
Woodland 530-668-6700
http://www.ycoe.org
Yuba County Office of Education
935 14th Street
Marysville 530-749-4900
https://www.yubacoe.org
Testing & Accountability
Every district and public school in California is required by law to issue a yearly School Accountability Report Card or SARC. These SARCs present such important information as ethnic composition of the school or district, test results, dropout rates, curriculum descriptions, special programs, class size, teacher/pupil ratios, staff qualifications, and facility descriptions. If you are interested in a SARC for a specific school or school district, call the district office and state your request.
STAR (Standardized Testing & Reporting) is the California testing program that was developed after a beta run with a representative sample of students across the nation. Scores are nationally comparative, so a score of 75 would mean that California students are performing 75 percent better than students at other schools across the nation. For more information about STAR and other accountability issues, contact:
STAR Office
Department of Education
Sacramento 916-445-0800
https://www.cde.ca.gov
Academic Performance Index
Department of Education
Sacramento 916-319-0863
www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap
Adequate Yearly Progress
Department of Education
Sacramento 916-319-0863
www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ay
California High-School Exit Exam
CAHSEE Office
Sacramento 916-445-9449
www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/hs
Education Data Partnership
Online Fiscal, Demographic & Performance Data
www.ed-data.k12.ca.us
