Find Your School
Finding schools that best meet your family’s needs can be an exciting and sometimes overwhelming process. Every child and every family is unique; so, as much as you might want to rely on your friends for advice, the school they love or claim is “best” may not “feel right” for you. And while you want to find a good fit for your child and your family, it’s not as if there is one “right” choice and all the other choices are “wrong.” Remember that most children will thrive in a variety of school settings.
Fortunately, PEN is here to help you understand and sort through your options, and to help keep you sane in the process!
Gather information
In addition to the core academic program, you may want to consider “signature” offerings such as dual language, International Baccalaureate, or a themed magnet. Location, start-time, after-school care, and other features may also factor into your decision. It’s easy to get distracted (and stressed out!) by the latest “buzz” among your parent peers. PEN’s What Do I Really Want from My Child’s Education worksheet is a good tool to help you articulate your own family’s needs and values and keep them front-of-mind.
Other resources to help you make an informed decision include:
PUSD’s Schools Guide - a user-friendly overview
PEN’s Fact Sheets - updated each fall, these are a great way to get accurate, current information about PUSD’s elementary and secondary schools, all in one easy-to-read format. We suggest scrolling down the Fact Sheet page and clicking on the name of your neighborhood school and other elementary, middle or high schools you wish to learn about.
Attend PEN’s Parent Education Programs
You’ll gain valuable insight and meet other parents when you attend any of our Elementary or Secondary School Programs for Parents.
Visit one or more schools
Visit PEN’s tour calendar for up-to-date school tour information. Be sure to click on the link, as some schools require you to register for tours.
Contact a Parent
PEN Parent Ambassadors are PEN members whose children attend schools throughout PUSD. They volunteer their time to be a resource for parents to learn more about their schools, accompany school tours, and connect parents with other parents and their school community. Contact a PEN Parent Ambassador.
Enroll in a school
If you decide to enroll in your neighborhood school, you can register at any time for the current school year, or beginning late October for the following school year. PUSD uses an online registration process that can be accessed here. If you want to submit an application to attend a school other than your assigned neighborhood school, visit PEN’s Open Enrollment page for more information.
Locate Your Neighborhood School
To find your assigned neighborhood school, use the PUSD School Locator.
Field Elementary is an all Mandarin Dual Language Immersion Program (DLIP) school and San Rafael is an all-Spanish Dual Language Immersion Program school. (What is a dual language immersion program?) For historical reasons, Marshall 6-12 is a permit-only secondary school with no attendance zone. Families who want to attend these schools must go through the Open Enrollment lottery process, although students who live within a designated geographic area of lottery-only schools are given preference in the lottery. Other schools with DLIP programs (Altadena, Jackson, Longfellow) have attendance zones for their mainstream programs, but families who want to enter their dual language immersion programs must go through the Open Enrollment process even if they live in the attendance zone.
Signature & Magnet Programs: Altadena Arts, Jackson STEM, Longfellow Spanish Language & Cross-Cultural Awareness Magnet, Washington STEM, Webster’s Armenian Academy, and Willard’s International Baccalaureate Program (IB) for elementary; Blair’s IB Middle Years program or Armenian Academy, Eliot Arts, and Octavia E. Butler Magnet (formerly Washington Middle); & Blair’s IB Diploma Program and John Muir High School's Early College Magnet continue to enroll students from their attendance zones. Other students who wish to participate in these special programs may apply through Open Enrollment.