Take A Tour

No amount of online research or even first-hand reports from other parents can substitute for visiting a school and seeing for yourself what it is like. PEN strongly encourages you to visit your neighborhood school first, and then look at other schools or programs you may consider applying to through Open Enrollment.

Virtual Tours - Most schools are again offering in person tours. Some schools have posted tour slides, videos or recordings of their online tour. See list at right for links.

Most PUSD schools offer tours on a regular basis from October through May. If you cannot find a tour listed on the PEN Calendar, or cannot make the regularly scheduled tour time, call the school directly and ask to schedule a visit. It is always a good idea to call the school to confirm a regularly scheduled tour date.

Let us hear what you thought of the tour(s) you took! Take PEN’s short online survey – we’ll make sure the school gets your feedback too!

Tour Notes Form – print and take this with you to help you record your impressions and questions while you’re on a tour.

Get the most out of your visit by looking at the School Fact Sheets and PEN’s Choosing an Elementary School, Choosing a Middle School, and What Does Academic Rigor Look Like? guides ahead of time. Think about what’s important to you and your family, and then use PEN’s Tour notes form to help you formulate the questions you want to ask and to keep notes on each school.  The school principal typically leads the tour, but PEN Parent Ambassadors often are available to chat informally with parents before, during, or after the tour. If you don’t get to talk with a parent when you visit a school, check PEN’s Parent Ambassador directory to get names and contact information for parents with students currently enrolled in the school(s) you are considering. If you cannot find contact info on our website, email susan@penfamilies.org, and we’ll try to put you in touch with someone.