Open Enrollment Transfers

Open Enrollment Public Drawing: 2/6/26

Please feel free to join us at the District Office as we process Open Enrollment data:

Topic: Open Enrollment Public Drawing

When: Feb 6, 2026 01:00 PM Pacific Time

Where: Zoom

Open Enrollment General Information

Open Enrollment transfers are available to incoming 9th grade students who wish to attend EPAA, or a school other than their assigned home school. After enrollment targets are established at each school, and a determination is made that there are available seats, a random, unbiased drawing will be held to assign students to those open seats. SUHSD's Administrative Regulation 5116.1 includes further information.

Note: all Open Enrollment requests are submitted through the Online Registration system.

A digital form displays student demographic information, including fields for legal name and birth date, with a highlighted question about attending a school other than the assigned one in the foreground.

Open Enrollment Transfer Timeline (dates below are annual and do not change):

October: Online Registration and Open Enrollment parent letter is sent via email and US Postal mail to current 8th grade students
October 15: Priority Online Registration window opens; all Open Enrollment requests must be completed when submitting Online Registration application, prior to the deadline of February 1st.
February 1: Open Enrollment window Closes at 4:00pm
- No late applications are accepted
February 6: Public drawing will be held (if necessary) for those schools which have more requests than available seats. Students will not know if their application request has been approved at this drawing. The drawing will be held at 1:00 p.m (electronically via video conference). Your attendance is not required.
First week of March: Approved transfer letter sent to those families who have a transfer approved. A wait list will be established for those who have not had their application approved.
April 30: The waitlist expires. If you do not receive a letter regarding the waitlist by this date, you were not approved for a transfer. SUHSD will not send out letters for non-approval for students on the waitlist.

For incoming 9th graders who miss the Open Enrollment deadline and are still interested in attending EPAA, please submit Online Registration and select the appropriate school in the "Reason for Online Registration" field (see the image below). Student Services will facilitate these transfers if space is available. If you are a current student in SUHSD, or an incoming 10th, 11th, or 12th grader and interested in attending EPAA, please contact the respective school for more information.

A dropdown menu for %22Reason for Online Registration%22 is open in the foreground, displaying enrollment options, while the background shows a web form for online school registration.

Interested in East Palo Alto Academy?

Interested in enrollment at East Palo Alto Academy for the 2024-2025 school year?

Below are details on upcoming events:

Parent Information Nights

When: October 29, 2024, 530-7p

Where: East Palo Alto Academy, 1050 Myrtle St, East Palo Alto, CA 94303

Contact: Principal, Ms. Miranda-Pinkney at vpinkney@seq.org.

Shadow Days

You are welcome to come experience what it is like to be an EPAA student for the day.

To visit you can either call our school office at (650) 839-8900 to schedule an appointment or email our Vice Principal, Ms. Miranda-Pinkney at vpinkney@seq.org. Our office hours are from 8:15 am- 4:15 pm. You will be contacted and sent the form you need to complete in order to visit our school.

For more information about our 10-year promise, and EPAA college scholarships, visit our website, epaahs.org

Important Info

Upon submitting Online Registration with an Open Enrollment request, you agree to and understand the following:

Open Enrollment Transfers are available only to incoming 9th grade students
Open Enrollment Transfers will not be reversed or rescinded once the submission window is closed and the deadline has passed
Younger Siblings of current students attending the requested or desired school (residing in the same household) will have priority above other Open Enrollment Transfer Applications. An older student is not eligible to transfer to the school of a younger sibling
If an Open Enrollment Transfer is requested, the new school becomes the student’s home school
Open Enrollment Transfer requests are made on a space available basis at each school site
Late applicants will NOT be added to the wait list.
If you apply for an Open Enrollment transfer and are granted your choice, you are responsible for transportation of your student

Home School Search

Boundary Exception Requests

Ninth Grade Boundary Exception Requests

Applied to one of the following three categories below, listed in order of priority in which they will be granted:

Tinsley Program - Board Policy
Students transitioning to the Sequoia Union High School District after participation in the Tinsley Program shall be assigned to district high school campuses pursuant to the district's current school boundary map. However, each such student will be allowed to transfer to the same district high school campus assigned to other students attending the elementary/middle school that the student attended pursuant to the Tinsley Program. Such requests will be granted to the extent there is capacity at the requested school.
Redesignated Boundaries- Board Policy
Students living in an attendance area that was re-designated as a result of the boundary changes adopted by the Board of Trustees effective as of the 2015-16 school year may request to attend the school to which they were originally assigned.
Students residing in "the Avenues"
Students residing in the North Fair Oaks community known as "The Avenues" (area within the boundaries of Middlefield Road, Edison Way, and Eighth Avenue) who remain within Menlo-Atherton High School attendance area and wish to attend Sequoia High School

These requests are subject to the following:

Must be filed during the Open Enrollment period
Must request Open Enrollment when submitting Online Registration
Are available on a space available basis

FAQs

1. How does the district determine which high school my student is assigned to?
The district determines which high school your student attends based on your home address. Click Boundary Search to perform search. Online Registration must be completed (online or in person at the district office); see the Enrollment page for further details.

2. What if the school assigned is not my preferred school?
If you have an incoming 9th grader, please complete an Open Enrollment request when submitting Online Registration. Approvals are lottery-based and not guaranteed. This applies to incoming 9th grade students only.

3. Do I have to submit an Open Enrollment transfer if I want my student to attend their ASSIGNED home school?
No.

4. Can my student return to his/her originally assigned school if the new school does not work out?
No. Once the transfer request is approved, you may not rescind or transfer.

5. Does my student qualify for sibling priority if they have a sibling who previously attended the school but has since graduated?
No. In order to qualify for the sibling priority, the student must have a sibling assigned to the school during the school year requested.

6. Can I appeal if my child does not get into our desired school through Open Enrollment?
No. There is no appeal process. If your student does not get into your desired school through the Open Enrollment Transfer process, he/she must attend his/her assigned school.

need assistance?

For Open Enrollment assistance, please contact:

Cynthia Guerra, Ext. 22211 or cguerra@seq.org (English & Español)

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