Important Information for TK, Kindergarten & 1st Grade Parents
Age Eligibility for TK, Kindergarten, and 1st Grade
- A child must be five years old by September 1st of the year he/she enters kindergarten.
- A child must be six years old by September 1st of the year he/she enters first grade.
- Children who turn five years old between September 2nd and February 2nd are eligible for Transitional Kindergarten only.
Important Note: SMUSD will assign students to the age-appropriate grade. If you would like to request an alternate placement, please complete the Request for Alternate Placement Form and submit it to the District Office.
School Assignment
The San Marino Unified School District assigns children to their school of residence as much as possible. However, there may be times when it is necessary to assign a child to the other elementary school because of impacted classes. You will be notified should it be necessary to assign your child to other than his/her school of residence. The school of residence is the school a child would normally attend based on his/her address. Students are assigned to their school of residence in order of enrollment in the District. Once classes are closed at one school, all new enrollees are registered where there is space. Under these circumstances, the students are assigned to their school of residence the following year. The later registration is complete, the more likely is the chance that the school of residence may be full. REGISTER EARLY!
Class Assignment
Assigning a child to a class is made in the context of what is best for each child and for the group as a whole. All of the following factors are taken into consideration by the school principal. These factors are not considered in the order that they are listed below, and with the exception of a federally mandated placement described in an existing Individual Educational Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Plan, the decisions are not made based on one factor alone.
- Mandates of a child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) and/or Section 504 Plan
- Reasonable balance of children in consideration of educational needs, gender, twins/triplets, and ethnic origin
- Delayed enrollment or retention in kindergarten
- Family circumstances of extreme hardship
- Birthdate
- Order of enrollment
The following circumstances are understandable reasons on which parents base their preferences, but because they are the same for nearly everyone, it is not appropriate to use them as criteria for placement decisions.
- Positive history with a particular teacher
- Participation in school-related activities
- Parents' work schedules
- Childcare schedules
Twins/triplets
Unless the parent submits a written request for an alternate course of action prior to class assignment, each child will be assigned to a different teacher.