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What is the Transitional Kindergarten Lottery?

The Transitional Kindergarten Lottery is an opportunity for students who turn four years old by September 1, 2025 and resides permanently within the boundaries of Sacramento City Unified School District to apply for enrollment at a school with a Transitional Kindergarten class. 

Who is eligible to apply?

Students residing within the Sacramento City Unified School District boundaries who are qualified to enter Transitional Kindergarten are eligible to apply.

Students living outside the district boundaries who are qualified to enter Transitional Kindergarten may apply for Transitional Kindergarten through an inter-district permit transfer available from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm​. Out-of-district applicants who meet the program requirements will be offered placement after qualified in-district applicants per California Education Code.

How do I find our neighborhood schools and/or if our residence is in the Sacramento City Unified School District?

Visit , to find the closest TK site to your student’s primary address.

How many schools can my student apply to?

Students may apply to up to two Transitional Kindergarten Lottery schools. 

What schools do not have an attendance area boundary assignment?

• A.M. Winn Public Waldorf TK-8
• Alice Birney Public Waldorf TK-8
• Leonardo da Vinci TK-8 
• New Joseph Bonnheim Community Charter School

How will we know you received my student’s application?

Once an application is successfully submitted, you will see a confirmation screen and receive a message in your Message Center confirming the submission. Parents/guardians will also receive a confirmation via email or text message, depending on their selected SchoolMint preferences.

Families can log into their at any time to check the status of their application(s) or view messages in the Message Center.

Is transportation provided by the school district to the school my student is accepted to?

No, transportation is not provided for students accepted into  a Transitional Kindergarten Lottery school. Parents are responsible for transporting their students.

Can I use my work address for my student to apply to a Transitional Kindergarten Lottery school?

No.

Can I turn in a late application?

All applications must be submitted by 5:00pm on Friday, February 21, 2025. No late applications will be accepted.

I want my student to be enrolled into transitional kindergarten (TK) even though they would qualify for kindergarten. Can I still apply for TK?

If your student’s date of birth falls before 9/2/2020, you must complete the following additional step to be admitted into the Transitional Kindergarten Lottery. 

1. Parent/ Guardians must request a meeting with the requested school(s) principal to discuss the reasons for your request by Friday, March 1, 2025.
2. The principal must then email their Instructional Assistant Superintendent and the Enrollment Center Director with the approval/denial status of the request. 
3. Once approved, your student will be allowed into the Transitional Kindergarten lottery. 

If my TK student is registered for their Transitional Kindergarten Lottery school, will my student continue at the same school for kindergarten?

Students will be automatically enrolled in kindergarten for the 2026-2027 School Year at their . 

Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is only available at 45 of Sacramento City Unified School District schools, so all TK students* living within district boundaries are transitioned back to their neighborhood school for traditional kindergarten enrollment. Each neighborhood school has a defined geographic boundary and is intended to serve the students who live within that geographic boundary. 

Students that apply for enrollment at the school they attended for transitional kindergarten will be given priority in the Open Enrollment lottery for kindergarten. 

* TK students currently enrolled at one of our schools without a geographic attendance boundary (A.M. Winn, Alice Birney, Leonardo da Vinci, and New Joseph Bonnheim) will continue at the same school for kindergarten.

When do I find out if my student is accepted? 

Notifications will be sent to families through SchoolMint on March 10, 2025, based on their selected preferences (email, text message, or both) during registration.

If accepted into a TK Lottery School, all students must complete a full registration form. A link to this form will be included in the notifications sent to families. They will also need to provide photo identification, address verification, proof of birth documentation, and immunization records. Applicants will be automatically removed from the TK Lottery school acceptance list if they do not accept on SchoolMint or register by the offer deadline.

Are translation services available during the application process?

Families who need translation assistance while completing the application can access support in multiple ways:

• Application in Multiple Languages: The application uses Google Translate and can be translated into over 100 languages..
• Language Support at Enrollment Events: If you need in-person assistance, many of our Regional Enrollment Events (to be announced in January 2025) will have staff available to help with translations. 
• Enrollment Center Assistance: Families can also contact the Enrollment Center directly for translation help. Staff are available to assist with completing the application in your preferred language.

If you need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Enrollment Center for more information on language support services.

My family is moving outside of the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ boundary. What will happen to my student’s acceptance?

If you move outside of the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ boundary, it voids all Transitional Kindergarten Lottery enrollment and you must register your student with the new school district.

I live outside of the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ boundary. Can my student apply for TK through the Transitional Kindergarten Lottery?

No, students who live outside the district boundaries are not eligible. Students who live outside our district boundaries can apply to a school with transitional kindergarten with space available through an inter-district permit transfer from April 7, 2025 at 8:00am, through April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm.

I live outside of the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ boundary and one of my students already attends a school with transitional kindergarten. Does my incoming TK student(s) have sibling preference? 

No.

I am an Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ employee and live outside of the Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ boundary. Does my student have priority to apply for TK through the Transitional Kindergarten Lottery for my school?

No. However, students who live within our district boundaries whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment is at the selected school are given a lottery priority. 

How does the lottery work?

The Transitional Kindergarten Lottery is not a first-come, first-serve basis. You may apply anytime during the application window to be considered.

Â鶹¹û¶³´«Ã½ uses a computerized, third-party lottery system to place students at their specialty program of choice. A lottery must be implemented if applications exceed the grade capacity at the requested program.

One of the following lottery scenarios will occur:

• Your student is selected for their first choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
• If your student applied to only one school and was not selected, they will be placed on a waiting list.
• If your student applied for two schools and was not selected for their first choice, the computer will look for their second choice. Note: Second choice selections are placed behind all first choice selections.
  • Your student is selected for their second specialty program choice and receives a notification of a placement offer.
  • Your student is not selected for their first or second specialty program choice. They will be placed on a waiting list for their first choice only.

What happens if my student doesn’t get accepted to the first or second school of choice?

Your student will only be placed on the waiting list for their first choice. A notification from SchoolMint will be sent on March 10, 2025 notifying parent/guardians regarding placement on the waiting list. 

When space becomes available, a notification will be sent through SchoolMint notifying the parent/guardian of the offer. Families can withdraw their application from a waiting list at any time through SchoolMint. All TK Lottery waitlists will close on July 31, 2025. After this date, any remaining waitlist positions will no longer be valid.

Families will receive the notification based on what preferences (email, text message or both) were selected when registering.

If my student is accepted to their 2nd choice, will they be put on the 1st choice waiting list?

No. 

Who has priority in the lottery selection process?

Lottery Selection Priorities

First priority

• Students who live within the geographical boundary of the selected school, or it is the closest school to their primary address

Second priority

• Siblings of students already in attendance at the selected school and will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school year.

Third priority

• Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment is the selected school.

Fourth priority (administrative priority)

• When unique circumstances occur at a school, such as a school closure, program changes, and/or over-crowding occurs; district administrators may institute a specific priority to meet staffing and housing needs.

Fifth priority

• Applicants that are a multiple will be given priority to keep siblings together.

Schools without Attendance Boundaries

First priority

• Siblings of students already in attendance at the selected school and will continue to be enrolled in the upcoming school year.

Second priority

• Students whose parent/guardian’s primary place of employment is the selected school.

Third priority (administrative priority)

• When unique circumstances occur at a school, such as a school closure, program changes, and/or over-crowding occurs; district administrators may institute a specific priority to meet staffing and housing needs.

Fourth priority

• Applicants that are a multiple will be given priority to keep siblings together.