REGISTRATION

Individual schools schedule new-student registration dates in early August. However, students may be enrolled by appointment at any time, and parents are urged to enroll their children as soon as possible after arrival in the area. For information regarding school assignment according to geographical residence, call 703-246-6930.

Determine which school your child will attend by entering their street address at http://www.fcps.edu/boundary or by calling 703-329-9831.

Contact your child’s school to make arrangements for enrollment. Most schools begin getting information together in late March or early April for parents of incoming kindergartners, and many schools host an orientation or open house. You will need to register your child at the school he or she will attend.

Student Registration, 703-876-5219, provides school enrollment for students whose home languages are other than English (Multilingual registrars are available to help families with limited English proficiency.); foreign exchange students and students requiring I-20 student visas; all students whose natural parents or legally adoptive parents do not reside in Fairfax County; tuition-paying students; and students in foster care placed by other Virginia counties or by out-of-state agencies.

To enroll a student, the following are required:

§    The presence of a parent or legal guardian. (A photo ID may be requested.)

§    Birth certificate.

§    Proof of residency in Fairfax County, generally a lease or a deed.

§    Transfer slip or report card from the previous school and/or original transcripts.

§    Certificate of a recent (within 12 months) physical examination by a licensed physician for a student being admitted for the first time into elementary school. A transfer student entering elementary school must provide either a record of a physical exam completed prior to enrolling in the previous school or a record of a physical exam completed within the past 12 months. Commonwealth of Virginia School Health Entrance Form (PDF document)

§    Evidence of a negative tuberculin skin test (TST) or a normal chest X-ray   administered within 90 days for all students who have resided in a foreign country (with the exception of Canada, Western Europe, Australia, and New Zealand) during the last five years for a consecutive period of five or more months.

§    Evidence of required immunizations: Virginia law requires students to be immunized against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and hepatitis B. Students born on or after January 1, 1997, are required to have been immunized against chicken pox. Effective October 1, 2008, immunization against human papillomavirus will be required for female students entering sixth grade. Students who lack required documentation of immunizations may be barred from attendance. Detailed information about immunization requirements is available in FCPS Regulation 2101. Objections based on religious grounds may be discussed with the principal. (see current version of Regulation 2101)

§    Registration forms are available online at www.fcps.edu/forms.htm.

Virginia law indicates that:

§    A child who has reached his or her fifth birthday on or before Sept. 30, 2008, must be enrolled in kindergarten for the 2008-09 school year unless the parent or guardian notifies the principal of the local school, in writing, that he or she does not want the child to attend.

§    A child who will be six years old on or before Sept. 30, 2008, must attend school.

§    A qualifying parent may elect to provide home instruction for his or her school-age child in lieu of school attendance. For important information regarding home instruction, call 571-423-4470.

Parents can print, complete, and submit Student Health Information (PDF document) forms at the time of registration.

Tuition is charged for students whose parents do not live in Fairfax County. Contact Student Registration, 703-876-5231, for enrollment of nonresident students. FCPS has implemented procedures for the enrollment of homeless students. Parents or guardians of families experiencing homelessness may contact Student Registration at 703-876-5231 or any Fairfax County public school for enrollment assistance.