How to enroll your new student

PINELLAS COUNTY — Welcome to Pinellas County Schools! We offer families a wealth of opportunities suited to student’s individual interests, talents and abilities.

1. Find your school. There are four main school opportunities in Pinellas County Schools:

• Zoned Schools are based on your home address. Find your child’s zoned school with the convenient School Zone Locator. See zone maps for Elementary, Middle and High
  schools at https://www.pcsb.org/zone.
• District Application Programs (DAP) are the magnet, fundamental, and high school career programs. These are all “application only programs/schools.”
• Special Assignment Requests (SAR) are to request a non-zoned school that is NOT a magnet, fundamental, or high school career program.
• Special Attendance Permits (SAP) are for residents of other counties to apply for a
  Pinellas County School seat.

2. Reserve a seat. To reserve a seat at a school, families must use the online Student Reservation System. You can also visit any PCS school with a valid photo ID to get a new PCS Portal account. You can use any computer, including a school computer, to log in and reserve a seat.

• Parents must complete the PCS forms for each student before they can access the reservation link.
• New families will be able to create their parent accounts directly in Focus.
• Focus Parent Account Info Resources (PDF)

3. Enroll at your school. The final step is to visit the assigned school to deliver the required documents.

• 1. Birth certificate or other proof of identity/age (required)
  2. Two forms of proof of residency (required)
  3. Florida Certificate of Immunization (required)
  4. Physical examination certificate (required)
  5. Child’s Social Security number
  6. Child’s most recent report card
  7. Recent Individual Education Plan if applicable

Avoid the first day of school paperwork pile-up! Many of your student’s important forms like code of conduct letters, media release forms and more can be completed online at pcsb.org/backtoschoolforms.

Required enrollment documents

1. Birth Certificate: Students must be 5 years old on or before September 1 to attend kindergarten. Students must be 6 years old on or before September 1 and have completed kindergarten to attend grade 1. All students new to Pinellas County Schools must present proof of identity/age. For other items that may be accepted as legal evidence of birth, please contact the school.
2. Proof of residency: Present two of the following items: utility bill for power, water, cable, sewer or land based telephone (not cellular); rental agreement or lease; closing document; Pinellas County tax statement with homestead exemption. The items must be recent and contain the name of the parent/guardian and service address on them.

If you do not have two of these items in the name of the parent or guardian, you must complete an Affidavit of Residency. It must be completed, notarized on both sides and submitted with two of the items listed in the name of the person with whom you reside and who is listed on the affidavit.

3. Florida Certificate of Immunization: All new students entering school in Florida for the first time must have a completed Florida Certificate of Immunization (DOH 680) appropriate for their grade level. To receive the required form, bring your child’s immunization records with your valid ID to any Department of Health office. They will complete the DOH 680 form but it can take up to 72 hours to complete.

4. Physical examination certificate: All new students entering school in Florida for the first time must have a school health examination certificate signed by a licensed examiner (certificate must have been issued within 12 months prior to enrollment/registration).

5. Child’s social security number: School system personnel are required to ask for this, but students are not required to have them.

6. Child’s report card: This is for students entering grades 1-12. If available, the report card should include the school’s address and phone number.

7. Individual Education Plan: If the student participates in exceptional student education, he or she must have an IEP.

8. Additional school forms: Avoid the first day of school paperwork pile-up! Many of your student’s important forms like clinic cards, code of conduct letters, media release forms and more can be completed online at pcsb.org/backtoschoolforms.

For more information, visit www.pcsb.org or call Student Assignment at (727) 588-6210.

Kindergarten registration

To register for kindergarten, children must:

• Be 5 years old on or before Sept.1
• Be able to show proof of residency (home address)
• Have a Florida Certificate of Immunization (shots record)
• Have a physical examination certificate.

Please contact your zoned school for a complete listing of the school’s kindergarten open houses and events. For more information about kindergarten registration, see this preparing for kindergarten video.

Important

New students in kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade who enroll in Pinellas County Schools will be assigned to a zoned school. All other new students will be assigned to their zoned school on a space-available basis.