Oakland Unified School District’s enrollment process is open for the 2026-27 school year. Here’s a helpful guide for untangling the process, put together by OUSD parents Macy Parker and Bekah Otto, with input from Sarah Wheeler. They invite all Oakland parents to commit to their public schools.
Updates to this post are sponsored and verified by Oakland Unified School District.
The on-time enrollment window for the 2026-27 school year closes Feb. 8. Visit chooseousd.org to apply today!
Why choose OUSD?
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Oakland Unified School District boosted its overall enrollment with close to 200 new families choosing OUSD. Our schools are funded based on the number of children they serve, so “voting with your feet” for the public system is one way to build a stronger Oakland together.
In Oakland, there are so many public schools where students are learning and thriving, and communities are vibrant. We urge you to consider our public schools, and not just “the ones you’ve heard about.” Our schools are the places where our children learn so much more than just academic content. Yes, they will learn to read, and they will also learn to be good people. They will learn to be part of their community and democracy.
Oakland Unified is committed to serving our diverse city equitably. The district has made a significant commitment to early literacy, continues to serve as a nationwide example of restorative justice practices, and offers a variety of special programs – from gardening and mindfulness to career pathways in high school. It’s a big district, and there are a lot of schools to choose from!
Now on to the guide.
Key Dates & Deadlines for 2026 Enrollment
Now. Research and consider options. Complete the application.
Dec. 3, 2025 – Feb. 8, 2026. Submit application information, documentation, and preferences.
Mar. 5, 2026. Receive an offer from a school. Be added to the waitlists of any that were higher-ranked preferences.
March 5 – 25, 2026. Accept or decline a matched placement at a school. Scroll down to read more about waitlists.
April – August 2026. Waitlist offers are extended, and late applications are processed.
How to enroll in OUSD
Enrollment steps:
- Explore: Use the Choose OUSD school finder to explore public school options in Oakland.
- Apply by February 8, 2026: Submit an application. (You will need to create an account and upload your IDs, proof of address, and your child’s birth certificate)
- Confirm: After you receive your offer on March 5, 2026, accept (or decline) your school offer by March 25. (See more about the waitlist below.)
- Register: Online registration and registration paper forms will be available in Spring 2026.
(See the enrollment overview from OUSD.)
How the OUSD priority matching process works
School assignments are made based on prioritized factors, roughly in this order:
- Current student (for instance, a TK student moving into kindergarten at the same school where they are already enrolled)
- Foster youth
- Sibling of a current student
- Children of staff at the school
- In the neighborhood zone for the school
- Children of an OUSD staff member
- Residents of Oakland
- General matching process
Choosing schools to rank
On your application, you will select up to 6 schools and your zoned school(s) for the enrollment priority process.
How do you choose? There’s no one “best” school! Some factors to consider:
- Proximity to your house
- Physical space and play set-up for TK/K
- Diverse student body
- Social/emotional learning resources and restorative justice
- A stable, experienced teaching workforce
For schools you are considering, visit chooseousd.org to read about all of OUSD’s options and check out the individual schools’ websites and social media (being aware that some schools may not have prioritized updating websites).
Many schools offer in-person tours or pre-recorded virtual tours. You can also reach out to principals directly to learn about their schools. (You might ask: What are their instructional and cultural goals? What are they most proud of? Challenged by?)
What about test scores?
Test scores, while widely available, do not tell a complete story.
- Do not assume that because a school has high average test scores, instruction is necessarily better there (Sadly, many additional factors correlate with test scores, such as systemic inequities, maternal education, wealth, and race).
- A better measure to consider may be how much students’ scores grow during their time at a school.
- There’s also significant research that a warm, consistent school culture makes a big difference in how kids experience school, how happy they will be there, and how much they learn.
Language options in OUSD
Many Oakland public schools offer dual-language immersion education. Spanish dual-language elementary schools to know about:
- Bridges (TK-1)
- Esperanza Elementary (TK-5)
- Global Family (TK-5)
- Greenleaf (TK-8)
- International Community School (TK-5)
- Lockwood STEAM (TK-5)
- Manzanita SEED (TK-5)
- Melrose Leadership Academy (TK – 8)
Here’s a full explanation of dual-language immersion education at OUSD.
Before and after-school programs
Extended care programs tend to be specific to the schools in question. Families at every school work hours that extend beyond the school day, so most schools partner with a program to support care before and after school. All California schools have access to public funding to provide expanded learning (before and after school) and summer learning opportunities, and this funding has grown in recent years.
The district is working to secure automatic enrollment in afterschool for entering TK, K, and 6th-grade families who would like it.
New and returning OUSD families must complete the extended care application in Enrollwise. To do so, visit chooseousd.org and scroll down to Before and After School Programs to review the options at each school and to complete the form.
Ask the schools you are considering what options they provide. How these programs are structured is specific to the school. Many schools have care between 7:30 am and 6 pm and vary in cost, activities, and exact timing.
Schools tend to manage expectations about these options, but we have heard that families do get places in the care they need.
Transportation to public school
For the most part, parents must get their children to and from school. If your child qualifies for an IEP (individual education plan), then you may qualify to have a school bus come to and from your house.
When making school decisions, be cautious of
- Greatschools.org ratings: More of a real estate tool than an accurate measure of educational quality
- Out-of-date anecdotes: Schools can change rapidly.
- Fear-mongering around “bad schools,” or the simple story that there are only one or two acceptable options (there are SO MANY options! Maybe too many!)
- Instructional “themes” or focus areas: websites can be out of date and/or over or understate the importance of school-based programs. Ask the school directly.
How the OUSD waitlist works
If you’ve read to this point, you’re probably interested in the steps required after application.
On March 5, you’ll be automatically offered a seat at one of the schools you ranked. Schools you ranked higher than the school where you’re offered a seat will automatically add you to their waitlists.
For example, if you’re offered a seat at your #4 school, you’ll be added to the waitlists for your #1, #2, and #3 schools.
Waitlists usually move throughout the summer and up until the first two weeks of school, at which point you get what you get, and you don’t get upset (hopefully).
Resources for choosing schools
- Grow With Us: An Oakland Unified Podcast
- Get Schooled Oakland
- Equity Allies for OUSD Recordings of past webinars
- Data tool from OUSD to learn about student growth, suspension rates, culture survey results, and teacher retention at school sites
Updates to this post are sponsored and verified by Oakland Unified School District.
