OUSD Waitlists

9 parent questions ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Accept OUSD offer or wait for our top choice?

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    Jun 15, 2022

    We are deciding between elementary schools in OUSD for 2022-23 school year and just received an offer for one of two of our top choices. If we accept, does this mean we are no longer in consideration for the other top choice? Or, can I accept the offer and wait to see if we also get in to other school and then make our decision? Thanks in advance for any feedback…

    Jun 15, 2022

    You will stay on the waitlist for any school you ranked higher. So if the school you’re considering accepting was ranked #2, you will stay on the waitlist for whatever school you ranked #1, even after you accept enrollment at #2. But once you accept enrollment at #1, you will be taken off all waitlists.

    Jun 15, 2022

    It all depends on what order you ranked them in. If this is your #1 choice, then your #2 choice will drop off if you accept (because the system assumes you would rather be at your first choice school). If this is your #2 choice, you will stay on the waitlist for your #1 choice until the second week of school and can make a decision if/when you get an offer.

    Jun 15, 2022

    It depends on how you ranked the schools. If you are offered a spot in your #1 school and accept than you are off the waitlist on the other (which you ranked #2). If you are offered a spot in your #2 choice and accept it, you remain on the waitlist for your #1 choice. With OUSD, you can't really have two top choices.

    Jun 15, 2022

    If you ranked school options (or whatever the name is currently), you can accept a placement and remain on the waiting list IF your placement is not ranked as your first choice. For example, if you ranked schools x, y, z as your choices 1-3 respectively, you can accept Y and still be on the wait-list for X (until the first couple of weeks of school, when they remove everyone from the waiting lists). You would not be on the list for Z however, because you ranked it lower than Y.  We got into our #1 school, and they removed the five lower ranked schools as options for us as a result. 

    If you are not in the ranked options process, though, I'm not sure those guidelines still apply. Look carefully at your offer email/letter-- there might be some specific info. 

    Jun 16, 2022

  • OUSD TK Waitlists?

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    Apr 25, 2022

    Hello parents! Does anyone have any insight about OUSD TK waitlists? My kiddo is #12 at Thornhill. I've read through BPNs posts about kindergarten waitlists, but I know that TK is a whole different thing given the limited availability of classes. If we don't get off the waitlist, does my kid just not get a placement this year? (He's also in the 50s on the Montclair waitlist, so I won't hold my breath.) Our neighborhood school (Hillcrest) doesn't offer TK, unfortunately.

    Any advice on moving him further up the waitlist, other than patience? People keep telling me to "stay on top of" (aka nudge) the school and/or OUSD, but it seems like everything is centrally controlled and there's not much an individual parent can do. It's not in my nature to bug people and be the squeaky wheel, so I'm perfectly comfortable letting the system do its thing, but I also don't want to disadvantage my kid if there's something else I could or should be doing to help him. Any advice is welcome!

    Apr 25, 2022

    Unfortunately there's not much you can (or should) do except wait. There was a time before the enrollment process moved online when being a squeaky wheel sometimes helped, but one of the upsides (in my opinion!) of the online system is that it is more transparent and simply moves in order of your lottery pull. Principals and other staff can't bump you up above other families. If you're willing to wait past the start of the school year, spots sometimes open up then, but possibly not enough to get you in with #12. If you want your child in TK even if it's not at one of those schools, you can call the Student Enrollment Center to find out which schools have space--there are many that do, or that have shorter waiting lists.

    Apr 27, 2022

    If you are set on Thornhill or Montclair, I think you need to have a backup plan because it's very possible that you may not get in at #12 on the waitlist.  If you would really like your child to go to TK next year, I suggest reaching out to the Student Enrollment Center to see what other programs might still have space.

    Apr 27, 2022

  • When do OUSD Waitlists Move

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    Apr 1, 2022

    Hello, 
    Does anyone have sense of when and by how much OUSD waitlists for kindergarten move? 

    We're accepted in our district of Glenview Elementary.  Out of our district, we are ranked 15 at Crocker Highlands, 16 at Thornhill and 61 at Montclair.   Do you think we have a chance of getting into Crocker Highlands or Thornhill?  

    I thought we might move up the waitlists when acceptances were due but so far we've only moved down one spot across all 3 schools. 

    Thank you! 

    Apr 1, 2022

    The waitlists usually start to move in mid-April once new families have accepted offers and continuing TK families have confirmed whether they're staying. That said, all three of those schools tend to get late neighborhood applicants, who will bump ahead of you on the list. There is a chance you might get a spot, but it's a slim one. Glenview is a great option to have, though, especially if you live in the neighborhood!

    Apr 6, 2022

    If you are willing to wait until one or two weeks after school starts next year-you most likely will get into Crocker or Thornhill. We were higher on the list last year and got into our desired school the second week of the school year. You will see your number get closer and closer throughout the summer. 

    Apr 6, 2022

    I have no personal experience, as I'm also an incoming kinder parent wondering if we'll get into the school we're waitlisted at. I've been asking around, though, and have heard several stories of people getting in off waitlists right before school starts or even a few days after school starts, as families end up not sending kids at the very last minute. Good luck!

    Apr 6, 2022

    Glenview is a great school. My niece and nephew went there. Why not just be happy with that option? I wouldn’t stress about the waitlist. Just go where your kid got in. 

    Apr 6, 2022

    I was wondering the same thing. I was moved down from #5 to #6 at our first choice school.

    Apr 6, 2022

    The lists move a lot over the summer, and even after school starts.  We got into a Charter where we were 101 on the waitlist on the second day of school. Mind you, we had gone with the back up plan of private school, so we were locked in with a significant tuition payment by that point and didn't take that spot.  (and I seriously thought that 101 was a pipe dream so didn't bother taking ourselves off the list - lesson to others, if you aren't serious, even if your number seems insane, take yourself off to make it easier on another family.)

    If you have your heart set on a school, wait it out.  The numbers on all of this have changed dramatically so who is to say what the odds are now.  

    Apr 6, 2022

    People can get get accepted any time between late April to a few weeks after school starts. I have never seen non-neighborhood kids getting into your mentioned schools off of the waitlist until the summer or 1-4 weeks after school starts. Glenview is a great school and typically also has a waitlist. So, you can imagine how it will work out. If you get accepted into Thornhill in August and decide to enroll in Thornhill, your spot will then be offered to a person on Glenview waitlist in August. 

    Apr 7, 2022

    I imagine you have your reasons for choosing another elementary school even if you are in the GV neighborhood. For example, the schools you mentioned are higher performing. I sent both my kids to GV, one graduated from there and the other eventually transferred to Montclair when the GV campus moved offsite during renovations.  But the experience of living in the same neighborhood, walking to school with my kid(s), and getting to know kids and families who also live close by - in short,  finding an incredibly strong sense of community — is priceless. We never found that again after my girls graduated or moved schools. But fortunately for us, since we started at GV early one, our closest friends are our old GV elementary friends and neighbors whom we got to know bc of GV elementary. You will look at your neighborhood in a new light and feel a sense of belonging, at least it did for us. I encourage you to consider GV for your kindergartener. Investing in and building community where you live with your little ones can be wonderful. GV Elem. was how it happened for us. Good luck! Such a personal decision. If it doesn’t work out, it might be easier to transfer later.  Even though we left OUSD after elementary school, I would unequivocally choose GV for my kindergartner. But if you end up getting into and choosing Montclair, I have nothing but praise.  

    Apr 7, 2022

  • Waitlist at Oakland Unified School District

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    Apr 8, 2021

    Hello!! We recently moved to Oakland Hills and enrolled our son in the elementary schools for kindergarten this fall.  We got waitlisted 137 at Thornhill Elementary, 167 at Crocker Highlands Elementary, 142 at Hillcrest elementary, 166 at Montclair elementary and 110 at Peralta elementary. Any idea if these kinds of waitlists move up and the child may be allotted a seat? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. 

    Apr 8, 2021

    I’m sorry to say most of the schools you have listed often can’t take all of the zoned neighborhood kids and rarely accepts kids from outside the catchment. A 3 digit waitlist lowers the chance in normal times. Were you assigned a OUSD school?

    I think it’s harder to predict this year because so many people are looking to move or weighing options or waiting to see how the pandemic progresses. Many people are signed up OUSD but may not attend. Waitlists start moving in the summer into 1-4 weeks after school starts. 

    Apr 13, 2021

    In past years, when my child was wait listed in the 100s, there was no chance of them getting in. There are usually few spaces that open up after kindergarten year. So you might want to try again next year for first grade, when there are less kids competing to get into these schools. My child got in one of these schools in 4th grade but we ended up moving and didn't take the spot. 

    Apr 14, 2021

    We got into some of our higher ranked schools off the wait-list over the summer and a couple weeks into the school year (2020-2021) but we were in the lower 2-digits on each wait-list. We decided to stick with the one we had enrolled in for stability and also because we came around to being very excited about the unique diversity and opportunities the school offers. Almost a year later, we are thrilled with our school. The schools you've listed are in high demand and I would be very surprised if the wait-list will move into the 3-digit despite folks transferring to private etc. You don't mention your neighborhood school, but depending on where you are, some of the other hills and flatland schools are wonderful: Joaquin Miller, Sequoia, Glenview, Redwood Heights.

    Apr 14, 2021

  • Accept a last-choice school but stay on waitlists for others?

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    Apr 6, 2020

    HI there,

    Our son got an offer to our last choice school (our neighborhood school- we were forced to put as #7 on the application).  We have some pretty good waitlist numbers for other schools we would prefer.

    My question is whether we should accept or decline the offer to our last choice, just to secure a spot?  I know we will still remain on the waitlists above no matter what, but since this is NOT a very transparent process, I am wondering if we do accept the offer that that might affect our chances on the waitlists.

    We would be grateful for any thoughts or past experiences

    Stay safe BPN!

    Apr 6, 2020

    Our family is in a similar quandary. My husband wants us to accept the offer to the less desired school just in case it doesn't work out, even though we are really high on the waitlist of our desired school and that's probably what we will do. 

    Apr 8, 2020

    Accepting vs. declining won't affect your chances for the waitlists at all, but you must do one or the other to stay on the waitlists--if you do nothing, you lose both the offered spot and the waitlist spots. The reason to accept is that you don't have a Plan B and need to secure a space somewhere. If you have a Plan B (charter, homeschool, private school) and know you will not attend the offered school no matter what, you can decline and keep all your waitlist spots. 

    Apr 8, 2020

    I don't believe it will affect your standing at the waitlist schools if you accept a spot at your last pick.  Last year we accepted a spot at a school we didn't want and then we were placed at a school we wanted. I do have to warn you however that we were not placed at the school we wanted until week 3. I can't recall our waitlist number at the offer time but we watched it drop through the summertime and then during the first 3 weeks of school. Good luck I know how hard this process can be. 

    Apr 8, 2020

    I don't know for sure but the published explanation of how the lottery works does not say that accepting a placement affects your likelihood to move up the waitlist. It's not one of the listed criteria for rankings on the waitlists. If I was in your shoes (we got placed in our neighborhood school which was our third choice and think we'll be happy at), I would worry if I didn't accept it that we would not have a place anywhere for our child next year. Is there a backup plan if you don't move up waitlists like you hope?

    Apr 8, 2020

    Yes, accept the spot. Worst case scenario, you don't want to be left without a spot at all. BUT it is completely OK to "accept" the spot and then get into another school and call and cancel later. Also note that many times waitlists adjust up until 2 weeks into the school year. It may feel really scary and chaotic at the time, but just hold out! You can often get into your first pick, even after the year starts and your kids will adjust (we had several late adds in our class and they adjusted just fine). My neighborhood school was my last choice, and we got into it - and then we were able to transfer into my top choice later. I showed up to the transfer request office on the very first day of their adjust hours. I don't know what it will look like with COVID, but I know that it was a long line and I lined up well before the office opened. We got into our top school just before the school year started, so we missed the sign up for on-site afterschool care, but we found local alternatives (JCC). Hope that helps. Good luck!

    Apr 8, 2020

    Yes you should accept it to secure the spot. Unless you have no intention of putting your child there. Last year we went through this, never got through on the other waitlists, and then eventually put him in private and dropped our #7 the day before school started (we held out hope). If you have a good chance on the other waitlists, then once you move off the waitlist to an ideal school, you'll automatically be pulled from #7 and put into that school. 

    Covid19 does change things. Would you regret paying for private school knowing he had to stay home, for example? If private is not an option then you really do need to just accept it. 

    Apr 12, 2020

  • Coping with Wait list uncertainty

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    Jul 23, 2019

    Hi,

    My son is wait-listed #6 for Peralta and #3 for Yu Ming. *If* he gets into either school during the first two weeks of school, how does the before/after school care program work? I can't tell what the start date is for the programs. Is it guaranteed when your child is enrolled after the first day of school once you sign-up? 

    What's the best way to help an anxious child cope with the unknown of "you might be going to X or you might change to Y school?" until things are finalized after the 10th day of school and the wait lists are closed/eliminated?

    Any insights welcomed!

    Jul 23, 2019

    Regarding Yu Ming's (YM) Extended Care Program (ECP), due to a staffing shortage this year, there is currently a wait list for ECP even for students already regularly enrolled in school.  I do not know whether you can get on the wait list for ECP if your son is not yet admitted to the school, so you might want to check with Cindy Liu, YM's director of strategy & operations.  Her e-mail is cliu-at-yumingschool-dot-org.

    Jul 25, 2019

  • On wait list at Chabot - zoned for Chabot

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    May 9, 2019

    Hi all, 

    In March of this year we decided to make a move from Marin to Oakland (for a variety of reasons).  We signed a lease for a house zoned for Chabot (in RockRidge) as we are actively searching to buy.  We applied in the second round (first round was in Feb - at which point we had not yet made the decision) for two of our three kids to get into Chabot (our third one is middle-school).  We received a response that they are both #2 on the wait list for Chabot - and #20+ for all the other choices of schools.  One of the kids did not get placed anywhere, and the other got placed in our no. 6 choice - which we then declined. 

    If we do not get into Chabot - we will consider staying in Marin where they are both enrolled in a great public school.  However, our strong preference would be to move - though moving them from an amazing school to one that is much less so (and to one where we would have to commute, and not be a part of the neighborhood) seems much less than ideal, considering our current situation.  What are the chances of getting off the waitlist to get into Chabot?  We need to make the call by July 1st - unfortunately - as this also impacts our oldest middle school child.  Has anyone been in a similar situation?  Thanks so much for your help. 

    May 9, 2019

    You will almost certainly get in. They are just beginning to move the lists for grades other than kindergarten, since the forms for current families to let the District know if you are returning or not were only due a couple of weeks ago at most schools. Those lists will move through the summer. Even for kindergarten, I would expect that you will get in by the start of school if you are #2. (That said, it is wise to take a place at another school you ranked just in case, given that you liked the school enough to put it on your list--you don't give up your waitlist spot for Chabot and you have something in your back pocket just in case.) Also call Student Enrollment if you have a child who was not assigned anywhere--that isn't supposed to happen (though you may well be assigned somewhere you aren't interested in attending). They can work with you to identify other schools that may have space for both kids while you wait on Chabot.

    May 9, 2019

    I've lived in Rockridge for over a decade and have two kids at Chabot. I think it's highly, highly likely your kids will get in. It is a big school (roughly 100 kids per grade), so there is lots of movement on the waitlist over the summer, and (as you know) neighborhood families get preference. You might have to wait until the last minute (or even the first week or two of the school year) to get the official offer, but it would be unprecedented if your kids didn't get in. 

    May 15, 2019

    We has a weird experience with OUSD waitlists Our son was #12 on our school of choice. We were told he would get in but over the course of the summer, he moved up to #18 as other in-district families registered, then back down to #10. He never got a spot. It was a stressful experience that seems to happen now and then. The most trusting part was the long wait - sometimes you will not learn of your spot until 2 weeks into the school year. I’d go into the OUSD office to talk with them to get a realistic perspective. 

    May 15, 2019

    Just a thought- the curriculum they are using is likely the same (I used to work for a well-known publishing company). The school rankings are derived from testing scores and have honestly nothing to do with the quality of the teaching. The location would be the only concern I would have. However, you will find that sometimes what looks rough on the outside is actually charming on the inside!

    May 16, 2019

  • Oakland Tech Zone and Waitlist

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    Apr 7, 2019

    Hi curious about how many incoming 9th graders got into Tech this year from outside of the catchment area? We are on the wait list with a fairly low number, but not in the zone, and wondering if we will have a chance to get in. And plan b, if we rent in the catchment area over the summer (which is still cheaper than other options), would we for sure get a spot for the fall?

    Apr 7, 2019

    Hi - based on my experience in a similar situation - there is very little chance of getting a spot bc the school is so oversubscribed. My son was #250 on waitlist freshman year (no chance), #12 sophomore year (he moved to # 9 but didn’t get a spot bc people in the district kept registering and getting spots before the waitlist). We got a spot this year for junior year. Definitely don’t depend on being a renter over the summer. If you own elsewhere, they will go with the address of the property you own. Or refer to your longest, most recent rental. Besides changing into district when there is a waitlist probably means there are still not spots. They are sharks about this. Sorry to be discouraging but I think it has changed a lot of the past five years. 

    Apr 8, 2019

  • OUSD School Assignment Waitlist vs. Appeals Process + IEP

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    Mar 19, 2018

    We just received our son's school assignment for kindergarten and we are now trying to navigate the process. He is high functioning ASD and has an IEP, but we deferred placement until Kindergarten as he is getting services at his current private preschool through our insurance. The school assignment we received for Kindergarten through the normal enrollment process was our neighborhood school, While we are considering it, we think that it might not be the best place for him socially as most of his friends will be going to the school 1 zone over which was our #1 preferred school. Additionally the neighborhood school is not associated with the afterschool program at his current daycare which our preferred school is (we feel this would provide some continuity for him).

    I have also heard that the IEP placement for Kindergarten is totally separate from school assignment, so yet another thing to try to figure out. Does anyone have experience with trying to get into a non-neighborhood school with a child that has an IEP? If by some stroke of luck that we made it off of the waitlist and into the preferred school, would we then be rejected because they cannot offer services?

    I have heard that I need to start the appeals process early, however I don't even know where to go to find the form. Any thoughts or advice if you have been through this process?

    Thanks!

    Mar 19, 2018

    Is your child's current IEP through OUSD? If so, they should have assigned him separately through PEC (unless that has also changed this year, but I haven't heard that it has). I would call and ask about this, and if he hasn't yet been assessed through OUSD, this is the time to do it. There is definitely a chance that your neighborhood school may not offer the services he needs, and an equally good chance that the nearby school won't either (or that, if it does, you may not get a spot there)--but you need to know exactly which services and what setting he needs for that process to start. PEC will place you based on where the services are available; it will not necessarily be your first choice or your closest school, though they do seem to take this into consideration where possible. There is no appeals process for general OUSD assignments this year--it's all online waitlists now (happily!) But your child's assignment process will be handled separately independently of this since there are limited spots in the ASD inclusion programs. Good luck and hang in there!

    Mar 20, 2018

    Mamabird, 

    I would call/drop-in and speak to the AP or Principal directly regarding your concerns, at the school you want your child to attend. Ideally you would speak to someone in admin, the school counselor, and the possible service provider at once. They will be able to help you navigate the proper way to deal with your situation, and also give you any advice about who to talk to, and what sort of turnover/response to expect. 

    Good luck!

    Mar 21, 2018

    Thanks so much! My son’s IEP is through OUSD but we declined the TK offer and deferred placement until Kindergarten. I will follow up with PEC (and I’m so new to this that I had to look up the acronym!).

     Thanks again!

    Mar 22, 2018

    I’d encourage you to attend CAC for Special Ed meetings. Childcare and dinner is generally available. It would give you an opportunity to get to know Special Ed administrators and ask them questions. They post monthly meeting details on Facebook. https://m.facebook.com/CACforSPEDinOUSD/ Also, you may want to join this Facebook group and ask a broader audience specifically about IEP/Special Ed in OUSD: https://m.facebook.com/groups/1669203130030275

    Mar 29, 2018