Transferring into the Piedmont School District

6 parent questions ▼

Parent Q&A

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  • Inter-District Transfers from Alameda to Piedmont (AUSD to PUSD)

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    Jan 23, 2024

    Seeking advice and hearing about your experience with inter-district transfers from Alameda to Piedmont Unified Schools for kindergarten. What is the difficulty level? Any details/info appreciated, including paperwork process, how quickly you hear back from Alameda and Piedmont, etc. Also, are any reasons for a transfer inexplicitly favored over others? Many thanks for sharing.

    Jan 23, 2024

    See the recent threads on OUSD to PUSD transfers--it's the same process. You'd apply to the Alameda County Office of Education--they are processing all of the transfer requests between districts in the county now--and they will determine if you meet the requirements (for elementary, either your continuing childcare provider or your full-time job is located in Piedmont). If you meet the requirements, AUSD then needs to release you and PUSD needs to accept you. The paperwork is pretty straightforward, though meeting the criteria for a transfer doesn't necessarily guarantee that the receiving district has room for your student. (That said, I think Piedmont does generally have space these days, and it's a harder district to qualify for transfer into compared to someplace like Berkeley, so a smaller pool of students overall).

    Jan 24, 2024

    The response you received is inaccurate. All school districts in Alameda County must the transfer application form created by the Alameda County Office of Education. The application is submitted to your district of residence along with any required supporting documents. If approved, the application is submitted to Piedmont (PUSD) for consideration. Per an agreement between all school districts in Alameda County, today was the first day applications could be submitted for the 2o24-25 school year. Check PUSD’s non-resident transfer page for information on their process and how applications are prioritized. If you have any questions after reading the page, contact Sylvia Eggert in the Superintendent’s Office at 510-594-2614.  I hope this helps.

    Mar 1, 2024

  • Transferring to PUSD from OUSD for Kindergarten

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    Jan 10, 2024

    Hello! We're in the process of applying for Kindergarten for our kiddo and live just over the border from PUSD in OUSD.  Does anyone have recent experience transferring across? I think I understand the process, but I couldn't figure out whether we would lose our OUSD selection if we applied to Piedmont.  And how likely it is that there will be spaces available for local families outside the boundary who don't have any familial connection within Piedmont.  I tried reaching out to PUSD, but understandably haven't head back.

    Thanks!

    Lucy.

    Jan 10, 2024

    No, you don't lose your OUSD spot if you apply for an interdistrict transfer--in fact, transfer applications aren't even processed until later in the spring, so you likely won't hear back until after you are assigned to an OUSD school. (I also imagine PUSD won't know if they have spots until after their own enrollment process runs.) However, you mention that you don't have any familial connection to Piedmont--to meet the transfer requirements for elementary, you need to either work full-time in Piedmont or have your child care provider (whether that's family or a daycare that continues to school-age) located in Piedmont. The Alameda County Office of Education now processes interdistrict transfer applications for all of the school districts in the county, so you would apply to them. The OUSD website has information on which documents you need to submit to verify that you meet the transfer requirements.

    Jan 17, 2024

    The response you received is inaccurate. All school districts in Alameda County must the transfer application form created by the Alameda County Office of Education. The application is submitted to your district of residence along with any required supporting documents. If approved, the application is submitted to Piedmont (PUSD) for consideration. Per an agreement between all school districts in Alameda County, today was the first day applications could be submitted for the 2o24-25 school year. Check PUSD’s non-resident transfer page for information on their process and how applications are prioritized. The current policy gives priority to PUSD employees and City of Piedmont government employees, but no others.
    If you have any questions after reading the page, contact Sylvia Eggert in the Superintendent’s Office at 510-594-2614.  I hope this helps.

    Mar 1, 2024

    It's worth clarifying that the previous responses to this question are talking about two different things: the criteria for being released from OUSD (for elementary, a parent must work in Piedmont or the family's childcare must be based in Piedmont) and the process that PUSD uses to determine which of the students who have been released from their home districts will then be accepted into PUSD (applying criteria that prioritizes groups like children of city employees and grandchildren of Piedmont residents over other applicants). You must first meet the criteria to be released from OUSD through the interdistrict transfer process before the PUSD priorities come into play. At that point, if there are more approved transfer applicants than spots, the priorities for which students get those seats kick in--release from your home district doesn't guarantee acceptance into your preferred district. The OUSD website outlines the requirements for being released from OUSD, and the PUSD website outlines the priorities for accepting transfers into the district. The Alameda County Office of Education now manages the application process for all districts within the county, so you would start there.

    Mar 13, 2024

    Since we just went through this process, I'll add that we did hear back pretty quickly from OUSD once we submitted our transfer request. The next step is to forward the signed form to Piedmont Unified. It was unclear if that would happen automatically, so I did it "just in case" following these instructions on PUSD site: https://www.piedmont.k12.ca.us/about/enrolling/transfers
    Last step is to wait for PUSD to make their decision -- as others mentioned, it might not be for a while so you'll need to accept your OUSD assignment in the meantime.
     

    Mar 13, 2024

  • Interdistrict transfer from Oakland to Piedmont elementary

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    Dec 12, 2023

    Looking to learn about anyone’s recent (the past 2-3 years) experience with the interdistrict transfer process from Oakland to Piedmont public schools for kindergarten, e.g. filling out the required forms, when you heard from OUSD and PUSD, etc. 

    Dec 12, 2023

    The timing is hard because you have to be released by OUSD before Piedmont will process your application.  I tried to transfer from OUSD to Piedmont for 2nd grade. I sent our application to the enroll@ account OUSD on March 1 this year, which was first day they would accept applications. I followed the procedure that was then listed on their website.  OUSD NEVER RESPONDED. NO RESPONSE WHATSOEVER.  I can see from their current website instructions (ousd.org/enroll/transfer/outgoing-interdistrict-transfers) that they changed their policy on March 1 to require applications be filled out via an online form, which was not their posted policy when I thoughtfully prepared my application and a supporting letter explaining why we wanted the transfer last February.  I never got an email saying "we have a new process" or "can you resubmit."  The process is quite clearly broken, so be prepared to follow-up and advocate for yourself. We moved to private school and are very happy.  

    Dec 13, 2023

    From what I have heard OUSD will not release you. OUSD has lost so many kids due to COVID, etc. that they aren't releasing Oakland residents. We had a neighbor just move to get her daughter into Piedmont High School. 

    Dec 20, 2023

  • Advice on transferring to Piedmont Middle

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    Jun 1, 2023

    My son's application for an interdistrict transfer to Piedmont Middle as a sixth grader was accepted, but we are torn (we really thought this was a long shot). He really wants to stay with his friends—understandable, especially at this age—but our local middle school in San Leandro has a pretty dismal rating and our son would definitely thrive in a more rigorous academic setting. On the other hand, while Piedmont's scores and resources are impressive, I worry about transfer kids being treated differently/lesser than by others (we are not a wealthy family). Can anyone share their experience transferring into the district, good or bad? Thank you! 

    Jun 1, 2023

    I grew up in Piedmont and my parents still live there, so my children did interdistrict transfers into PUSD (we live in Oakland). They were in elementary school when they transferred, but one is about to start at PMS and one just finished. There are several kids at the middle school who do not live in Piedmont, and/or who live part-time with a divorced parent who is not in Piedmont. It was not an issue for my older kid whatsoever, socially speaking. Then again, we are a 10-minute drive away and it's pretty easy to ferry her back and forth when she wants to hang out with friends. For better or worse, most hang-out time seems to be at school, online, and on the phone, though.

    I will say, as I'm sure is obvious, that there are plenty of rich people in Piedmont and there can be a keeping up with the Joneses vibe (coming from my daughter, not necessarily peer pressure per se). But to us, these downsides are far outweighed by the amazing free education she is getting. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

    Jun 12, 2023

    We have an IDT into PUSD, and are not sure if we are treated differently by the kids (not by the district, as far as I know) as a result of not living in Piedmont. My son wishes that he could walk to and from school with the group - by not living there, we aren't part of the fabric of the community in the same way. Yet I haven't heard about families grumbling about us for not living within the district - it's more that he doesn't have as many playdates as the Piedmonters do because he can't as easily walk home with them. We have found the parents to be more welcoming and warm than the kids - we enjoy the parent community, but the kids are often cliquish and some of them so competitive that they gang up on anyone who excels in a particular area, but isn't part of their close, since K, friend group, since that person is perceived as a threat. One parent remarked that she thought that pandemic pods were a disaster for kids, because it made them more insular. It's possible that when all three elementary schools come together for Middle that it'll be easier to form a brand new group, so MS is probably a good entry point. I heard from another IDT student's family that they also don't feel totally part of the group, yet are glad they are there anyway. 

    We have not found the district to be particularly academically challenging, yet it is well-resourced. It seems to have high scores because they devote a lot of resources to ensuring that all of the kids understand the material well enough to take the tests. If your child is accelerated in any particular area the teachers don't do much to meet that need; instead they seem to focus a lot of resources and attention on everyone meeting a middle line, both from above and from below. 

    Despite the above, we are grateful to be part of PUSD, and somehow feel at home, even though we don't live there. The district is professionally run, the facilities beautiful, and the supplemental classes often more creatively taught than the core subjects. My child has found a variety of individual friends, but isn't part of one particular group, a social freedom which he is now starting to appreciate. We are glad that we made the switch, though it's not a panacea; it feels like it's where we are supposed to be. You could always try it out and switch back to San Leandro if he's unhappy. 

    Jun 13, 2023

  • OUSD to Piedmont Transfer

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    Feb 11, 2022

    Hi there, has anyone successfully applied for and received a transfer out of OUSD to Piedmont public schools without one of the acceptable reasons that OUSD lists on their website? I could possibly use the child care reason, but it's not strong. We live three houses from the Piedmont border and already part of the community and since Piedmont needs students, this seems like an excellent options for us, but need OUSD to release us first. FWIW, my child attends private school and has not been enrolled at OUSD and we are not considering enrolling at OUSD, so it's not like OUSD will be losing government funding by approving the transfer. Thank you in advance.

    Feb 11, 2022

    Our experience transferring from OUSD to Piedmont was that the OUSD approval was very quick and easy, coming within a day or so of submitting the paperwork. The main hurdle was getting Piedmont to approve the transfer in (which was a numbers game). The recognized reasons for transferring out sound intimidating, but you don't need anything ironclad. In addition to whatever you can say about childcare being more convenient, you can just sayin something along the lines of Piedmont provides better programs (whether that be art, music, a particular language, general academics). My kids were in the grandparent-resident preference category and we cited childcare and Piedmont's better academics (without being quite that direct). Now that Piedmont is actively soliciting transfers and there may be a lot more applications to transfer out, I don't know if OUSD will change its tune, but hopefully you don't have any trouble with that piece of the process. Good luck!

    Feb 16, 2022

    Do you know if you lose your potential spot for OUSD schools if you get approval and then apply (and wait) for acceptance at Piedmont?The deadline to apply for a transfer is coming up fast, before OUSD sends out school assignments.

    Feb 24, 2022

    I asked Piedmont that question and they thought "no, you didn't lose your spot", but she didn't know for sure. 

    Feb 28, 2022

  • Info on the OUSD inter-district transfer to Piedmont schools

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    Nov 19, 2021

    Hi there, 

    We live in Oakland, just across the street from Piedmont and two homes down from the district line. Our closest school is actually Wildwood but we are zoned for OUSD. Does anyone have experience applying for the OUSD inter-district transfer to a Piedmont school? When I looked into this process (https://www.ousd.org/Page/11633), it seems like it's a very high hurdle to transfer out from OUSD (e.g., you need to work in the other city, require a specialized specialized program that is only available in that new district, etc.) and a high hurdle to transfer into Piedmont public schools (e.g., remodeling a home in Piedmont, children of employees, grandchildren of residents, and the last category "other" for a lottery system). 

    I would love to find out whether it's worth a shot for us given the high hurdles. 

    Thank you! 

    Dany

    Nov 19, 2021

     We know a family that got their kinder into Piedmont very easily this year.  Could be Covid has effected enrollment.

    Nov 24, 2021

    My guess is that it's unlikely you will be able to transfer into Piedmont public schools.  For AY2020-2021, there were 0 accepted transfers out of 41 applications from the "Other" category (of which I believe your situation describes).  See page 4 of this memorandum:

    https://www.piedmontcivic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IX_B_Backgroun…

    Nov 24, 2021

    We transferred both our kids in to PUSD from OUSD under the grandparent resident category, one about two years ago and the other about a year ago. Although OUSD's requirements for approving a transfer out sound like a high bar, in practice our experience was they rubberstamp it (we got approved almost immediately after submitting the paperwork). Anything you could come up with about why PUSD would offer something that OUSD doesn't would probably be fine.

    PUSD is the real hurdle. It really depends on their enrollment numbers, and the number of spots open will vary by grade. A spot in our younger kid's grade did not open up until after the pandemic started. Not sure what the story would be today. I would recommend contacting the PUSD Superintendent's office, because staff there can probably give you a more realistic idea of what your chances would actually be. Good luck!

    Nov 24, 2021

    Hi there, Piedmont resident here.  I've heard some discussion during PTA meetings around the interdistrict transfer process and my impression is that there were fewer lottery applicants than you might think.  I can't speak to the Oakland side but from the Piedmont side I think it's worth a try!

    Nov 24, 2021