Registration and School Placement FAQ's

Registration for the Upcoming School Year

To ensure we are adequately staffed and prepared to welcome new students, families are encouraged to enroll during our priority registration window which is December 14^th, 2026 – January 29^th, 2027

Key Dates for Families:

All Families: 

• Priority Registration Window: December 14^th, 2026-January 29^th, 2027
• School placement notifications:
  • Parents/guardians who enrolled during the initial priority registration window will be notified of their child’s school placement by the first week of May.
  • Families who register between January 29 and the last day of school 2027 will be notified of their school assignment no later than June 30. 
  • Families who register after the last day of school 2027 will be notified on a rolling basis.

Transitional Kindergarten: 

• TK Registration Information Night: Parents/guardians are invited to attend a registration information night at Edna Elementary School (80 Lomita Drive)  from 5:00-5:45 p.m. on Wednesday December 2, 2026

Kindergarten: 

• K Registration Information Night: Parents/guardians are invited to attend a registration information night at Edna Maguire Elementary School (80 Lomita Drive)  from 6:00-6:45 p.m. on Wednesday December 2, 2026
• Students who are already enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten do not need re-register. They must provide school preferences for kindergarten via a Parent Square email that will be sent out at the start of the priority registration window. 

Incoming Sixth Graders:

• Registration night for incoming sixth graders Thursday, December 3, 2026 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. at Mill Valley Middle School Library (425 Sycamore Avenue)

Registration for the 2026–2027 School Year

To ensure we are adequately staffed and prepared to welcome new students, families are encouraged to enroll during our priority registration window.

Key Dates for Families:

All Families: 

• Priority Registration Window: Monday, December 14^th, 2026 to Friday, January 29th, 2027. 
• School placement notifications: Parents/guardians who register during the Prioroty Enrollment Window will be notified of their child’s TK school placement by May 1st, 2027.

Kindergarten: 

• K Registration Information Night: Parents/guardians are invited to attend a registration information night at Edna Maguire Elementary School (80 Lomita Drive)  from 6:00-6:45 p.m. on Wednesday December 2, 2026.
• Students who are already enrolled in Transitional Kindergarten do not need re-register. They must provide school preferences for Kindergarten via Parent Square within the registration window. 

Incoming Sixth Graders:

• Registration night for incoming sixth graders Thursday, December 3, 2026 from 5:00-6:00 p.m. at Mill Valley Middle School Library (425 Sycamore Avenue)

If you submitted your enrollment application/registration, you will receive an acknowledgement email confirming that your application was received. If you did not receive this confirmation, please check your spam or junk folder, or contact our office so we can verify receipt.

Placement letters for families enrolled on or before January 29, 2027 will be sent out by May 1, 2027. The notifications include next steps, including the expectation that you confirm your placement, and important information to help you plan for the upcoming school year.

Parents should confirm acceptance of their school assignment no later than 5 business days after receiving their placement to preserve their spot.

We will continue to accept applications after January 29, 2027; however, these applications are not included in the May 1 placement notification process. Families who apply after January 29, 2027 will be notified of school placement at a later date.

Our continuing enrollment notifications occur in two cohorts:

1. Families who register between January 29 and June 11, 2027 will be notified of their school assignment no later than June 30th. 
2. Families who register after June 11, 2027 will be notified on a rolling basis throughout the summer. 

Please be assured that all eligible students will be placed in one of our schools. Our team works carefully to review each application and make placements in accordance with district policies and available space.

Registration Assistance:
Registration office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.  If you need help with registration, you can email our registrar anytime at registrar@mvschools.org or call 415-389-7712 during registration office hours.

Kindergarten Eligibility: 

• Eligibility: Children who turn five on or before September 1st of the year they are enrolling for.

K-5^th Grade

For placement purposes, parents registering their child for K-5 grades must rank all five elementary schools for their registration to be considered during the priority enrollment window (before January 30, 2027).

Transitional Kindergarten

TK parents must rank four of the elementary schools as there is no TK at Old Mill.  Placement is based on the location of our transitional kindergarten classes any given year.  Efforts are made to place transitional kindergarten siblings at the same sites of currently enrolled siblings, although such placement is not guaranteed.

School placement at schools is based on: 

• Facility capacity and balance of class size across the district
• District program needs (Special Education, English Learner Newcomers, etc.)
• Siblings of current enrolled students
• Children of District employees per Inter-District Board Policy
• Proximity of residence to preferred school using uniform mapping software

The district’s current class sizes are as follows:

Facilities Capacity

The table below shows our targeted facilities capacity by school site.  Determination of the number of classes per grade level is an administrative decision based on student enrollment and may change year to year. 

We make every effort to balance class sizes district-wide. . Students enrolling after the start of the year are placed in the classroom with the lowest number of students at their grade level. 

Intradistrict Transfers:

For currently enrolled families who wish to request a transfer within Mill Valley Schools for the 2027-2028 school year, intradistrict transfer requests should be submitted during the priority enrollment window, December 14^th 2026 – January 29^th, 2027.

• Students registered during the December 14th, 2026 – January 29^th, 2027 priority enrollment window will be notified of school assignment by the first week of  May.
• Students registered from January 30th, 2027  through the end of the school year will be notified by June 30^th.
• Students registered after the last day of the 2026-2027 school year will be notified on a rolling basis.

No, only current and verified Mill Valley residents may register. Details of the verification of residency criteria can be found here.

We do not offer school tours.  While each school campus is unique, all schools provide exemplary and equitable education.  We have wonderful PTA enrichment programs, and the support of Kiddo! our school foundation.

In the Mill Valley School District, students are not assigned to schools based on neighborhood boundaries. As a result, it is not uncommon for students to attend a school that is not the closest to their home.

Why is this the case? Mill Valley is fortunate to have several historic schools that have served as cherished community landmarks for generations. However, the district’s two smallest schools are located in areas with the largest populations. To balance enrollment across all schools, the district assigns students on a district-wide basis rather than according to neighborhood boundaries.

No. While the proximity of residence to the school of choice is a factor for placement, it is not a guarantee. Some students may not be placed at the school closest to their home.