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Kelly Sikkema

How do I enroll my child in San Diego Unified, and when is the 2027-28 school choice deadline?

6 min read Checked November 3, 2026 Report a correction

The San Diego Unified Choice priority window for the 2027-28 school year runs October 5 to November 15, 2026; apply online through the district's PowerSchool application, and families are told results by mid-February 2027. To simply enroll at your neighborhood school, look up your address in the district School Finder and enroll online at any time with proof of birth date, two proofs of residency and an immunization record.

Choice deadline (2027-28)
Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026

Priority window opened Oct. 5, 2026

Lottery
January 2027

Not first-come, first-served

Results
By mid-February 2027

As reported Oct. 22, 2026

Enrollment help line
(619) 260-2410

Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; multilingual support

The short version

  • Choice priority window for 2027-28: Monday, October 5 to Sunday, November 15, 2026 (SDUSD Choice Enrollment page, checked Nov 3, 2026).
  • Every on-time application goes into one January lottery together; applying on day 1 or day 40 makes no difference.
  • Results are due by mid-February 2027, per an October 22, 2026 news report on the district announcement.
  • Neighborhood-school enrollment is online and open year-round; you need proof of birth date, two proofs of residency and a physician-signed immunization record.
  • Questions: Neighborhood Schools and Enrollment Options, (619) 260-2410, walk-ins Tue-Thu at 4100 Normal St., Annex 12.

If your child is starting in a San Diego Unified school, there are two separate tracks: enrolling at your assigned neighborhood school (any time, online) and applying through Choice for a different school (a once-a-year priority window that closes November 15, 2026 for the 2027-28 school year). We checked the district's enrollment, Choice and priority pages on November 3, 2026. This page sticks to process and dates; we don't rank schools. If you're moving here on military orders, pair this with our PCS to San Diego checklist. Not sure whether your address is even in San Diego Unified? The district does not match city limits; see San Diego city vs. county.

San Diego Unified Choice for the 2027-28 school year

  1. Oct. 5, 2026

    Priority window opens

    Apply online through the PowerSchool application

  2. Early Nov. 2026Now

    Window still open

    Tour schools, then apply before it closes

  3. Nov. 15, 2026

    Priority window closes

    Sunday; after this you lose priority consideration

  4. January 2027

    Lottery runs

    All on-time applications entered together

  5. Mid-Feb. 2027

    Families notified

    Then confirm with the school's enrollment staff

Source: SDUSD Choice Enrollment page and an Oct. 22, 2026 news report, checked Nov 3, 2026.

How do I find my neighborhood school in San Diego Unified?

Type your home address into the district's School Finder (titled "School Finder, 2026-27"), which opens an address lookup map. If your address doesn't come up, the district says you may live outside San Diego Unified and points you to the San Diego County Office of Education to find your district. Attendance boundaries can change: the School Finder page links to proposed boundary revisions, so check again before a fall start. Your neighborhood school is the one you are guaranteed to be able to enroll in; Choice is only for going somewhere else.

How to enroll a new student at your neighborhood school

  1. 01

    Look up your school

    Use the SDUSD School Finder with your street address. Some schools also ask you to confirm your zip or boundary before starting.

  2. 02

    Start online enrollment

    The district says enrollment is completed entirely online, and new-to-district families can enroll at any time of year.

  3. 03

    Upload documents

    Proof of birth date (birth certificate, passport or military ID), two proofs of residency (deed, escrow papers, rental agreement or rent receipt, or utility bills) and an immunization record signed by a physician, per an SDUSD school's 2026-27 requirements page.

  4. 04

    Clear the health check

    School health offices verify immunizations; California law means a school cannot finish enrolling a child who doesn't meet the requirements. Grades 7-12 also need a Tdap booster given after the 7th birthday.

  5. 05

    Get help if you're stuck

    Call (619) 260-2410 (Mon-Fri, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or walk in Tue-Thu, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., at 4100 Normal St., Annex 12, San Diego 92103. Closed to walk-ins Monday and Friday.

A parent filling out a school enrollment form with documents on the table

San Diego Unified enrollment is online; have a birth certificate, two proofs of residency and the shot record scanned before you start.

Photo: sofatutor / Unsplash

When is the San Diego Unified school choice deadline for 2027-28?

The 2027-28 Choice priority window closes Sunday, November 15, 2026. The district's Choice page lists the window as Monday, October 5 through Sunday, November 15, 2026, and says plainly that it is not first-come, first-served: every application received in the window goes into the January lottery together. A report on October 22, 2026 said families will hear by mid-February 2027, and that the district is also inviting families who live outside the City of San Diego to apply. The district page does not say how applications after November 15 are handled, so treat the deadline as real. To apply, fill out one PowerSchool application per child (English or Spanish; twins go on one form), rank schools in true order of preference (the district says listing more schools doesn't hurt your first-choice priority), and if you get an offer, email that school's enrollment staff to confirm.

Who gets priority in the San Diego Unified Choice lottery?

SDUSD Choice lottery priorities (pilot order, as published)

  • 1

    Magnet students continuing the same theme (elementary to middle to high)

  • 2

    Siblings who will attend the same school at the same time

  • 3

    Children of SDUSD employees (comprehensive schools)

  • 4

    Children of active-duty military

  • 5

    Non-resident kids in an early childhood program at the site continuing to TK

  • 6-7

    Pre-enrolled students who moved, within or out of the district, staying at the same school

  • 8

    Applicants to a school in the same cluster as a pre-enrolled sibling

  • 9

    District residents now enrolled outside SDUSD

  • 10-11

    General Choice applicants, then students living outside the district

Source: SDUSD Enrollment Priorities page, checked Nov 3, 2026. The district labels these pilot priorities from the 2026-27 lottery and says they may change.

Things that get no priority, per the district: legacy status, being near a parent's job or child care, relatives at the school, and life circumstances such as illness or divorce. Within each priority, applications are sorted randomly. Two other rules catch families out: Choice schools have limited transportation, and if bus service is an IEP-related service, applying away from your resident school waives it. Charter schools are not part of Choice; each runs its own admissions.

Elementary students working at desks in a classroom

Kids already enrolled at a school as non-residents generally move up to the next level without a new application, per SDUSD.

Photo: shannonmatthew / Pixabay

Is this still right?

We last checked this tip against its sources on November 3, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.

Event dates, times and prices are set by the organizers and can change or sell out. Confirm with the organizer's own page before you plan around them.

This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.

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