Kindergarten

1. Prepare for registration. LOSD opens new student registration -- including kindergartners -- in mid-January.  Review the registration page to determine if your child is eligible for kindergarten at this time and to complete the registration process.

2. Plan to attend Kindergarten Counts. Each neighborhood elementary school hosts an open house on the evening of registration opening. It’s an opportunity for adults to meet the principal, teachers, and school leaders, and get to know more about your school and our kindergarten program.

3. Consider language immersion. Students throughout our district get their start in bilingual and bi-literate education at Palisades World Language School, home to our K-5 elementary immersion program. All incoming kindergartners are eligible for either our Spanish or Mandarin Chinese immersion program. Learn more and consider applying for our immersion education track before the lottery deadline in March. 

4. Set up childcare. Before- and after-school care for families is offered by a third-party provider at your neighborhood school. Fall enrollment for new families typically opens in March, and enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Find more information on your school website under Programs, Extended Day.

5. Sign up for Kindergarten Transition. Each of our elementary schools offers a Kindergarten Transition Program over the summer. This one-week, eight-hour experience is designed to help incoming kindergartners acclimate to school in a calm, inclusive, and engaging learning environment. Find more information and register on your school website under Community Programs, Kindergarten Transition Program. 

6. Mark your calendar. Find the district calendars on the district and school websites under Find It Fast / Calendar. Please note that kindergartners in Lake Oswego begin with a Kindergarten Orientation and a staggered start during the first week of school. At the end of the summer, your school’s main office will send information about your child’s orientation appointment time during the first three days of the school year. The first day for all kindergartners will be on the fourth day of the school year. 

7. Meet your teacher. Following the orientation and before the first day of school for all kindergartners, you will be notified of your child’s class placement. The first day with all kindergartners is when you will have the opportunity to meet your teacher and your child’s classmates.

8. Prepare to ride the bus. School routes with neighborhood access points are updated in August. There is no need to register to ride the bus. Select the stop(s) that works best for your family. Kindergartners need an adult to greet them off the bus. Please be sure to be at your child’s stop ahead of time to help keep the bus moving for all onboard.

9. Be in the know. You will automatically receive school and district newsletters and communications starting mid-July when our system rolls over for the new school year. In the meantime, feel free to sign up as a community member for your school newsletter under Department, Communications. It's a good way to get to know the learning community. 

10. Do a little light reading. More information about district policies and practices and student and family expectations can be found in the Student & Family Handbook. 

To be considered for early admission into kindergarten, a child must be five (5) years old on or between September 2 and September 15.

ln addition, early admission candidates must be assessed and pass the approval process before registering for kindergarten. Approved early admission students will be placed at the end of the applicant list for placement in their resident school and are not included in the lottery process.  

Children with birthdays after September 15th of the school year are not eligible for enrollment or early admission consideration. See "Early Entrance" in the LOSD Policy Manual.

Parents/guardians are asked to fully consider all aspects of their child’s development in completing the checklist and application for early admission. It is important to remember that your child will be among the youngest students in class throughout their school career. This makes it necessary for you to carefully consider the possible ramifications of having your child enter kindergarten early, not only for the coming year but also for how this may impact your child in later school years. Children entering under the Early Entrance process will need to consistently demonstrate ability beyond age expectations in the areas of emotional and social maturity, as well as intellectual and physical performance.

The application forms for early entrance to kindergarten are available at each elementary school and on the District website. Once the application, parent/guardian questionnaire, and teacher questionnaire (if applicable) have been received, contact will be made to schedule an assessment appointment. Applications will be accepted in January, when kindergarten registration begins.

The Kindergarten Early Entrance Evaluation Application deadline is July 1.

Find more information on our Kindergarten Early Entrance FAQ.

Kindergarten Early Entrance Evaluation Application Process

Step 1:  Application forms are available at each elementary school and on the District website.

Step 2:  Review Kindergarten Readiness, Characteristics of Dyslexia, LOSD Equity Lens Policy, and the early entrance information above.

Step 3:  Complete the following three steps by using the forms linked below:

1. Kindergarten Early Entrance Evaluation Application
2. Parent or Guardian Questionnaire
3. Preschool/Daycare Questionnaire (if your child is currently enrolled in daycare, preschool, or pre-kindergarten), print and deliver to your child’s teacher 

Step 4:  Print out the Preschool/Daycare Questionnaire linked below (if your child is currently enrolled in daycare, preschool, or pre-kindergarten) and deliver to your child’s teacher. Then mail the completed Kindergarten Early Entrance Evaluation Application and Parent/Guardian Questionnaire to:

Lake Oswego School District
ATTN: Kindergarten Early Entrance
2455 Country Club Road
Lake Oswego, OR 97034

Once the application, parent/guardian questionnaire, and teacher questionnaire (if applicable) have been received, contact will be made to schedule an assessment appointment.

Early Entrance Application & Questionnaire PDF

Preschool/Daycare Questionnaire PDF

Kindergarten Transition Program

Children under consideration for early admission will be recommended to attend the district’s Kindergarten Transition Program in the summer. During this time, school staff will gather additional information about the child’s readiness to continue for the full school year.

If a school's kindergarten enrollment is at capacity for the coming school year, LOSD conducts a lottery with all registered kindergartners. 

If a kindergarten lottery is necessary:

• On the kindergarten registration deadline prior to the lottery, any school that has more age-eligible registered kindergarten students than capacity will conduct a lottery.
• Lottery Deadline: Registrations submitted by the kindergarten registration deadline.
  • Lottery Tier 1: Applicants with age-eligible siblings currently attending the same resident school will be given priority and will not go into the lottery but MUST register by the deadline.
  • Lottery Tier 2: Age-eligible registrations received by the deadline.
  • Lottery Tier 3: All registrations (including siblings) received after the deadline are subject to availability.
• Lottery Date: Will take place the following Wednesday after the Friday deadline.
• Lottery Notification Date: The Friday after the lottery.

If your student is not in the lottery:

• All enrollments not selected in the lottery or received after the deadline, whose school is at capacity, would then be automatically overflowed to other schools in the district.
• Overflow schools are finalized during summer. Students are notified as soon as school assignments are determined.
• Most students attend their resident schools.
• Bus transportation is provided for overflow students to the designated overflow school.
• Early admission candidates must be assessed and pass the approval process. Approved early admission students will be placed at the end of the applicant list for placement in their resident school.
• Any students who are overflowed for kindergarten will return to their home school for first grade.