Unless a student is attending the Lake Washington School District on an Interdistrict Transfer or does not have a legal residence, residency in the Lake Washington School District must be established prior to enrolling a student. Residency is defined as the physical location of the student’s principal abode e.g., the home, house, apartment, etc. where the student spends the majority of their time. This is generally defined as where the student spends the night a minimum of four nights out of the week. Owning or renting a house or renting an apartment in the District does not establish residency – the student and parent/guardian must physically live within the District.  The following locations do not constitute places of residence: secondary homes or other property (whether rented, leased or owned); places of business apart from primary residences; or addresses designated only for receipt of mail. There is no provision for families who live outside of the Lake Washington School District to claim residency in the District because they have made arrangements for their child to live with another family member or friend who lives in the District.

Exceptions

• Students who live in a foster home, officially established group home to which they have been legally assigned, residential treatment center, or juvenile detention, are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which the foster home, group home, or other such facility is located.
• Students under the joint custody of separated or divorced parent(s) or guardian(s) are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which the student actually resides with a parent or guardian, subject to residence verification and the provisions of a parenting plan or divorce decree if applicable.
• Students 18 years of age or older not living under the care and custody of parent/guardian, or legally emancipated minor students, are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which they reside, subject to comparable address verification required of parent(s) or guardian(s) for non-emancipated minor students. 
• Students who are homeless are assigned pursuant to the requirements of federal law.

Residency Checklist
To verify residency, parents/guardians must provide two of the items listed below (each bullet counts as one item). All addresses on the documents must match the address of your residence. You will need to present original documents. 

• Government Mail (e.g. vehicle registration, Good to Go! bill, letter from Social Security, immigration, unemployment, DMV, USPS Change of Address confirmation letter, or election ballot. Correspondence from the Lake Washington School District does not qualify as Government Correspondence.
• Mortgage Statement or Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Declaration or Property Tax Statement. 
• Unexpired Lease/Rental Agreement and include the contact information of the lessor/landlord.
• Utility bill dated within the last 2 months. Accepted utilities include water, sewer, gas, electricity, or garbage (the mailing and service address must be the residence address). Cable, internet and phone bills are not accepted.

If you are part of the Washington State Address Confidentiality Program, an official letter from the Address Confidentiality Program stating the attendance area school fulfills the requirement to establish residency in the Lake Washington School District. You must submit a renewed letter to the school each year.

Additional Verification of guardianship and/or residency may be required.

Students must register at their "home" or neighborhood school, according to the attendance boundaries. Go to school and bus finder for information on what your “home” schools are, including elementary, middle school and high school, based on your address. If you need assistance determining which school your student will attend, please contact the Lake Washington School District transportation department at 425-936-1120.

Schools require the following to register:

• Proof of child's birth date, such as a birth certificate or passport
• Proof of residency — Bring required documents (two) listed on the “Residency Checklist” above. During the Enrollment Process, you will also be required to carefully read, agree to and sign a Residency Verification Form.
• Records of Immunizations — students must meet state immunization requirements. Bring proof of immunization from your family physician or a local health department. The parent or guardian then transfers this information to a certificate of immunization and signs the certificate to verify its accuracy.
• Emergency card — the parent or guardian fills out this form during registration. Bring information such as the student's birth date, address and home phone, mother and father's employer and work phone numbers, name and phone number of emergency contacts other than parent/guardian (ideally this person or people will live near the student), student's doctor's name and phone number, names of any medications student takes and any medical condition student may have.
• Consent for Exchange of Information (if applicable) — If a student is transferring from another school, the parent or guardian must give their consent to transfer records from the student's previous school. It is helpful if the parent brings the name, address and phone number of the previous school.
• Transcript or Academic History (if applicable) — Students transferring from another school should bring academic records. The school may also ask if the student has been in any special programs in their previous school such as English Language Learner, special reading program, etc.

Schools enroll students based on age. For example, according to Washington State's uniform entry age, a child must be six years of age as of midnight, August 31, of the year of entry to be entitled to enter first grade.

Some schools may have additional registration requirements. For further information, call the school directly. Some schools, particularly high schools, require that parents or students phone ahead for an appointment to register.

You can print and complete the following forms to bring with you at registration:

• Residency Verification Form (Spanish)
• LWSD Race and Ethnicity Form
• If needed: Co-Residency Form (Spanish)
• If needed: Student Housing Questionnaire (Spanish)
• Student Registration Form (Spanish)
• Certificate of Immunization Status (Spanish)
  OR
  Certificate of Immunization Exemption Status
• Nurse Alert Form (Spanish)
• Emergency Notification Card: Elementary OR Secondary
• Home Language Survey Form:
  • English
  • Chinese
  • Japanese
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Vietnamese

• New Family Handbook 2020-21 | Español
• Immunization Requirements
• Free & Reduced Meals
• English Language Learner (ELL) Program
• Parent Information Booklet | Español