Families are eligible to register their students as soon as you are physically living full-time in the Mill Valley School District.  Simply owning property or holding a lease does not qualify as residency.

No, only current Mill Valley residents who have verified their residency through the Declaration of Residency Form and have provided the four proofs of residency may officially register. 

In the Mill Valley School District, registration is not done by neighborhood school boundaries. It’s not uncommon to have students attending schools that are not in the vicinity of their homes. Why is this? In Mill Valley, we have wonderful historical schools that have been community hallmarks for years. Unfortunately, the district’s two smallest schools serve the largest city population areas. Therefore, the enrollment of students is not done by neighborhood boundaries, but district-wide. When enrollment preferences exceed space at a school, a waiting list is created.

A common misconception is that parents "choose" their child's school. Parents have the opportunity to state a preference for a particular school. Actual placement, while taking preferences into consideration is dependent on the following criteria.

• Siblings of currently enrolled students residing in the District are considered residents of the sibling's school and will be enrolled in that school if they wish and if there is space. The currently enrolled sibling must be in attendance at the school when the new enrollee enters the school.
• Facility capacity and class size.
• Proximity of residence to the school of choice.
• Identified special education and program needs.
• Balance of class size across the District.

Students registered in first enrollment period (January & February) usually will be notified of school assignment by May 1. Students registered after first enrollment period will be notified of school assignment by August 16. Students registering after the last day of current school year will be notified of school assignment prior to the opening of school.

The enrollment numbers per school are different.  This is because each school has different factors that affect enrollment. Also, the district must balance class sizes, while trying to project grade 4-5 enrollment. A school's mobility rate is considered when loading primary grade classes and projecting upper-grade class sizes.

After you have received your initial placement notification letter, you may place your child on a waiting list for the school of your choice. You can only be on one school waiting list.  Your child must be a registered student in the Mill Valley School District (private school students cannot be placed on the waiting list).

Students new to the waiting list after being placed at a school during one of the registration rounds are prioritized within that round by siblings in the school and then by proximity.  Students new to the waiting list during the school year are placed behind the last student on the list. Excepting special program student needs/special education, students cannot bump ahead of other students once they are placed on a waiting list. The proximity of your home to a school or whether a written protest is provided has no impact on the list.

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.

When demand exceeds capacity a waiting list is established and parents may exercise their option to have their child’s name placed on the list.  Additional placements in a school may be taken from the waiting list but may not be made until August.  

BP 5111.4  Board Policy 5111.4 and AR 5111.4 AR 5111.4

No. The District makes every effort to keep siblings together but due to class configurations and space availability, students at the K-5 level may be placed at different schools.

Priority Registration for the 2025-2026 school year:

• Student registration for all new students Kindergarten and above begins January 13, 2025 and ends February 28, 2025.  Families will be notified of school assignment by May 1, 2025. 

Second Round Registration

• Students registered beginning March 1, 2025 up until the last school day of 2025, will be notified of school assignment by August 15, 2025

Third Round Registration

• Students registering after the last school day of 2025 up until August 4, 2025 will be notified of school assignment prior to the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.

The district’s current class sizes are as follows:

Current Average Class