Late admissions to school for Sept 09 (Rye, Harrison: house, school district, gated)

[sem44]

We are looking to move into either the Harrison/Rye or Scarsdale area- though we are still researching but these have been personally recommended to us - coming over from London in July (we have only just found out !) We have a 6 yr and 3 yr old and wondering what happens regarding late admissions to schools as we would like the 6 yr old to start Sept 09. Do we apply directly to the schools or the education district ? When you rent/buy a house I've noticed that often the schools in which your child would attend are listed ( this is different from the UK system which generally is a lottery so the US system as far as I am concerned seems a fairer and more sensible one ) so does that mean that irrespective of when someone relocates to the area the school is obliged to find that child a place ? Would really appreciate any advice that syou can give.

[havoc315]

Yes In most of the United States (though not everywhere), school districting is geographically based. Your children are assigned to a school based on their home residence address. So yes, the schools are obligated to take your children, as long as they are of the right age.

Furthermore, it sounds like you are relocating prior to the start of the school year. So it's no problem for you to register your children in time for the new school year. Or should I say your child...

Your 3 year-old is still too young for most public school programs. You will likely need to find a private pre-K, though there are a few public pre-k programs. But your 6 year-old would likely be eligible to register for first grade.

[sem44]

Thank you very much for your response - I can go forward now and start looking at schools now with much more confidence. Really looking forward to coming to the US, it's going to be a wonderful opportunity for our family and city-data has been invaluable to us.