• Frequently Used Transfer Terms

    Sibling transfer information
    Co-enrolled siblings are brothers or sisters who live in the same household and will be enrolled in the same school/program at the same time (one sibling must be currently enrolled at the requested school/program). Co-enrolled sibling applicants receive preference in lottery and petition applications to their first-choice school.  

    Free, full-day kindergarten program
    Beginning in 2015, Kindergarten is a full-day program free at ALL schools to ALL èßäapp¹ÙÍø families. For more information, contact the program manager at 503-916-3230 or nhauth@pps.net.

    Focus option  
    A school or program structured around a unique curriculum, such as a language immersion program. Focus options are also referred to as magnet, special focus and designated special programs.    

    Focus option lottery preference for low-income students
    Students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals or who attend a Head Start Pre-k are eligible for preference into ten focus option schools and programs. The preference applies to focus option schools/programs where the rate of students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals is below the district average. To qualify for the preference, submit a lottery application and a confidential income eligibility form by the transfer deadline.

    Gender weight
    The lottery is designed to help balance each school's proportion of male and female students, over time, to more closely reflect the gender averages of the district. Thus, if a male student applies to a school with a higher percentage of female students, the lottery will slightly increase the odds of acceptance, while it will slightly decrease the odds of acceptance to a school with more male students. For lottery purposes only, non-binary students are placed in the lottery category that offers the best chance of placement.

    Linked sibling applications
    Linked sibling applications are lottery or petition applications for children living in the same household applying for the same schools/programs at the same grade level. When applications are linked, all siblings receive the same results: approved, denied or waitlisted. Linking applications does not improve chance for approval.  To link your students applications please call the Enrollment and Transfer Center at 503-916-3205.

    Neighborhood school
    A school serving a designated attendance area. To identify the schools serving an address within the èßäapp¹ÙÍø Public School District, go to /Page/126.

    A request to transfer into a different neighborhood school or into certain grades at focus options.

    Pre-kindergarten program
    èßäapp¹ÙÍø offers several pre-kindergarten programs through the Funded Programs (Title I) department. Application information will be available in the spring at on the Funded Programs page or by calling 503-916-3789.

    Residency
    The focus option lottery and petition process are open only to students whose home addresses are within the èßäapp¹ÙÍø school district boundary. Families enrolling their children for the first time, or who move to a different address, must provide two pieces of proof of residence to their neighborhood or current school. Some immersion programs provide preference based on home address. If a student moves to a different address before the start of the school year, the transfer result may be changed.

    Wait list
    A list of applicants who were not approved to a choice due to space, but who could be offered a transfer slot if an approved transfer student forfeits his/her space. The wait list will be in effect until the 20th day of school in the fall of each year.

    Alternative education options
    District operated or community-based schools and programs developed to meet the needs of a specific student population. Alternative education options generally offer something different from or in addition to the regular curriculum and may offer different grade structures and school hours. Program and enrollment information is available at /multiplepathwaystograduation.  

    Charter schools
    A public school operated by a group of parents, teachers and/or community members as a semi-autonomous school of choice within a school district. Each charter school has a separate application procedures. èßäapp¹ÙÍø charter school enrollment information is available at /multiplepathwaystograduation.