Registration

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.

Unless a student is attending the Lake Washington School District on a Choice Transfer or does not have a legal residence, residency in the Lake Washington School District must be established prior to enrolling a student.

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, IRS, 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 that includes the contact information of the lessor/landlord.
• Renter's Insurance bill that matches the address of unexpired rental agreement.
• 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). Bank statements, Cable, internet and phone bills are not accepted.
• Driver's Licenses are not accepted as Residency Verification documents.

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.

Registration must be done by a parent or legal guardian. We require the following documents and information to register:

• Proof of child's birth date, such as a birth certificate or passport
• Proof of residency, as described in step 2. Please upload two residency documents.
• Records of Immunizations — students must meet state immunization requirements. Proof of immunization must be provided by the parent or guardian before the student can start school.
• Emergency contact information — Have ready 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.
• Previous school information — If a student is transferring from another U.S. school, it is helpful if the parent provides the name, address and phone number of the previous school.
• Academic History (if available) — It would help with proper placement if students transferring from another school, particularly from outside the U.S., provide 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, advanced curriculum, etc.

Schools enroll students based on age. For example, according to Washington State's uniform entry age, a child must be eleven years of age as of midnight, August 31, of the school year of entry to be entitled to enter sixth grade. If a parent wishes to enroll the student in a grade other than what corresponds to the child's age, documentation from the child's previous school, showing last grade completed, must be provided.

• Student Online Registration: you will have the opportunity to upload paperwork as part of the process. If you prefer not to upload your documents, you can proceed with online registration, then set up an appointment with our registrar and bring the documents to school. Registration will not be processed until documents are uploaded, or presented at school.
• Transfers for students already attending a school in our district: please contact mchugh@lwsd.org . Students already attending a district school do not need to use online registration.
• In-person registration is strictly by appointment, limited only to families without internet access or experiencing significant difficulty completing the process online. Please call the registrar at 425-936-2460 to set up an appointment.