Enrolling At California Online Public Schools
We’re glad you have decided to enroll in California Online Public Schools! Before you get started, take a look below at the enrollment process.
Step 1 - Understand Your Commitment
We’ll empower your student to create a schedule that works for them—and your family. Discover what your student’s daily life at California Online Public Schools will look like, along with parent role expectations.
Step 2 - Check Your Eligibility
Age Limitations
- Transitional Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in transitional kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or between September 2, 2024 through June 2, 2025 to enroll in the 2024-2025 school year.
- Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.
- First Grade: Any student enrolling in first grade must be six (6) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.
- Maximum Age: Any student who turns nineteen (19) years old on or before the first day of school and has a break in public school enrollment will not be eligible to enroll in California Online Public Schools. The maximum age for general education students with continuous enrollment is twenty (20) years old. The maximum age for special education students with continuous enrollment is twenty-two (22) years old.
Geographical Limitations
California Online Public Schools is only available to students in the following regions within California:
Central: Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, and Tulare counties
Central Coast: San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties
Monterey Bay: Monterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties
North Bay: Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Yolo counties
Northern California: Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Contra Costa, Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus counties
Southern California: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties
In California, student eligibility requirements are determined by the state, which regulates all public schools including California Online Public Schools.
California Online Public Schools are open to all students who meet the state’s age and geographic restrictions for virtual charter schools. While we are required to collect documents that show that the age and residency requirements have been met, we do welcome students who have unusual circumstances, such as homeless and foster youth, immigrants, refugees, migrants, and students who are not U.S. citizens. Contact the school enrollment team for assistance if enrolling a student for whom standard documentation is not readily available due to this type of situation. Once you sign your student’s Independent Study Master Agreement, please immediately withdraw your student from their current school if you have not already done so. Students cannot be simultaneously enrolled in two public schools.
Step 3 - Prepare Your Documents
After an application has been started, eligibility tasks and documents are collected. We do not require receipt of student records prior to acceptance into our school. The documents for the various parts of the process are listed in more detail below.
Child’s Proof of Age
A copy of one of the following documents must be provided for every student to verify age eligibility:
- Official birth certificate
- Passport (U.S. and other countries)
- Certificate of live birth
- Military ID or Driver’s License
- Adoption record
- Tribal affiliation card
- Green card
- Custody documentation
- Medical records
- School records from previous school
Not Sure Where to Get That?
If you need a copy of your child’s birth certificate, you can order it online through the California Department of Public Health. Please visit the California Department of Public Health(opens in a new tab) website for more information.
If your child was born in another state, please visit the CDC’s Where to Write for Vital Records webpage for more information. When using this tool, please remember to follow the CDC’s Application Guidelines.
Need a replacement Green Card (Permanent Resident Card)? Visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website(opens in a new tab).
Have questions about your U.S. passport? Visit the U.S. Department of State FAQs page.
As a reminder, the age eligibility is as follows:
- Transitional Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in transitional kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or between September 2, 2024 through June 2, 2025 to enroll in the 2024-2025 school year.
- Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.
- First Grade: Any student enrolling in first grade must be six (6) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.
- Maximum Age: Any student who turns nineteen (19) years old on or before the first day of school and has a break in public school enrollment will not be eligible to enroll in California Online Public Schools. The maximum age for general education students with continuous enrollment is twenty (20) years old. The maximum age for special education students with continuous enrollment is twenty-two (22) years old.
Proof of Residence
According to the California Department of Education Residency Guidelines, you must reside in one of the following California counties to enroll in one of the California Online Public Schools: Alameda, Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Fresno, Glenn, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Lake, Los Angeles, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Riverside, Sacramento, San Benito, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus, Sonoma, Tulare, Ventura or Yolo.
You must provide ONE acceptable proof of residency to be eligible for enrollment in California Online Public Schools. There are many verifiable forms of documentation, which are detailed below:
Not Sure What is Accepted as Proof?
- A residential utility bill
- Acceptable Documents Include: gas, electric, water, sewage, cable, internet, or trash bill from the last 90 days, in the resident’s name and address
- Mortgage statement from the last 90 days or current annual lease agreement
- Property tax statement
- Current voter registration card
- Payroll stub from the last 90 days
- Letter from a government agency from the last 90 days
If you do not have any of these documents, please contact the enrollment team at [email protected] to discuss acceptable alternatives.
Child’s Proof of Immunization
Immunizations are not required to enroll in the school because the California Online Public Schools program meets California’s criteria of an independent study program.
With this said, California Online Public Schools are still required to collect information from parents and report to the state on immunizations. Therefore, immunization records should be submitted for students upon enrollment and resubmitted upon entry into seventh grade. Even though during the enrollment process all immunization records must be submitted, if the records indicate that the student has not received all the state required immunizations, the student will still be allowed to enroll.
Documentation of every received shot will assist California Online Public Schools staff in notifying families with unvaccinated students of exclusion from in-person activities in the event of a disease outbreak that may impact their student(s).
Families will be able to submit immunization records and/or exemptions once they begin the enrollment process.
- Immunization booklet
- Official school record
- Healthcare provider or Health Department printout
- California Online Public Schools Immunization form (found in the Enrollment Portal)
This form may require both the parent/guardian and health care provider signature.
State Required Immunization
Follow these links to learn more:
Health and Safety Code Section 120325–120380
California immunization registry
Where Can I Get Immunizations for My Student?
Immunizations can be obtained from doctor’s offices, clinics, or hospitals. Pediatricians and family doctors or their nurses or medical assistants can give your student the shots they need to meet the requirements for school enrollment. In addition, some large chain pharmacies offer immunizations for older children and adults.
What if I Need Assistance Paying for Vaccines?
By law, California managed-care organizations (such as Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross) must cover recommended immunizations for children. Your health plan may charge a co-payment for the shot visit. Check with your health plan or your doctor’s office about any fees.
If you don’t have health insurance, you may be able to get free immunizations through one of these programs:
- Healthy Families Children enrolled in California’s Healthy Families plan receive free immunizations with no copayment.
- Medi-Cal.Medi-Cal covers preventive care services for eligible low-income children and adults. Contact your local County Social Services for more information.
- Vaccines for Children.Many private-practice California doctors participate in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which gives free vaccine to eligible children up to age 18. Ask your child’s doctor if his or her office offers VFC shots.
- CHDP. Children eligible for California’s Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program may also be eligible for free or low-cost shots.
Child's Proof of Health Examination
According to the California Department of Education, California state law requires that each student/child’s family provide, within 90 days of entrance into the first grade, a certificate documenting that the child has received a health checkup within the previous 18 months. Please complete the form below to fulfill this state requirement.
What If I Can’t Afford a Health Examination for My Student?
Some children may be eligible for a state-paid examination. Referrals to doctors and clinics are provided on request by the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program coordinator of the local health department. Children through age 18 may receive a free checkup funded by CHDP if their families meet specific income guidelines. Most county health departments have a CHDP coordinator who can advise parents regarding eligibility.
To find out more about Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) services or the application process, please contact your county CHDP office, which can be found on the “County Offices” page of the California Department of Health Care Services website. For more information on the CHDP, including a program overview and health check-up information, please view the CHDP Description of Services brochure.
Prior Academic Records
All students who have previously attended public school, private school, or homeschool are eligible to enroll and will be requested to submit academic records for placement.
For students enrolling for grades K–9: Please submit a copy of the report card from the most recent school year.
The following items should be included on the report card:
- Student Name
- Grade Level
- School Year (example: 2023-2024)
- School Name
- Grading Scale (example: 90–100%=A)
- Unofficial Transcript
For students enrolling for grades 10–12: Submit an unofficial transcript that includes the complete end-of-year grades from the prior school year(s) and any academic documentation (such as a progress report/interim report, class schedule, or marking period/semester report card) issued for the current school year. Additional documentation may be requested for placement.
The following items should be included on the unofficial transcript:
- Student Name
- Grade Level
- School Year (example: 2023–2024)
- School Name
- Grading Scale (example: 90–100%=A)
- Credits Earned
Not Sure How to Get Your Child’s Report Card or Transcript?
Contact your student’s previous school and request the document, providing them with the information outlined above, OR contact your school’s district office with the request.
Have Your Child(ren) Been Formerly Homeschooled?
If you have information about the courses your child has completed, please note there will be opportunities to submit these during the registration process. School staff may reach out to you to gather additional information once your child is enrolled.
Other Documents for Special Circumstances
You may need to provide additional documentation if any of the following circumstances apply:
- Custody order: If your legal guardianship is determined by a court order, please submit a copy of the order.
- Gifted documentation: California Online Public Schools offers Gifted and Talented programs in grades 3-8 provided proper documentation is provided. Without these records, standard grade level course placement will be assigned.
Step 4 - Learn the Registration Process
This video was created by our staff to help walk you through the registration process.
Begin Registration
To enroll online, you will need an email address and regular access to an Internet-connected computer. Start by completing one of the registration forms below.
What Happens After Enrollment
Once your application is submitted and your student’s eligibility is confirmed by the California Online Public Schools’ Enrollment Team, course placement will be assigned. If you did not submit academic documentation for your student during the registration process, school staff may reach out to you to collect additional information in order to ensure we are able to assign a more accurate course placement for your child without any delays. You and your student will also need to sign the California Online Public Schools Independent Study Master Agreement before your student can begin submitting schoolwork. A request will be sent to both the parent and student emails that were provided on the application with a link to submit the required signatures. You will receive a “Welcome Call” from one of your student’s teachers near or at the start of school. This is a great opportunity to ask questions, share goals and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I verify that the documents I sent arrived?
If you submitted your documents through the Enrollment Portal and it has been more than 3 days, you can contact the Enrollment Team at [email protected] to check the status. In your email, please provide us with the following information: student’s name, documents sent, and both the date and method they were sent (uploaded to the Enrollment Portal, by email, or through an Enrollment Support ticket).
How does self-enrollment work if I am 18 years old, or older, or am an emancipated minor?
Students who are 18 or over must meet age eligibility requirements in California. Students must also submit academic documentation of all courses attempted since entering the 9th grade. Academic documentation will be reviewed by a school counselor to determine the student’s eligibility to complete the program requirements before meeting the age cap for enrollment. Students who cannot complete the program requirements before meeting the age cap for enrollment are not eligible to enroll.
Both emancipated minors and students 18 years and older must provide all required enrollment documentation before the student can enroll. Emancipated minors must also submit court documentation for their emancipation. Please contact the Enrollment Team at [email protected] for additional information or assistance.
Once my student is enrolled, how long do I wait to withdraw from my local school?
Once your student’s application has been reviewed and accepted by the California Online Public School Enrollment Team, your student will be placed into classes and both you and your student will then need to sign an Independent Study Master Agreement before your child can begin attending classes with the school. Once you receive your student’s confirmation of course placement, please immediately withdraw your student if you have not done so already.
How long will it take to complete the enrollment process?
The sooner you complete online enrollment forms and submit the required documents, the sooner your student will be enrolled.
TIP: Monitor your email for communication regarding the status of your student’s application, and for information about next steps.
We're Here to Help
If you have any concerns or questions about how to enroll, our enrollment team is here to help.
Please call 800-906-5166 or email at [email protected].
California Online Public Schools admits students and conducts all educational programs, activities, and employment practices without discrimination on the basis of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, creed, sexual orientation, disability, or any other legally protected classification.
Per the Board of Directors, California Online Public Schools has an enrollment limit of 10,000 students. Once capacity is met, students who complete all tasks will be placed on a waiting list and released to enroll based on the completion of tasks.
