Enrollment
Welcome to School District 197!
Our Enrollment Office is located at 1897 Delaware Ave., Mendota Heights, MN 55118, adjacent to Two Rivers High School at door number 20. Enrollment forms may be mailed, emailed or submitted in person. Required documentation is listed below under How to Enroll.
For questions on enrollment, please contact the enrollment coordinator at enrollment@isd197.org or 651-403-7030.
2024-2025 Open Enrollment Update
Open Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year is Closed for the Following Grades:
- Grades 1-4
- Grades 9 and 10
Enrollment Resources
- How to Enroll
- 2024-2025 Enrollment Forms
- 2025-2026 Enrollment Forms
- Early Entrance to Kindergarten
- Class Sizes at School District 197
- Intradistrict Transfer Information
- Open Enrollment Information
- What is a primary address?
- What is my child's resident district?
- What is my child's neighborhood school (school of attendance)?
How to Enroll
All enrollment forms are accessible multiple ways:
- In person at the Enrollment Office
- On our website under Enrollment Forms
- Via email
- Via U.S. Mail
When completed, email the forms to enrollment@isd197.org, mail the forms to the Enrollment Office, or return the forms to the Enrollment Office in person.
Please be prepared to provide the following documents to help complete your child's enrollment.
- Your child's birth certificate or another form of government-issued proof of age and date of birth
- Residency Verification: Please provide a document that shows the name and address of the parent/guardian or other person having legal custody of the student.
- Acceptable verification documents are: current purchase/lease agreement (signed and dated), current property tax statement, current student loan statement, current payroll statement, current bank statement
- Secondary Proof of Residency: current federal/state/county benefits statement, current healthcare bill, current major utility bill (Xcel Energy or water bill), confirmation letter of change of address with USPS
- Not Accepted for Proof of Residency: updated driver’s license, cell phone bills, cable bills, sanitation bills, department store/credit card bills
- A copy of your child's immunization records
2024-2025 Enrollment Forms
2025-2026 Enrollment Forms
Early Entrance to Kindergarten
If your child will not be five by September 1st of you may apply for Early Entrance to Kindergarten. You can find information on this process in the forms below. Please contact the Curriculum Department at 651-403-7026 with any questions. No applications for the following school year will be accepted after the May 15th deadline. The application period for early entrance to the 2024-2025 school has closed.
Class Sizes at School District 197
School Board Approved Class Size Parameters:
Elementary: (90% of classrooms will fall within the following ranges)
Kindergarten: 18-25 students per classroom (district average 21.5)
1st-2nd Grades: 20-27 students per classroom (district avg. 23.5)
3rd-4th Grades: 22-29 students per classroom (district avg. 25.0)
Middle School: (75% of classrooms will not exceed the following)
Core Programs (Science, Soc. Studies, Lang. Arts, Math) 31 students
Non-Core (Music, Art, Phy. Ed., FACS, Tech. Ed., World Lang.) Variable
High School: (75% of classrooms will not exceed the following)
Core Programs: 33 students (Science, Social Studies, Language Arts, Math)
Non-Core: Variable (Music, Art, Phy. Ed., FACS, Tech. Ed., World Lang.)
Intradistrict Transfer Information
School District 197 is proud to offer a wide range of school options for families. While we encourage parents to enroll their child at their neighborhood elementary or middle school, we know families may wish to attend a school other than the one in their attendance area, such as one of our magnet schools. If you are a resident of School District 197 and would like your child(ren) to attend a school other than your neighborhood school, you must request an intradistrict transfer. This transfer must be requested prior to the year in which enrollment is requested.
Intradistrict transfers for the 2025-2026 school year were processed from November 1, 2024 – March 17, 2025.
New resident students entering the school district may request a transfer when initial paperwork is submitted. Please attach a note to your enrollment packet or include your request in an email with the school you would like your child to attend.
For current students already attending one of our public schools, the transfer window has closed for this current year (2024-2025). You may request a transfer for next school year (2025-2026) by sending an email to enrollment@isd197.org.
If you are unsure if you are a resident of School District 197, please click here.
If you have questions regarding the intradistrict transfer process, please contact the enrollment coordinator at enrollment@isd197.org or 651-403-7030.
Questions & Answers
- What is an intradistrict transfer?
- Who should complete a transfer request form?
- How do I request an intradistrict transfer?
- How will I know the transfer request has been submitted?
- What if I do not have access to the Internet?
- When can I submit a transfer request?
- Who decides whether my transfer request is approved, and how is it decided?
- When will I know if my transfer request has been approved?
- My student is already attending a school on an intradistrict transfer. Do I need to reapply? And, do I need to reapply every year?
- Can I request a transfer after May 19 or during the school year?
- If an intradistrict transfer is approved for my student, is transportation available?
- I do not live in the school district. Should I use the intradistrict transfer site?
What is an intradistrict transfer?
An intradistrict transfer is used when resident families would like their child to attend a school other than their neighborhood school. This includes students in grades K-8 and includes incoming
Who should complete a transfer request form?
Complete a transfer request form if your child is:
- A resident student entering kindergarten and you would like them to attend a District 197 elementary school other than the one in your attendance area for the 2025-2026 school year.
- A resident student entering 5th grade and you would like them to attend a District 197 middle school other than the one in your attendance area (based on your home address, not the elementary school you are currently attending) for the 2025-2026 school year.
- A non-resident student entering 5th grade and you would like them to attend a District 197 middle school other than the one in your attendance area (based on the elementary school currently attending) for the 2025-2026 school year.
- A resident or non-resident student who is enrolled in District 197 in 2024-25, entering grades 1-4 or 6-8 and you would like them to attend a district elementary or middle school other than the one they attended in 2024-25 or one that is outside your attendance area for the 2025-2026 school year.
- Complete a transfer request form for each child applying to enroll in a non-attendance area school.
School District 197 only allows you to select one preferred school choice at a time. If your request is not approved, it will be placed on a hold list and reviewed again during the next review period. If you choose to change your preferred choice to another school, you will need to submit a new request. By doing so, you will lose your current place in line with your previous request. At any point in the process, you may withdraw your request and attend your home attendance boundary school.
How do I request an intradistrict transfer?
Families submit an intradistrict transfer request online. An online request system makes it easier for families to request a transfer and enables a school to more effectively manage enrollment and balance school and class sizes.
How will I know the transfer request has been submitted?
Upon submitting the request, you should receive an email confirming receipt of your request. If you do not receive a confirmation email, contact the enrollment coordinator at 651-403-7030 or enrollment@isd197.org.
What if I do not have access to the Internet?
Families may reach out to the enrollment coordinator to make a request over the phone at 651-403-7030.
When can I submit a transfer request?
Transfer requests can be submitted during four periods between November 1, 2024 and March 17, 2025 for the 2025-26 school year
- Phase 1: November 1, 2024 - January 2, 2025
- Phase 2: January 3, 2025 - February 3, 2025
- Phase 3: February 4, 2025 - March 17, 2025
Intradistrict transfer requests will not be accepted after March 17, 2025. This will enable the school to plan the school schedule and manage class sizes well in advance of the school year, ensuring a smooth start for all students.
Who decides whether my transfer request is approved, and how is it decided?
School and district administration will meet to determine how many transfers are possible. Students who meet the following criteria will be given priority placement in the order below:
- Students who live in the attendance boundary of the school they are requesting but were assigned to a different school by the school district due to capacity issues.
- Students who will be moving to a different attendance area in the fall and want to stay at the current school.
- Siblings in a Level III District special education program at the requested school.
- Siblings of students enrolled at the site for the upcoming year.
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Students currently open enrolled at Garlough, Moreland, or Somerset and were placed at a middle school through the lottery.
- Children of individuals employed at the site.
- Children attending childcare in the attendance area.
- Interest in a magnet theme.
- Other circumstances
If the number of requests exceeds the number of seats available, the requests will be granted using a lottery system. Students not transferred will be put on hold in hopes that room may open up in subsequent transfer periods.
However, when a school or a grade at a school eventually reaches capacity, no further transfers will be possible.
When will I know if my transfer request has been approved?
Once the request period has closed, families can expect to be notified within two weeks whether their transfer has been accepted, denied, or put on hold. All notifications will be sent by US Mail.
My student is already attending a school on an intradistrict transfer. Do I need to reapply? And, do I need to reapply every year?
The default assignment for resident students is to their attendance boundary school. Families of 4th grade students will receive a letter in the fall indicating their student’s assigned school along with information about how to apply for a transfer. Re-application each year is not necessary. Once you are enrolled into the school you will not need to reapply for that student until the transfer to the next school that is grade appropriate.
Can I request a transfer after May or during the school year?
No. All requests must be submitted within the established timelines. Again, this will help to ensure class sizes are managed well and decisions are made well in advance for families.
If an intradistrict transfer is approved for my student, is transportation available?
YYes, transportation is available but must be requested. Please keep in mind that, depending on which school your student will be transported to, some bus routes could be as long as 45 minutes to 1 hour.
I do not live in the school district snf currently have a student enrolled. Should I use the intradistrict transfer site?
If you are a non-resident family and your child is entering grade 5 and would like to attend middle school outside of the designated attendance area of the elementary school they currently attend, you should visit the intradistrict transfer site. If you are unsure of what school your open enrolled student is assigned to, please contact the enrollment coordinator at 651-403-7030.
Open Enrollment Information
Students who are not a resident of School District 197 but wish to attend a School District 197 school may open enroll in the district. Open enrollment covers the student's entire education years in School District 197 unless the student leaves the district. As a desegregation district, School District 197 accepts open enrollment applications at any time throughout the year.
You will find the open enrollment/statewide enrollment options application in the link below titled “Open Enrollment Links & Forms.”
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If your request is approved, you will need to submit a School District 197 enrollment packet to complete the process. You can find this packet under the enrollment forms link sorted by school year. Please submit the completed packet, no later than 45 days after your approval or your spot will be forfeited and you will need to re-apply for enrollment.
What is a primary address?
The primary address of a student is used to determine the student’s resident district and designated attendance area school if the student is a resident of School District 197. The address of the biological/adoptive parent or other person having court appointed legal custody of the student is considered the student’s primary address, regardless of where the student physically lives.
What is my child's resident district?
To determine your student’s resident district, click here. If the student’s resident district is not School District 197, the student does not have an assigned attendance area school, but may open enroll in any School District 197 school.
What is my child's neighborhood school (school of attendance)?
Each school has an attendance area that determines which resident students are assigned to that school. An attendance area is a geographic area surrounding the school that optimizes the enrollment at each neighborhood school. To find our your child's school of attendance, click here.
STAFF
Reina Ferguson
Enrollment Coordinator
651-403-7030
| enrollment@isd197.org