Kindergarten Registration Now Open for Champaign Unit 4 Schools

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD FOR KINDERGARTEN IN CHAMPAIGN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Heads up, Champaign and Savoy families: If you have a child entering kindergarten in the Champaign Unit 4 School District in the 2025-26 school year, the school assignment process to determine where your child will go to school starts now — and we’re here to help.

KEY REGISTRATION INFO:

• The kindergarten registration period begins Feb. 3, 2025 and ends May 1, 2025. (Returning student registration closes on May 31.)
• Tours will be available of schools in February and March, from 5-7 pm each night.
  • Barkstall, Carrie Busey, Bottenfield, IPA, Kenwood, Robeson: Tuesday, Feb. 18 and Thursday, March 6
  • Westview, Dr. Howard, South Side, Booker T. Washington, Stratton, Garden Hills: Tuesday, Feb. 20 and March 4
• The registration process can be done online anytime, or in-person during certain hours. There will be walk-in, in-person options for registration available at the Mellon Building. There will also be walk-in registration events at the Martens Center (March 26, 4-7 pm) and Champaign Public Library (Feb. 19, 4-7 pm). There’s help available to families who speak French/Spanish.   See more info about in-person options.
• Want to see the data? The district has published data from the two previous kindergarten assignment processes. This information allows families to evaluate their chances of getting into a school especially without proximity or other factors.

NOW, THE DETAILS: 

• HOW DO I REGISTER MY STUDENT?
  Unlike a traditional neighborhood school model, families in Unit 4 are able to request an elementary school regardless of their address. There are many steps, but to simplify the process:
  • Families register using an online system that asks them to rank the 12 schools for their child.
  • Using a formula that includes a variety of factors (more on that below), an algorithm processes the applications and assigns the child a school.
  • Families are notified of their child’s school assignment about two weeks after the registration window closes.
  • The deadline is to make sure your child is in the system for the official assignment process, which is the best way to request a seat in a school of your choice.
  • If you are reading this after May 1, don’t worry, your child will still go to school! Students who register after the assignment process period will be assigned to schools according to seat availability. Contact the district for more information.
• WHY DOES CHAMPAIGN UNIT 4 ASSIGN CHILDREN TO KINDERGARTEN USING THIS PROCESS?
  The history behind why Champaign Unit 4 moved away from the neighborhood schools model is a long and complicated one, but its goal is to foster socioeconomic diversity across the 12 elementary buildings. The kindergarten assignment process provides the best opportunity for families to get their children the school placement they desire.
  • From 2017-2024, 84 percent of families received their first choice.
  • From 2017-2024, 92 percent of families received their first, second or third choice.
• HOW DO WE KNOW WHICH SCHOOL IS RIGHT FOR OUR FAMILY?
  There are many variables to consider when finding the right school fit for your family (and notice I say family, not just the child). Before you even start touring the schools, consider these different options and opportunities:
  • Start Time: Do you want a school that starts in a certain window, either early (7:45 am) or later (8:40)? The district elementary campuses have three different bell schedules available. The district increased the length of the student instructional day to 6 hours and 50 minutes for all K-5 and PK-8 campuses.
    
  • Curriculum: Are you interested in specific learning opportunities? There are several specialized curriculum options available, but only at certain schools.
    • Dual language programs: The district offers two dual language programs: French at Stratton Arts Academy, or Spanish at International Prep Academy.
    • STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is a special focus at Booker T. Washington.
    • Kenwood offers computer programming and computational thinking skills starting in kindergarten.
    • Be sure to check out the magnet programs at Garden Hills Academy (math and engineering) and Stratton Academy of the Arts.
  • Special Needs: Does your child have special needs? An Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504 plan? All Unit 4 elementary schools serve children with special needs or other learning differences; some offer more specialization than others.
    • For example, Carrie Busey Elementary has specific programming for children with hearing deficits.
    • Contact the district’s special education team if you have questions.
  • Location, Location, Location. Do you want a school close to home? Perhaps you want one close to a caregiver or other family member. Or maybe one that is closer to your workplace.
    • You don’t have to choose the school closest to you.
    • We discuss the idea of proximity schools below in more depth, and how that impacts the assignment process.
    • Whatever your preference, one of the best things about the kindergarten registration process is this: even if you move homes within the district, your child will not have to switch elementary or middle schools due to that move.
    • Families who are eligible for yellow bus transportation and elect NOT to use it are eligible to be reimbursed for transportation costs.
  • Building Facility. The elementary school facilities have been renovated, updated, or have been built in the last 25 years. Some highlights:
    • Dr. Howard debuted a new building in the fall of 2020.
    • International Prep Academy’s new building opened in fall 2023, a significant project making it the school the district’s first K-8 campus.
  • Middle School Placement. In Champaign Unit 4, where a child attends elementary school dictates where that child will attend middle school. If this matters to you, you should understand which schools feed where. (In contrast, Unit 4’s two high schools are districted by geographic location of where a student resides.)
    • Edison Middle School: Bottenfield, Booker T. Washington, and Westview
    • Franklin Middle School: Barkstall, Carrie Busey, and Dr. Howard
    • Jefferson Middle School: Robeson, Stratton, Kenwood, and South Side
    • Garden Hills is a PreK-8 campus.
    • IPA is a K-8 campus.
  • Uniforms
    • There are no uniform schools in Champaign Unit 4.
  • Bondville families do not participate in the school assignment process, but do need to register. All Bondville students are assigned to Kenwood.

• HOW DO WE GET TO KNOW THE SCHOOLS?
   Here are a few ways to “take the temperature” of a school and do your research.
  • School tours: Take advantage of the school tours and open houses offered by the district being offered . Can’t get into the school then? Call and ask for a tour at another time (the worst that happens – they say no.)
  • Spotlight videos are available on the district website.
  • School websites: Each school has its own page on the Unit 4 website, with basic information about things like dress codes, parent resources and more.
  • Ask your network: Network to meet people connected to the schools — parents, teachers, aides, building staff, specialists, volunteers. How to network? Ask your friends, neighbors or colleagues who have kids in the schools or know parents of kids in certain schools.
  • Talk to students: Probably most overlooked in the process: talk to kids who attend those schools!
  • Attend a PTA meeting. Parental involvement important to you? Attend a school PTA (Parent Teacher Association) meeting. Call the school to get the dates; some PTAs are more active than others.

    

• HOW DO WE GUARANTEE THE SCHOOL WE WANT?
  You can’t. Really, you can’t. However you can maximize your chances by gaining a more thorough understanding of the process.
  • Understand your proximity option (or options) as you have the best chance to get that school. Every family gets ONE proximity priority school, which is either within 1.5 miles from your house or the closest one as determined by the district.
    • Your student will only get the proximity school “advantage” if you place that school FIRST on your list.
    • A common mistake: putting the proximity school somewhere lower on your list and thinking that the proximity designation will matter to your child’s assignment.
    •  While some families might live within the 1.5 mile proximity zone for multiple schools, they can only elect one as a proximity priority school.
    • How do you know what your proximity school is? You can check your proximity area online with this mapping tool on the Unit 4 website.
  • Some schools simply have more seats than others.
    • South Side is the smallest elementary school, with only two elementary classrooms per grade (aka two “strands”).
    • Robeson is the largest, with four elementary classrooms per grade (although this can change from year to year).
    • Some schools have higher populations of children in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs or have specific programs for children with special needs.
  • Sibling preference is pretty much guaranteed when families register within the timeframe.
    • If you have a child in a school currently who WILL RETURN the following year, that child’s kindergarten sibling is guaranteed the same placement, as long as you register and put the child into the assignment process.
    • This is not automatic; families must still register.
  • Socioeconomic status (SES, which includes income and educational attainment) is factored into the equation. If your family qualifies, your child may get preference at some schools. The district assesses SES via questions asked on the registration form.
  • As mentioned earlier, families are once again able to look at data regarding what schools were “overchosen” and “underchosen.“ The data from recent assignment process is posted on the website. It can be helpful when making decisions on which schools to rank.

• IS THERE AN ADVANTAGE TO REGISTERING EARLY?
  Parents can register a child for the kindergarten choice process between Feb. 3 and May 1; but early registration provides no advantage to the child’s placement.
  • The window of time is purely for convenience sake and there is no correlation between WHEN someone registers a child (as long as it is before the deadline) and one’s placement.
• IF WE HAVE A YOUNGER SIBLING HEADED FOR KINDERGARTEN, DO I NEED TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AGAIN?
  The short answer is, YES.
  • All families with an incoming kindergartner should register during the assignment period to ensure that child gets a seat in their desired school, and siblings are no different.
  • Oh, and one more tip: families can always choose to request a different school for the sibling; the district does not assume your preference.
  • Preference is given to siblings or extended family members living in the same household with the same address.
  • There is no “legacy” or “inheritance” from a sibling who has moved on to sixth grade.
• WHAT IF WE DON’T GET OUR FIRST CHOICE?
  • There is no wait list option at this time.

UNIT 4 SCHOOLS 2025-26 KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION IN A NUTSHELL

REGISTRATION DATES: Feb. 3 – May 1

WHO IS ELIGIBLE: Residents of Champaign, Bondville and Savoy; Students must turn 5 on or before Sept. 1, 2025, to be eligible to enter kindergarten.

DOCUMENTATION: Families must have proof of residency in addition to a child’s certified birth certificate or passport.

Demonstrate proof of residency with two of the following documents:

• Apartment/house lease or home purchase agreement
• Mortgage documents/property deed payment record/building permit (60 days occupancy)
• Voter’s registration card
• Current driver’s license
• Utility bill (current month)

TOURS:

• Barkstall, Carrie Busey, Bottenfield, IPA, Kenwood, Robeson: Tuesday, Feb. 18 and Thursday, March 6 (5-7 pm)
• Westview, Dr. Howard, South Side, Booker T. Washington, Stratton, Garden Hills: Tuesday, Feb. 20 and March 4 (5-7 pm)

INFO SESSION: Attend the Kindergarten Registration Information Session on Tuesday, Feb. 11

MOBILE REGISTRATION: Need help? Want to talk to a human? Bilingual? The district has scheduled several “mobile” registration events across the city. Find more info here.

ASSIGNMENT NOTIFICATION: Typically, families are notified of their students’ school assignment two weeks after the deadline.

Laura Weisskopf Bleill is the mom-in-chief of chambanamoms.com and an amateur kindergarten registration expert. She served for many years as a parent representative on the Unit 4 Schools of Choice committee.