FAQs: Applying to attend a non-designated school
1. Do I have to attend my designated school?
EIPS encourages students to register at their designated school, where they’re guaranteed access. The Division does understand some situations exist whereby families may want to register their child at a non-designated school. Students can apply to a non-designated school through the returning student registration process or new student registration process, as applicable—acceptance is based on available space.
NOTE: Requests are only considered for schools with open boundaries.
Learn more about closed boundaries
2. What is the deadline for deciding the school I want my child to attend?
The deadline coincides with the returning student registration process. The returning student registration process for the 2025-26 school year takes place Feb. 10-24, 2025. This is the only time current EIPS students who want to attend a non-designated school in the upcoming school year can request to do so.
To request your child register at a non-designated school, simply indicate the school you want your child to attend when completing the Returning Student Registration Form. All returning student registrations received during this time frame, including requests to attend non-designated schools, receive equal consideration and are not subject to first-come, first-serve.
3. Can children attend a non-designated school for kindergarten?
Yes, priority is given to children who live within a school’s attendance boundary. Families who want to apply to enrol their child at a non-designated school can do so when completing the online New Student Registration Form. Acceptance is based on available space.
NOTE: Requests are only considered for schools with open boundaries.
Learn more about closed boundaries
4. Are children who attend a non-designated school in kindergarten guaranteed access to Grade 1 at that same school?
Yes, once a child is accepted to a school in kindergarten, the child is allowed to finish all grades offered at the school without having to make an additional request in Grade 1.
NOTE: If the school’s attendance boundaries recently changed, a student may be required to re-apply to attend a non-designated school.
5. What happens if I miss the returning student registration deadline?
Any requests received after the returning student registration deadline are declined. There's no late or secondary process. For families who've moved into the EIPS area after the returning student registration process is complete, see FAQ 10.
6. Under what conditions will my request to attend a non-designated school not be approved?
A student’s request to attend a non-designated school is declined if:
• the school has a closed boundary; or
• the request is submitted after the returning student registration deadline.
7. If I receive permission to attend a non-designated school, do I need to make a new request each year? What if we want to change schools?
EIPS students are allowed to stay at the school in which they are registered until completion of the grades offered at that school.
Every year, during the returning student registration process, families are asked to confirm the school their child plans to attend in the upcoming year. At that time, families have the option to choose to attend their designated school, the non-designated school they are currently attending (if applicable) or request a different non-designated school.
NOTE: If the school’s attendance boundaries recently changed, a student may be required to re-apply to attend a non-designated school.
8. What is the random-selection procedure and how will I be affected?
The random-selection procedure is conducted by school administration when the registration demand from outside the designated attendance area of a school exceeds the available number of learning spaces. The procedure offers all non-designated students in EIPS with a fair and equal chance of registration.
9. Can I change my mind after the returning student registration process deadline?
Enrolling at a designated or non-designated school is a commitment made by both the student and the school, which allows for careful planning and to meet the needs of students. Therefore, families should make informed choices when submitting a request. Families who apply to attend a non-designated school are contacted by the school and advised of the outcome after the returning student registration process closes. At that time, the school also asks for confirmation the student will be attending the non-designated school. Once confirmation is given, the decision is final for the applicable school year.
10. If I move into the Division after the returning student registration process deadline, can I request a non-designated school?
Yes, requests to attend a non-designated school are considered for those students whose families have just moved into the Division from outside the geographic area, or another community within the Division, and haven’t had an opportunity to participate in the usual returning student registration process. These requests are only considered if the requested school has an open boundary and did not participate in a random-selection procedure.
11. How will I know if my child’s application to attend a non-designated school is accepted?
All families requesting to attend a non-designated school will be contacted to inform them of the outcome by early March.
12. Will busing be provided? If so, who pays for this service?
Busing to non-designated schools is not guaranteed, and families are responsible for the associated transportation fees.
13. If my son in Grade 3, for example, is attending a non-designated school, can my daughter attend kindergarten at this same school?
Yes, your daughter can attend the same school. Section 13 of Administrative Procedure 305: Attendance Areas and Requests to Attend Non-Designated Schools states:
“The siblings of students currently attending a non-designated school, including a school with a closed boundary, shall be permitted to register in the same school if the newly registered sibling(s) will be attending the school at the same time as the currently registered sibling.
• Non-designated school must be requested during the returning student registration process.
• Guaranteed registration does not apply if the current sibling will be a returning Grade 12 student.
• This clause may not be applicable after an attendance boundary revision."
Your family would select this non-designated school when completing the New Student Registration Form for your daughter's kindergarten registration.
14. Does the sibling clause apply if the non-designated school has a closed boundary?
Yes, the sibling clause (Section 13 of AP 305) applies even if the non-designated school has a closed boundary. The only time the sibling clause may not be applicable is if the school’s attendance boundaries were recently changed.
15. Does the sibling clause apply if the non-designated school is a junior high school and, for the upcoming school year, the older sibling is going into Grade 10 and the younger sibling is going into Grade 7?
No, the sibling clause (Section 13 of AP 305) doesn’t apply because both siblings have to be attending the same school at the same time.
16. Can a student submit a request to attend more than one non-designated school?
No, only one school can be selected on the Returning Student Registration Form or the New Student Registration Form. If space is not available at the requested school, families are contacted and given the opportunity to either register their child at their designated school or request another non-designated school. If space is not available at the second-choice non-designated school, the student is then enrolled at the designated school.
17. If a school has participated in the random-selection procedure and a student is not selected, can the student then request to attend another non-designated school that did not have a draw?
Yes, if a request is not granted following a random-selection procedure at a particular school, families are contacted and given the opportunity to either have their child attend their designated school or request another non-designated school. If space is not available at the second-choice non-designated school, the student is then enrolled at the designated school.
18. If an older sibling is attending a non-designated school as a returning Grade 12 student (R-12), is the incoming Grade 10 sibling allowed to register under the sibling clause?
No, the sibling clause does not apply when the older sibling is an R-12 student, as the timing of R-12 registrations doesn’t align with the returning student registration process and the kindergarten to Grade 12 registration process. Most R-12 students make the decision to return during the summer or take courses through Next Step. Senior high staff meet with and process most R-12 student registrations on an individual basis in August.
19. How does the request process work with French Immersion programs? Does EIPS differentiate between designated and non-designated French Immersion schools?
Yes, EIPS has established boundaries for French Immersion programs and therefore designated elementary and junior high French Immersion schools. French Immersion boundary maps are available on the Division website. Families can also determine their designated French Immersion school using the “Advanced Search” function in the Find My Designated School tool. If families want to pursue their child attending a non-designated French Immersion school, they will indicate so on the Returning Student Registration Form or the New Student Registration Form, as applicable.
With French Immersion kindergarten, schools and families follow the same kindergarten registration procedures as all other EIPS schools.