School Choice Information

Información en Español  

About School Choice 
About 4J Schools 
Residence Requirements 
School Choice Lottery 
Application Process and Important Dates
School Choice Request Form   (River Road/Howard)

About School Choice

Parents in the Eugene School District may choose their children’s school. The district’s school choice policy allows any student in the district to attend any 4J school, provided there is space available.

Choices and possibilities for 4J students:

1. Enroll in your neighborhood school.
2. Request to attend another 4J school.
3. Request to attend a public charter school within the district.

4J schools strive to maintain an innovative, high-quality educational environment. The state and the district have established educational objectives for students that every school must address. However, schools may differ in philosophy and how they meet their objectives. Every district school has been encouraged to build upon its unique strengths and to develop innovative programs to meet student needs. No matter which school you choose, your child will receive an excellent education.

When choosing a school, parents should consider several things:

• Transportation—Busing is provided only for children who are attending their neighborhood schools, and live too far away to walk.
• Time—What parental commitments are required? All schools encourage active parent involvement. Some programs may require heavy participation.
• Style—How does the school operate? What are the educational and social philosophies of the principal and teachers? How does the school feel? How does the educational approach of the school match your child’s needs?

Finally, investigate—take advantage of the districtwide school visit weeks in January and February to check out your neighborhood school. Find out what programs it has, and talk to the teachers and the principal. Ask yourself what you really want for your child. All neighborhood schools have progressive programs that allow children to go well beyond the basics. One of these may be just what you’re looking for.

If you feel another neighborhood school, an alternative school or a charter school may be right for your child, explore that option through open houses, school visits, talking to teachers, and so on, during the January and February school visit weeks. Make sure you understand the program.

About 4J Schools

Eugene School District 4J is home to 44 schools — 22 elementary school programs, two K–8 programs, 10 middle school programs and 10 high school programs. There are also three public charter schools in the district. 

Information about every 4J school is available here.

Neighborhood Schools

The starting point. There are many advantages to enrolling your child in your neighborhood school. Each neighborhood school is unique, but all emphasize developing strong educational programs that reflect the needs and interests of children and families in their area. All neighborhood schools strive to constantly improve the overall educational experience, including student performance on state tests, exposure to specialist teachers, extracurricular activities, and parent and community involvement.

The principal at your neighborhood school can share the school’s improvement goals for the year and tell you more about each program’s strengths. We suggest you start by getting to know your neighborhood school by calling to schedule a visit or attending an open house during the annual school visit weeks in January and February.

You may also transfer to a different neighborhood school, if you feel it better meets your child’s needs and there is space available at the school. For more information about 4J's neighborhood schools, see School Information.

Alternative Schools

4J’s alternative schools develop programs that build on a particular theme or approach to education. Alternative schools in the district include language immersion programs in French, Spanish and Japanese; an arts and technology K–8 school; and other approaches to K–12 education. Alternative schools have no attendance boundaries—families from all neighborhoods may request to have their child attend the school, and openings are filled in the order determined by the school choice lottery. For more information about 4J's alternative schools, see School Information.

Charter Schools

There are three charter schools in this district. Charter schools are public schools that receive public funds under a written agreement — a charter — that outlines student performance goals and educational services the public charter school will provide. Charter schools are independent legal entities governed by their own board of directors, and are excluded from many state statutes and rules (for example, only half of a charter school’s teachers must be certified by the state). They must provide an equitable enrollment opportunity for any interested students.

Charter schools have their own admission procedures — they do not accept 4J school choice forms and are not included in the 4J school choice lottery. For more information, see Charter Schools.

Residency Requirements

Students who attend school in Eugene School District 4J must reside within its boundaries more than 50% of the time. If you are registering your child with us for the first time, or have changed your residence since registering, you will need to verify that your child still resides within the 4J boundaries. Proof of residence is required.

A student and parent or guardian must reside within the Eugene School District boundaries before enrolling a student or submitting a school choice application. 

For boundary information, look up your address online or call 541-790-7571.

School Choice Lottery

Transfers between neighborhood schools and entry into alternative schools are possible as space is available. All school choice request forms received during the annual school choice period will be included in the school choice lottery which takes place each spring for the following school year. School choice requests will be granted in the order determined by the lottery. Requests received after the lottery deadline may be accommodated if there is space available; otherwise the student will be placed at the end of the school’s waiting list. For more information, call 541-790-7570.

Application Process and Important Dates

Students may enroll in their neighborhood schools at any time. To request enrollment in a different 4J school for the 2010–11 school year, follow the process below. The school choice period for the 2010–11 school year is Jan. 4–March 19, 2010.

• Explore the options and select one or more schools to request. We recommend researching or visiting school programs, but parents do not need to visit a school for their child to be accepted at that school. Schools will hold open houses, information nights and other events during the weeks of Jan. 25–28 and Feb. 22–26, 2010 (please call to schedule a tour during one of the listed times; also available in Spanish).
• Print a school choice request form from this site, or pick one up at the 4J Education Center (200 North Monroe Street) or at any school. The form also is available in Spanish (en español).
• Complete the request form, listing up to three school requests, and return it to the 4J Education Center, Instructional Services office, 200 North Monroe St., no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 19, 2010.
• All school choice request forms received by the deadline will be entered into the annual school choice lottery. This lottery determines the order in which school choice requests are granted for available openings and the remaining students are placed on each school’s wait list.
• Schools will begin to notify families of lottery results the week of April 5, 2010. 
• School choice requests received after the deadline may be accommodated if there is space available; otherwise the student will be placed at the end of the school’s waiting list.
• Charter schools are independent entities that have their own admission procedures—they do not accept 4J school choice forms and are not included in the 4J school choice lottery.
  For more information or to request enrollment in a charter school, please contact the school directly.

Questions?  Please call 541-790-7570.