Enroll a New Student

Elkhart Community Schools defines a "new student" as a student who:

has never attended a public K-12 school, including incoming kindergarten students
completed the prior school year at a district other than Elkhart Community Schools

If your child previously went to ECS, but most recently attended school in another district, the child is considered a new student and New Student Registration must be completed.

Follow these steps to enroll a new student in Elkhart Community Schools.

Step One - Determine School Boundaries

Step Two - Gather Required Paperwork

Gather the required paperwork to complete enrollment:

An official birth certificate (not a hospital record) or passport.
Immunization records. Please see the Indiana immunization requirements.
If enrollment is not made by the biological parent(s), proof of court ordered guardianship or custody (if applicable) with government issued Photo ID of the guardian.
Proof of residency
- Purchase agreement, closing documents, deed, lease, mortgage document, property tax statement, current homeowner's insurance policy, AND
- Gas or electric utility bill (other utilities not accepted)
Government issued photo ID (driver's license, passport, etc.) for one parent or guardian

If you are transferring into Elkhart Community Schools from a different district, it is helpful to have a transcript from the student's previous school.

Step Three - Complete Online Registration

Information for New Families

Before and After Care

Elkhart Community Schools partners with the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County to provide before and after care service to our students. Students in before and after care will experience programs that are fun and educational, and encourage participation and inclusion of all ages and abilities.
Before-care is provided by KidsCare (a subsidiary of Boys and Girls Club).
After-care is provided by KidsCare for students who attend Bristol, Cleveland, Eastwood, Hawthorne, Mary Beck, Mary Daly, Mary Feeser, Monger, Osolo, Pinewood, Riverview, Roosevelt, and Woodland elementary schools.
Students who attend Beardsley Elementary have the opportunity to attend the Boys and Girls Club (Brian and Jeannelle Brady Clubhouse) location attached to the Beardsley for after-school programming.
For additional information, please visit the Boys and Girls Club of Elkhart County's website:
- KidsCare
- Boys and Girls Club/Brian and Jeannelle Brady Center (Beardsley)

Who may receive curricular assistance and other educational benefits?
The following are ways in which children may be approved to receive curricular material and other educational benefits: children in households receiving SNAP (Food Stamps) or TANF benefits; foster children who are under the legal responsibility of a foster care agency or court; homeless or migrant children identified by the school’s liaison; and households with a gross income that is within the limits of the Federal Income Guidelines.

My child’s application was approved last year. Do I need to fill out a new one?
Yes. Your child’s application is only good for that school year and for the first few days of the new school year. Contact the school corporation for the appropriate deadline. If you do not send in a new application that is approved by the school or if you have not been notified that your child is eligible for free meals, your child will be charged the full price of curricular materials.

Who do I include as members of my household?
You must include all people living in your household, related or not (grandparents, other relatives, or friends), who share income and expenses. You must include yourself and all of your children who live with you. Do not include other people who live with you who are economically independent.

Do I need to apply for every child in my household?
It depends on which schools your children attend. There are two types of application for curricular assistance, depending on the school attended.

CEP Schools: Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is an alternative to collecting, approving, and verifying household eligibility applications for free and reduced price eligible students in high poverty districts for schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. Currently, Beardsley Elementary, Roosevelt STEAM Academy and Woodland Elementary are CEP schools. Families whose children attend a CEP school must complete a form for curriculum assistance that is specific to CEP schools. If all children in the household attend the same CEP school, only one form per household needs to be submitted.
Non-CEP Schools: Families whose children attend a non-CEP must complete a curriculum assistance form. If all children attend non-CEP schools, only one form per household needs to be submitted.
Households that have a student in a CEP school AND a non-CEP school need to complete both applications (for CEP schools and non-CEP schools).

If my children do not qualify now, may I reapply later?
Yes, you may re-apply any time during the school year. For example, children with a parent or guardian who becomes unemployed may become eligible if the household income drops below the income limit.

How do I apply?
Forms are mailed to a child's primary address each summer. All forms for assistance run through the ECS Food Services Department. Contact Food Services at 574-262-5551 for an application.

Free and Reduced Meals

For the 2021-2022 school year, all students eat free. However, there are numerous benefits to families and the district when families complete the Free-Reduced Meal forms. Additional benefits include:

Free or reduced curriculum fees
Free broadband-enabled iPads for educational use while at home (based on availability)
Discounted or waived college application fees
Discounted or waived fees for standard academic tests, such as the ACT, SAT, and Advanced Placement
Federal education grants and Title I funding
Increased funding for the school district in areas like Technology

Apply Now through Titan

McKinney-Vento Act

Elkhart Community Schools is committed to all students, including students who are homeless by the standards set forth by McKinney-Vento Homeless Children and Youth. It is important to understand that parents and their children have rights when a child qualifies as a homeless student. Additional information can be found in the following ECS McKinney-Vento District Plan.

ECS McKinney-Vento District Plan

Within each building at Elkhart Community Schools, the social worker serves as a homeless student liaison. This person can be contacted to ask questions about eligibility and get connected with services.

Additional information can be found on the Indiana Department of Education website, as well as the U.S. Department of Education website:

School Supplies

Technology

Elkhart Community Schools’ technology department is committed to providing students with technology to help them become career/college ready and life ready. To accomplish this, students graduating from ECS will have been exposed to a wide variety of experiences to develop them into critical thinkers, problem solvers, and communicators. The technology landscape is constantly changing and Elkhart is committed to evolving alongside the technology. Today’s students will be exposed to the following device: iPads, Chromebooks, Windows PCs, and iMacs. In addition, students will be using a wide variety of tools including Google’s GSuite, Microsoft products, Apple’s iWorks suite and other creation tools like Explain Everything, BookCreator, and iMovie to produce digital artifacts of their learning. Lastly, the district has implemented Canvas as its learning management system (LMS), uses PowerSchool as its student information system (SIS) and Google Apps for Education (G Suite) for collaborative writing, creating presentations, analyzing spreadsheets, and cloud storage.
In order for a student to have access to computers and networks in ECS schools, parents and students must sign and return this form, agreeing to abide by the district’s acceptable use policy. The policy establishes rules regarding what is and what is not acceptable use of the district’s technology systems. You are encouraged to read these documents and ask questions if you find anything that seems unclear. They exist to protect your children, and to ensure that opportunities to use technology will be available for all.
Every student at ECS will have an iPad. Please contact your child's new school for additional information about securing an iPad.

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