Enroll a New Student
Welcome to Elkhart Community Schools!
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.
Enroll a new student to attend THIS school year (beginning August 2023)
Register for THIS School Year (2023-2024)
Follow the steps below to enroll a new student in Elkhart Community Schools for the 2023-2024 school year. The 2023-2024 School Year begins August 2023.
- Step One - Determine School Boundaries
- Step Two - Gather Required Paperwork
- Step Three - Complete Online Registration for Next School Year (2023-2024)
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
- The Indiana Department of Education has sent guidance to all school corporations that in order to claim a student for funding, proof of Indiana residency must be a component of the student’s educational record. The documents provided as verification must contain the student’s current address. The following documents are acceptable forms for proof of residency. Elkhart Community Schools requires TWO of the following documents to complete enrollment.
- Current utility bill
- Current telephone bill
- Bank statement
- Mortgage/Rental/Lease statement
- Medical bill
- Any other like information that provides a verifiable address
- The Indiana Department of Education has sent guidance to all school corporations that in order to claim a student for funding, proof of Indiana residency must be a component of the student’s educational record. The documents provided as verification must contain the student’s current address. The following documents are acceptable forms for proof of residency. Elkhart Community Schools requires TWO of the following documents to complete enrollment.
Note: Please remove personal information from the document other than the parent/guardian NAME and the verifiable ADDRESS.
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 for Next School Year (2023-2024)
Information for Kindergarten Families
Kindergarten Registration Questions
What is the birthdate cut off to start kindergarten at ECS?
Children must be 5 years old on or before August 1, 2023 to begin kindergarten in Fall 2023. Children born between August 2 and October 1 can apply for early entrance.
What is the Kindergarten Summer Readiness Program?
The Kindergarten Summer Readiness Program is a half-day program, designed to help incoming kindergarten students learn more about their school before the rest of the students return from summer break.
What is Kindergarten Kick Off Night?
Kindergarten Kick Off Night is the BEST night of the year! Children who are eligible to start kindergarten next fall are invited to come to their school, meet school staff, see the kindergarten classrooms, visit common school spaces, and practice climbing on a school bus!
How do I enroll my child for kindergarten?
Elkhart Community Schools uses an online registration system. Registration for new students for the 2023-2024 school year is available here:
What documents will I need?
After completing online enrollment, your child's school will need to have the following items brought to the school. School hours can be found here.
- 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
- The Indiana Department of Education has sent guidance to all school corporations that in order to claim a student for funding, proof of Indiana residency must be a component of the student’s educational record. The documents provided as verification must contain the student’s current address. The following documents are acceptable forms for proof of residency. Elkhart Community Schools requires TWO of the following documents to complete enrollment.
- Current utility bill
- Current telephone bill
- Bank statement
- Mortgage/Rental/Lease statement
- Medical bill
- Any other like information that provides a verifiable address
- The Indiana Department of Education has sent guidance to all school corporations that in order to claim a student for funding, proof of Indiana residency must be a component of the student’s educational record. The documents provided as verification must contain the student’s current address. The following documents are acceptable forms for proof of residency. Elkhart Community Schools requires TWO of the following documents to complete enrollment.
Note: Please remove personal information from the document other than the parent/guardian NAME and the verifiable ADDRESS.
How do I know which school my incoming kindergarten student will attend?
Visit the Boundary Maps page, open the address look-up tool, and enter your address.
How will I know if my child is eligible for transportation?
Visit the Boundary Maps page, open the address look-up tool, and enter your address. This page will indicate if you are within a "Non Transportation Zone." Students who live within a non-transportation zone are not eligible for bus transportation. If you would like to verify this with ECS Transportation, please call 574-262-5695.
What if I want to transfer my child to a different ECS school?
Transfers are based on availability. Please contact ECS Student Services to discuss a transfer: 574-262-5540.
What if my child has a babysitter in a different school?
Your child may be eligible for a transfer based on the address of their babysitter. Transfers are based on availability. Please contact ECS Student Services to discuss a transfer: 574-262-5540.
My child will turn 5 years old between August 2 and October 1, 2023. How do I apply for early entrance?
Please contact ECS Student Services to discuss early entrance for kindergarten: 574-262-5540.
Information for All New Families
- Before and After Care
- Free and Reduced Meals
- McKinney-Vento Act
- School Supplies
- Technology
- Transportation
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, 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:
Free and Reduced Meals
Elkhart Community Schools encourages all families to apply for Free and Reduced Lunch. In addition to free or reduced costs for meals, additional benefits for qualified households include:
- 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
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.
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:
McKinney-Vento Liaison for Elkhart Community Schools: Lindsey Brander, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, email: lbrander@elkhart.k12.in.us, phone: 574-262-5540
School Supplies
School supply lists can be found here: School Supply Lists
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 the Technology-Parent Agreement 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.