Enrolling your children in school in the USA: your address decides

If you move to the USA with children, you don't register them with a central education office. You register them with the school district where your new home is. Your lease, birth certificate, vaccination record and latest school report decide whether your child sits in a classroom in the first week of school or waits in the front office.

If you move to the USA with children, you don't register them with a central education office. You register them with the school district where your new home is. Your lease, birth certificate, vaccination record and latest school report decide whether your child sits in a classroom in the first week of school or waits in the front office. The good news first: public school charges no tuition, and it cannot turn your child away because of your nationality or your visa. The less good news: every state sets its own rules on documents, vaccinations and cutoff dates, and within each state every school district has its own forms. This guide covers the rules in Texas, Florida, California and New York, the four states most of our readers move to. How the American school system differs from schools in Europe, and which private and international schools are available, is covered in our comparison School in the USA and Europe.

1Who can go to school in America: almost every child, with one visa exception

The principle has been settled since 1982. Texas had passed a law allowing school districts to turn away children without legal status and had stopped paying state funds for them. The Supreme Court struck the law down in Plyler v. Doe: it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment (457 U.S. 202). Since then, in every state, a child who lives in the school district may attend public school. The parents' immigration status plays no role.

New York has spelled this out for enrollment. Under joint guidance from the Attorney General and the State Education Department, all children aged 5 to 21 without a high school diploma are entitled to a free education in the district where they live. At enrollment, the school may not ask for a Social Security number or for any information that would reveal immigration status. In practice, this means your family doesn't need an SSN to enroll your child, even if you're still waiting for yours.

1.1The two exceptions

School attendance is only restricted when the child is in the country on a status that doesn't allow study. Anyone who enters as a visitor on a B-1 or B-2 and enrolls in a course violates the terms of that status (8 CFR 214.2(b)(7)). The ESTA program likewise only permits visits. So if you spend the first few weeks in the country as tourists and your visa comes later, hold off on school enrollment until you have the right status. On an F-1 student visa, a child may not attend a public elementary school, and may attend a public high school only for up to twelve months and only if the family reimburses the school district for the full per-student cost (8 U.S.C. 1184(m)).

For the routes our clients usually take, this hurdle doesn't exist. Children who come with a parent as derivative family members, for example on an E-2, L-2 or H-4, go to school just like everyone else. What applies to spouses and children on the L-2 visa is covered in our guide on the topic.

2Your address decides: school district, attendance zone and proof that you live there

Public schools in the USA belong to school districts, called Independent School Districts in Texas. Each district has its own school board, its own budget and its own attendance zones for its elementary, middle and high schools. So your home address usually determines not just the district but the specific school. That's why choosing a school in America starts with your home search, not with enrollment. How to compare school districts, and why a school two streets over can be a completely different one, is explained in our article on the US school system.

In Texas, a child is entitled to free schooling if they live in the district with a parent and, on September 1, are older than five and younger than 21 (Texas Education Code § 25,001(b)). Each district decides which proof of residence is enough (§ 25,001(c)). In California, the law lists the accepted proofs: property tax receipts, a lease or rent receipts, utility contracts or bills, pay stubs, voter registration, mail from a government agency, or a residency declaration from the parents. You only need to provide some of these, not all of them (California Education Code § 48204.1). In New York, the school must accept a range of proofs and publish a list of the documents it accepts.

For newcomers, this is the real hurdle. Many families spend their first weeks in a vacation rental or a hotel and have neither a lease nor a power bill. So plan to have your lease signed before school starts. How to rent a home without an American credit history is covered in our guide Renting a home in the USA, and which papers count as proof of address in America in our article on proof of address.

2.1Charter, magnet and transfer

Tying school to your address is the rule, but there are exceptions. Charter schools are publicly funded schools run by an organization under a contract with the state or the district; they are exempt from some regulations and in return must meet the goals in their contract (NCES). Whether and how they admit children from outside their area is set out in each school's admission rules. Many districts also offer specialized programs and transfers to another school when it has open places. Ask about application deadlines as soon as you know your district; they often fall before your move date.

3The documents: what the school wants to see on day one

Texas law sets out what parents must provide at enrollment: the birth certificate or another document proving the child's identity, records from the school the child last attended, and the vaccination record. You can hand in the birth certificate and school records up to 30 days after enrollment (Texas Education Code § 25,002). If they are still missing then, the district must ask the police to check whether the child has been reported missing. It's a safeguard against child abduction, not distrust of you, but it's a good reason to keep the papers at hand.

Before admission to kindergarten, Florida requires proof of age and sets out an order of documents in the statute: first a certified birth certificate, and further down the list, among others, a passport (Florida Statutes § 1003.21(4)). On top of that comes a school-entry health exam carried out no more than one year before enrollment. The district may grant up to 30 school days' grace for it (§ 1003.22(1)). An exam by your pediatrician back home won't count, because the Department of Health requires a physician licensed in the USA. No specific form is required for the exam; the vaccination certificate, however, must be on Florida form DH 680, issued by a Florida physician or the county health department.

3.1Translating school reports

The American school places your child by age and prior learning. It won't be familiar with European school reports. An English translation of the last two reports, a short explanation of the grading scale and a list of subjects taken will save you a lot of back and forth, especially in high school, where courses count as credits toward graduation. You should also have your child's vaccination record translated, or ask your pediatrician to transfer it to an English certificate.

The table sums up what the four states require. Districts may ask for more, such as proof of custody or a home language survey. So check your district's website before you book your appointment.

4Vaccinations: four states, four sets of rules

Without a vaccination record or a valid exemption, your child can't attend school long term in any of the four states. The required vaccinations differ, and the exemptions differ even more.

In Texas, the law requires vaccinations against diphtheria, measles, rubella, mumps, tetanus and polio and lets the Department of State Health Services add more (Texas Education Code § 38,001). For the 2026/27 school year, the department also requires pertussis, hepatitis A and B and chickenpox from kindergarten through grade 12, plus meningococcal from grade 7. Children are exempt with a doctor's certificate or a sworn affidavit from the parents stating that they decline vaccination for reasons of conscience. This affidavit must be on the official form, which the department has offered as a download since September 2025, and must reach the school no later than 90 days after it is notarized. A child who has started catching up on missing vaccinations is admitted provisionally. During an epidemic, the state can exclude unvaccinated children from class. For more on the debate in Texas, see our article on vaccination requirements in Texas.

Florida's statute lists polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps and tetanus and leaves further vaccinations to the Department of Health. Exemptions are granted for religious reasons stated in writing, or for medical reasons (Florida Statutes § 1003.22). The rule listing the additional vaccinations, Rule 64D-3,046, was being amended in October 2026; the department held a public hearing on it on October 8, 2026. So check the list that applies to your school year before you enroll.

California and New York no longer allow exemptions for religious or personal beliefs. In California, a child without complete vaccinations is admitted only with a medical exemption or if the missing doses are caught up on a fixed schedule (CDPH, IMM-231). New York requires proof within 14 days of the first day of school; a child who is not fully vaccinated must receive at least the first dose of every missing vaccine within that time.

For families from Europe, the problem is usually not the number of vaccinations but proving them. Schools want the date and vaccine for every dose. A vaccination booklet full of stamps and no translation often means the school nurse sends you to a pediatrician. How to find a pediatrician in the US is explained in our guide Finding a doctor and dentist.

5Age and grade: the September 1 cutoff, and where your child starts

American school starts with kindergarten. It is not daycare but the first year of elementary school. After that come grades 1 to 12. In Texas, a child is admitted who is at least five years old on September 1 (Texas Education Code § 25,001(a)). Florida and California use the same cutoff: five on or before September 1 (Florida Statutes § 1003.21; California Education Code § 48000). In New York City, kindergarten starts in September of the calendar year in which the child turns five, so children born in 2021 start in September 2026.

Compulsory schooling ends at very different ages depending on the state. In Texas it runs from age six to the 19th birthday, and a child enrolled in kindergarten must attend (§ 25,085). In Florida it ends at 16, though a sixteen-year-old must sign a formal declaration of withdrawal, co-signed by the parents (§ 1003.21). California requires attendance from 6 to 18 (§ 48200), New York from age six until the end of the school year in which the child turns 16 (Education Law § 3205).

6School year and calendar: when you should arrive

The American school year starts in August or September and ends in May or June. In Texas, classes may start no earlier than the fourth Monday in August, and every district must offer at least 75,600 minutes of instruction a year (Texas Education Code §§ 25,081, 25.0811). In Florida, school starts no earlier than August 10, and the year has 180 school days (Florida Statutes §§ 1001.42(4)(f), 1011.60). California and New York leave the calendar to the districts; in New York City, the 2026/27 school year starts on September 10.

For your move, that means: if you want to arrive for the start of the school year, you need your lease by July at the latest. Switching mid-year is possible, and the school must take your child at any time. But it is harder on kids, because friendships and sports teams form in the fall. If you can, come in summer. In Texas that is the hottest time of year, but that is what God invented air conditioning for.

Each district sets its holidays in a school calendar published a full year in advance. Get it before you book flights home, because the dates differ a lot from those in Europe. Which public holidays apply in America is covered in our article Living in the USA.

7Language, support and the first month

Many children arrive with little English. The school has to respond: a federal law prohibits schools from failing to address language barriers that keep students from participating equally in class (20 U.S.C. 1703(f)). In practice, the school asks at enrollment which language is spoken at home and tests your child. Your child then gets English as a Second Language classes or support in regular classes. The sooner your child speaks English before the move, rather than just studying it, the easier the first month will be.

If your child has special educational needs, bring any existing assessments, translated as well. The school must then consider an individual support plan. In Texas and Florida, private schools can also be paid for through state education savings accounts or scholarships; who qualifies is covered in our comparison of school types.

7.1Your enrollment checklist

• Lease or purchase contract and a bill in your name at the new address
• Your child's passport and birth certificate, ideally an international or translated version
• The family's visas and I-94, in case the district asks for your arrival date; in New York it may not ask about immigration status
• The last two school reports, translated, with an explanation of the grading scale
• Vaccination record with the date of every dose, in English
• In Florida, a medical exam from the last twelve months
• Reports on special needs, allergies or medication

Enrollment is one stop on a longer list. The other steps in your first weeks, from driver's license to health insurance, are in the checklist Arriving in the USA. If you are planning a move with children from the start, you will find questions on child benefits, taxes and visas for the family in our guide Moving abroad with children.

In short

• Every child who lives with their parents in a school district is entitled to public school, regardless of immigration status. Children on a visitor visa or ESTA may not attend school regularly, and the F-1 student visa excludes public elementary school.
• The school district of your home address is responsible. No lease or other proof of residence, no enrollment.
• Bring a birth certificate or passport, reports from the last school and the vaccination record, and in Florida also a medical exam from the last twelve months.
• Texas and Florida allow vaccination exemptions for religious or personal beliefs; California and New York only for medical reasons.
• The kindergarten cutoff in Texas, Florida and California is September 1; the school year starts in August or September.

How we help you

• ConsultationOne hour with the firm: your case, your questions, a clear answer.
• Moving to the USAVisa, bank account, taxes and where to live: your move with Mount Bonnell Advisors.
• Visa RoadmapIn writing: which visa fits you and your family, prepared with the immigration attorney on the firm's team.