How to Apply
Kindergarten
Kindergarten applications are accepted during the month of January for the following school year. Families are notified about placement via email and/or phone in early February. Families need to accept their spot by the date designated.
Lottery process: If the district receives more applications than available spots, it will hold a lottery based on three student subgroups. In order to ensure alignment with the two-way immersion program model, applicants are placed in student subgroups based on the home language(s) noted on their applications. Each student subgroup ideally represents one third of the total number of students in the classroom. Priority is given to students who live within the school boundary and siblings of students already enrolled in the dual language program.
As an example, in a dual language Spanish-English classroom with 24 students, the district would strive to achieve the following language balance:
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8 students in subgroup 1: home language is Spanish
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8 students in subgroup 2: home language is English
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8 students in subgroup 3: home language is Spanish and English OR English and a language other than Spanish
If any spots remain open, the district will accept applications based on the schedule below until all spots are filled. Transportation is only provided to students within the dual language school boundary. (Exception: Students whose home school is Beaver Acres or Elmonica Elementary Schools but choose to attend the dual language program at Barnes Elementary School will be provided transportation.)
Grades 1-12
Applications for other grades are accepted based on the schedule below. Admission is based on availability for grades 1-12, partner language proficiency and/or prior experience in a dual language program.
Additional Application Windows for 2024:
| Application Window (Open) |
Application Window (Closed) |
School Notification to Families |
Family Confirmation of Acceptance (Received by 4 p.m.) |
| Monday, February 12 | Wednesday, March 13 | Friday, March 15 | Friday, March 22 |
| Monday, March 25 | Wednesday, April 24 | Friday, April 26 | Friday, May 3 |
| Monday, May 6 | Wednesday, May 29 | Friday, May 31 | Friday, June 7 |
| Monday, June 10 | Friday, August 16 | Friday, August 23 | Friday, August 30 |
Important note: In order to support more students from the dual language school boundary, fewer kindergarten spots will be given to students outside of the dual language school boundary until the last round of applications. In order to preserve the integrity of the two-way dual program model, if one or more of the three student subgroups don't fill after the lottery, spaces may remain open until filled. With that in mind, it's possible for a school to accept new students into dual language classrooms through October of any given school year.
Transferring from Another BSD School
When a BSD resident student is accepted into the dual language program and lives in a BSD neighborhood that is outside of the dual language school boundary, the dual language application acts as the documentation needed to complete a transfer. Once the family is accepted and commits to the program, the registrar at the dual language school will begin the transfer process by contacting the registrar at the students' home school. Once the student is dropped from the home school, the student will be registered at the new dual language school.
The dual language school prioritizes applicants from within the school boundary. Students requesting transfer may fill the remaining spaces, if available, but often transfers are not approved until as late as August of the new school year.
Transferring from Another School District
The process for an inter-district transfer allows non-district resident students to transfer from a non-BSD school to a BSD school.
If a student is interested in attending a dual language school but lives outside of BSD, they must follow the process for inter-district transfer before applying to the dual language program. All inter-district transfer decisions are based on family hardship; a desire to attend a dual language school alone is not an appropriate reason to apply for an inter-district transfer. For more information, please visit the BSD Transfers webpage.
Need Help?
If you have questions about dual language programs or need help completing an application, call our Multilingual Department at 503-356-3755.
If you don't have access to a computer, paper applications are available at dual language schools.
