Registration of New Students

Registering Your Child for School

To determine your child’s home school, contact Student Placement, Registration, and Records at (980) 343-5335 or visit cms.k12.nc.us and click on Find My School. The home school is based on a parent’s or guardian’s home address. A family that wishes to enroll can complete an online registration application at their convenience or may visit the Student Registration Office by appointment or as a walk-in.

 

• A QR Code is accessible from any internet-enabled device, including personal smartphones, providing families with a convenient alternative to district-issued devices. ( (https://bit.ly/45JWm5o )

 

 

• Translation and accessibility support are available.
• Student Registration Hours of Operation
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday

Spaugh Administrative Center

The Spaugh Administrative Center is a family-friendly center that houses the following district offices:

• Student Placement, Registration, and Records: Assists families with questions about what is needed to enroll in the district. Parents can make an appointment to meet with a specialist to discuss enrollment challenges. To make it convenient for our families, we offer three options for meetings: telephone, virtual or face-to-face. Phone: (980) 343-5335
• Pre-Kindergarten Program: Provides families with information on the district’s Pre-K program. To apply, your student must be four years old by August 31, 2025. Parents who are interested and have questions can call the Pre-K office at 980-343-5950 or go to the Pre-K website to review program requirements at https://www.cmsk12.org/pre-k .

Planning/Program Choice

Phone: (980) 343-5335

Email: schoolchoice@cms.k12.nc.us

Webpage: https://www.cmsk12.org/Page/14381

The Planning & Outreach Department is responsible for conducting school boundary analyses, managing school feeder patterns, overseeing school choice operations, and administering the school choice lottery.

Planning

Planning Services is responsible for school attendance boundaries for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS). Each student is assigned a home school based on their residential address. As the student population in Mecklenburg County increases, CMS must periodically update school boundaries to accommodate growth and new school construction.

When CMS considers school boundary changes, a series of workshops with parents and community residents are held to gather input on proposed boundary options for the future school year. During these meetings, CMS staff provides information about boundary options and collects feedback from workshop participants. Feedback from the community is valuable to the boundary process. The boundary process includes public meetings, presentations to the CMS Board of Education, public hearings, and Board of Education votes.

Current boundary projects can be found here.

Program Choice

Mission

The CMS Program Choice Department strives for excellence, equity and access by connecting students’ interests and needs with high-quality themes and educational approaches.

Vision

All CMS Program Choice school students will be challenged, excited and equipped for excellence through access to innovative, integrated, theme-based learning experiences that advance equity, diversity and opportunity.

In addition to home schools, CMS offers a number of school options, each with a signature theme or program that provides unique educational opportunities designed to engage students’ interests and talents. CMS school options include choice programs, career academies, early and middle colleges, and other distinctive school models. Each option focuses on ensuring students are prepared for college and a career while exposing students to different learning approaches, leadership preparation, and engaging curriculum.

Students have priority for school options and program choice in their transportation zone.

 

School-Entry Requirements

Physical Exam/Health Assessments: In compliance with North Carolina law, parents/guardians must submit proof of a health assessment for each student entering a North Carolina public school for the first time by the first day of school entry. The assessment must have been completed within 12 months prior to the date the child would have first been eligible for initial entry into public schools. The health assessment must be completed using the NC Health Assessment Transmittal Form.
The form can be found at: https://publichealth.nc.gov/wch/doc/aboutus/HAForm2016Revised-062917.pdf

Immunizations: In compliance with North Carolina law, parents/ guardians must present certification of immunizations on or before the first day of school.

Only two types of exemptions are valid to waive immunizations:

• Religious belief: A written statement with the child’s name, the date and signed by the parent with a statement of a bona fide religious belief is required. 
• Medical: North Carolina requires the physician to complete a Medical Exemption Statement Form (DHHS 3987) for an immunization exemption to vaccinations. This form is accepted by schools for specified conditions. If only a temporary waiver for an immunization is needed, the physician must provide a signed medical note that includes the reason for the waiver and the length of time/duration required.

Immunization Requirements for School Entry

Parents/guardians have 30 calendar days to provide documentation of required health assessment and immunizations. If documentation is not provided, principals have both the authority and responsibility to exclude students until proof is presented. Without proof of immunizations, students will be excluded from school starting on Thursday, September 26, 2024.

More information on required and recommended immunizations can be found on www.immunize.nc.gov.

Documents needed to register:

• Registration is completed online, these are the documents needed to upload https://www.cmsk12.org/registration
• Copy of student birth certificate or other proof of age and legal name (see below)
• Two proofs of Mecklenburg County residency (see below)
• Most up-to-date immunization records (Complete record required by the first day of school entry) Immunization requirements for school attendance.
• North Carolina Health Assessment (All children entering NC public schools for the first time must submit proof of a health assessment within 30 days of the start of school).
• Age requirements: In compliance with North Carolina law, students must be 5 years of age on or before August 31st to be considered for Kindergarten. Students applying for Pre-K programs must be 4 years of age on or before August 31st in order to be considered.

Additional Pre-K Documents needed to register:

Verification of Total Current Household Income

If one or both parents in the household are working, please submit one piece of proof below for each parent in the household:

• Four (4) current consecutive pay stubs (if paid weekly), two (2) current consecutive pay stubs (if paid bi-weekly or semi-monthly), one (1) recent pay stub (if paid monthly)
• 2024 W-2 or 1099
• Tax return (1040 form) for 2024 if submitted after April 15, 2024.
• A letter from the parent's employer that is signed by hand, with a recent date and amount/frequency of pay. If one or both parents are self-employed
• 1040 Tax form from 2024 Tax return. We can not accept Schedule C. If neither parent is working, please submit other sources of household income
• Unemployment/Disability award letter
• SS/SSI award letter
• Child Support statement

**All benefit letters must be dated within the past 12 months of the date you submit your application