District 203 Prepares for New Student Enrollment

New student enrollment in has a new location this year and enrollment is set to begin on Aug. 1.

In the past, whenever a new family moved into the district, families would enroll and register children at the school they would be attending. Now the enrollment process will be completed at the District 203 administration office, said Kitty Ryan, assistant superintendent of elementary education.

Registration and enrollment are two distinct things, she said. Registration for the district’s students takes place every year at the student's school, but enrollment happens only one time, when a student is brand new to the district, she said.

Enrollment is a two-part process with students enrolling first with the district. Once that is complete, the students then register with the individual school.

The enrollment process has never been done before in one centralized location, because it was always done at the individual schools. The change will allow officials to have more oversight to ensure information is entered accurately, Ryan said.

“We want to make sure that every child that lives in 203 is enrolled as quickly as possibly,” she said. “But, in the same way, we want to make sure that [a] child that doesn’t live in our district isn’t enrolled.”

Ryan said, on occasion, a parent doesn’t understand the school district boundaries or which district their child should attend. In other instances parents may not have enough proof of residency. Some misrepresent residency to try and enroll students.

“We do prosecute people who misrepresent their residency,” she said, adding that the district also investigates when there are questions about residency.

Enrollment continues all year long as students move into the district, but for 2011-12 the district is planning for the process to begin in earnest on Aug. 1, Ryan said.

Parents with students new to the district are encouraged to pick up the enrollment packet first and make an appointment to complete the procedure.  Call the centralized enrollment office at 630-548-4320 to make an appointment.

Upon successful enrollment in the district, families will be given an enrollment verification form, according to the district. Information on the form will allow families to then make a registration appointment at their school.

Confirmation of enrollment will be electronically forwarded to the school from the centralized enrollment office.

Additional information is available on the Naperville District 203 website at www.naperville203.org.