Transferring into the Berkeley School District
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
We have a Berkeley address, but we pay taxes in Oakland
Dec 2012
i am seeking advice or comments regarding the petition process for attending a berkeley elementary school. we have a berkeley address, but we pay oakland taxes. when we moved to our house, i was told we could choose between berkeley and oakland schools. i don't think this is the case and don't want to use another address that is not our own. our closest neighborhood schools are berkeley schools. our community is in the berkeley schools, we could walk instead of driving, and we have been longtime berkeley residents (20 years) until moving to this house 2 years ago. i am hoping i might be able to petition for our child to attend one of the berkeley kindergartens, and am wondering if anyone has successfully done this, and would welcome any specific advice or recommendations for increasing the likelihood that it might work. we would be willing to start mid-year, to find out last-minute, etc. anonomous
I asked a similar question a couple years ago. I live near the Claremont Hotel where many homes have Oakland services but a Berkeley address. I have been very happy with our assigned neighborhood Oakland school, Kaiser.
Kaiser has API scores higher than Berkeley elementaries and has achieved California Distinguished School status. It is a manageable size and has a diverse student body, a charming facility, accomodating before and after school care, enrichment opportunities and a devoted parent base. Above all, it has dedicated teachers. The OUSD has significant challenges with its large and ecomomically disparate population, but this school works. It is where our taxes go. Those planning on private elementary education should also consider this fantastic school.
FYI, BUSD assignments are through a lottery based on zones, not convenience to your Berkeley address home. Berkeley address, Oakland services
Move to Oakland, Stay in Berkeley schools?
Aug 2009
We are in the process of looking for a small starter home to purchase, and although we don't want to leave Berkeley, we can't afford to buy here. We're considering moving to North Oakland (Temescal) where houses are more affordable, but are concerned b/c our children go to a BUSD elementary school that we love. My husband does work in Berkeley, so I've heard we can get an inter-district transfer. How successful are these? Could our children stay in their BUSD elementary school if we move to Oakland, or is there a chance they would be ''kicked out''? What are our chances of being allowed to attend a BUSD middle school or Berkeley high in the future if we move to Oakland? I've heard this is very possible, but would like to get more input from more people. We love Berkeley and feel very much a part of the community here, but are tired of paying rent when we could buy. Bye Bye Berkeley
It is quite difficult to obtain an inter district permit. They were once freely given, but because of pressure from Berkeley residents and the class size limit requirement, they are generally denied. You can always try. Deborah
Most telling in your post is your closing: ''We love Berkeley and feel very much a part of the community here, but are tired of paying rent when we could buy.'' The reality is that your higher expenses of living in Berkeley pay for that wonderful school you have your kids in. By moving to Oakland and keeping your kids in Berkeley schools, you are by-passing the funding of the education of your kids and foisting it on those of us who pay the property taxes that make Berkeley schools work better than those in your ''new'' neighborhood. As a person who would be paying high Berkeley property taxes for you to benefit from something you will no longer be paying into, I think you should suck it up and put your kids into your ''new'' city's schools and help make them the equivalent to Berkeley schools. -willingly struggling to keep Berkeley public schools so good
My advice? If you want to go to Berkeley schools and really feel part of the Berkeley community... either buy here or continue to pay rent to your landlord who is paying the property taxes that make the schools what they are. A Berkeley Parent and Taxpayer
We are trying to decide whether to stay in Berkeley or move somewhere else. Part of that decision is whether our kid could stay in the Berkeley public schools he attends. When I called the school district, they said that our kid could continue to attend his school if he weren't a problem student (basically). In addition, our younger kids could also go to the school he is going to. The woman also said that they could all continue to go all the way through high school. She said that of all the stuff she said, the last one was most likely to change.
This information is about a year old, and we didn't get it in writing or anything, so you might want to call the school district office and ask again.
You should think about making a donation to the school to help pay for things that additional property taxes do. Anon
Transfering from Albany to a Berkeley dual immersion program
Nov 2008
We are one block away from the Berkeley border, and would like to spread our options out a little more, and want to at least try for an inter-district transfer. Did you try it? Did it work? Any chance whatsoever of getting into a dual immersion program? We would be looking at Rosa Parks, Jefferson or Thousand Oaks, since those are the closest to our home of the BUSD schools. They also seem to offer a lot of after- school enrichment programs which Ocean View does not. And the school day is longer by at least an hour or so. Any insight?
Your chances of getting into the dual immersion program are slim to none if you are an inter-district transfer and your child is not primarily Spanish speaking. Also, you would not have first choice of schools and your child may be assigned to a school on the other side of town. Also, your child's space in a Berkeley school is not guaranteed from year to year (as I understand it - check with Francisco at the BUSD placememnt office).
So, go for it if you want, but at your kid's age, having a great elementary school that they can walk to with their friends may be WAY more important than driving them everyday to a school across town (even if it does provide a longer day). Also note that the Albany elementary schools (I believe) have before and/or afterschool care for kindergarteners. Anon
Transferring to a Berkeley middle school from another district
Nov 2006
I would like to know about the public middle schools in Berkeley, especially King Jr. School. We live in a different school district but are thinking of transferring our 5th grade son. I work in Berkeley, and maybe there is a chance of being accepted (?). If anyone knows something, even just a little bit about schools' curriculum, teachers, students, etc., I would really appreciate if you can share it with me. Thank you.
one mom
If you send your out-of-district child to the Berkeley schools, you should consider making a substantial donation to the PTA. One reason the Berkeley schools are more ''desirable'' is that they are better funded, because of many years of extra taxes, and serious PTA fundraising. This is a separate pot of money than the money that comes from the state for each student. Since it is a property-tax, more students mean that the money needs to be divided more ways. So, when out-of-district parents send their children to the Berkeley schools, if they can, they should help make up this difference. Of course, this would be different if the whole East Bay were funding the Berkeley Schools.
King in Berkeley is considered to be a good middle school. Most folks who have public school elementary kids in the King zone are very glad to send their kids there. My friends who have or have had their children at King like it very much. I hear the principal is great I understand that the classes are strong, that 6th grade starts earlier than other grades, that 6th grade kids go from class to class together in a group, that the food/garden class is amazing, that the math program is very good. Some kids who were in dual immersion in elementary school opt to send their kids to Longfellow Middle School as it has a dual immersion emphasis for a portion of its classes. Folks whose children go there say great things about it, too. I do not know much about Willard. There may be a growing trend in the Berkeley School District to take a closer look at transfers into the district and into verifying addresses, especially as kids enter Middle School and High School. It was a big item during this fall's campaign. So if you want to try to transfer in to BUSD above board, then go ahead and work with your home district and BUSD to try it. I do not recommend trying to sneak a kid in under a false address cuz, as I said above, things are likely to get far more intense very soon with address checks. You may not want to subject your child to that. However, if your child does get in, please make sure you contribute a bunch of money to your school and/or the district since you will not be paying the higher Berkeley taxes. Thanks in advance for doing your share! signed - Berkeley resident, tax payer, BUSD PTA contributer, and ''Yes on A'' campaign contributer.
In response to the question about middle schools in Berkeley; I have taught at two of them and know teachers at all three. In general, the teaching staff at the middle level in Berkeley is exceptional in terms of the level of professionalism, dedication and heart. But, it can be hit or miss with classes because there is a significant percentage of the student population that can be difficult and disruptive. If the teacher is skilled at managing behavior, the class will run smoothly and learning can take place. If the teacher struggles with this, and it can be challenging depending on the mix of students in the class, learning can still take place, but the student will have to work harder at it (to ignore distractions and peer pressure to fit in.) After 10 years in the district, I am thinking of moving on because I am tired of dealing with the negative behaviors and I would send my son to private middle school rather than expose him to some of the more outrageous behaviors that he will inevitably see in some of his classes in public school, Berkeley included. That being said I know lots of students who do well, go on to do well in high school and college. I guess I am just biased because after all of these years, I find the negative behaviors to be pretty discouraging and would rather have my own child surrounded by polite and respectful peers. On the other hand, it is a slice of the real world and I haven't really witnessed anything that would make me feel that a child would be physically unsafe at either King or Longfellow.
There is a misconception that King is the place to be. Check out the other middle schools as well. In my opinion there is not an appreciable difference between King and Longfellow. King MAY have a slightly more cohesive teaching staff, but Longfellow has many dedicated teachers and is smaller which, to me, gives it a more respectful feel amongst the students and teachers really communicate across subject areas there. I don't know as much about Williard but have met many great teachers there. I think King, being in north Berkeley has acquired this great reputation, but in my opinion this is based on either subtle racism or "classism". I just don't see the difference between the schools. King does have a fantastic cooking and garden program, thanks to Alice Waters, but Longfellow has a nice program as well.The curriculum in the Berkeley schools is great, from what I can see and rivals that of any private school; it may even be better than at some schools ( for example, I visited St. Paul's school and felt the curriculum did not appear to be as dynamic as that in the Berkeley middle schools). So, that is not the issue. For me it is ALL about the social atmosphere, not the academics. And the social atmosphere is mixed.
Hope this is helpful.
Using the Allen Bill to transfer to Berkeley schools
I have called the Berkeley School District re the idea that if one works in Berkeley, one can send one's children to the Berkeley public schools. This is unfortunately not exactly true. There's something called the "Allen Bill" that says people should be able to put their children in school near where they work. However, Berkeley doesn't fall under that since the district feels that any child from anywhere should be able to attend the Berkeley Schools (whether their parents work here or not). However, the catch is that you must get an "interdistrict permit" (which I'm told is easy to get) and then APPLY to the BUSD. For Kindergarden, and maybe some of the lower grades, this would be IMPOSSIBLE since the classes are so full from class-size reduction. (Smaller classes, but a shortage of teachers and classrooms.) It has been several years since they accepted a single out-of-district kindergardener. Leah
Transferring from WCC to Berkeley schools
July 2002
I would like some advice about the ease or dificulty of transferring from one school district to another. My 4 year old who will be attending elementary school in one year, but I would actually like for her to attend school in Berkeley which is closer to work for me. It would be so much easier for me to take her to school and pick her up. Traffic is so bad along I- 80 in the afternoons, I doubt very much that I would make it int time anywhere. I live in Hercules, and would be transferring from the West Contra Cost School District. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is this even possible? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. jeannette
To the mom asking for advice on transferring out of district. I currently have my daughter transferred out of WCCUSD into Oakland Unified for the same reason - work is closer and after school care is easier. What you need to do first is contact the Transfer Office in Richmond at (510) 620-2124 to get the necessary forms sent to you. The folks at this number in my experience have been very helpful. Be sure to explain that you need to obtain the forms to be released out of district. For me the realease out has been relatively easy and hassle-free, but it is a little inconvenient to have to renew the request each year. Be sure to contact Berkeley Unified and ask what you will need outside of the transfer request (proof of employment, etc) when you submit your forms. If you already know which school you want to attend, talk to the principal about your plans and see if s/he thinks you have a good chance to get in to that particular school. My advice would be to check out at LEAST 3 schools and rank them so that you have some choices to fall back on. Remember there is no guarantee that you will be allowedd in to BUSD. WCCUSD may be very willing, but BUSD may not. Be prepared. This is where your challenge may be. A transfer mom of 2
Having existing childcare based in Berkeley is a reason you can request an interdistrict transfer into Berkeley. Under Berkeley's interdistrict transfer policy, your child cannot miss more than ten days of school during the school year or the interdistrict transfer permit may not be renewed the following year. This is in part because California public schools are funded based on attendance, so every day that your child misses costs the district money.
On a separate note—please, please prioritize getting your kiddo to school. TK and kindergarten are foundational years for kids and set the direction for their education for years to come. That may mean looking at the school closest to you so that you can arrange for carpools with neighbors or other strategies to ensure your child can attend when you have family obligations. If you really feel that you won't be able to have your child attend regularly, you might instead look at preschool options that will be more flexible. Many schools offer programs designed for TK-aged kids.