ACPS urges parents to register immediately 

Classes start Aug. 10 for Alachua County Public Schools (ACPS), and the district is pushing parents to register now. Schools are accepting registration this week and next, but earlier registration comes with advantages. 

ACPS’s advice is geared toward families with new students to enroll, such as kindergarteners and students transferring from another district, or a charter or home school. If a student has or will be moving to a new school zone within the district, they will also need to register at their new school. 

School office lines only get longer as the first day of school approaches, according to Jackie Johnson, ACPS’s director of communications. Johnson said registration is faster when done earlier, and later registration can delay students’ start dates and limit their course options, particularly in middle and high schools. 

On the district’s side, late registrations make scheduling and preparation difficult because they delay accurate information on the number of students in each school, grade and course. Schools also cannot plan for what services students will need when the students are not yet registered. 

To register a new student in the ACPS system, parents can go to the district enrollment website to complete an online registration form. After the form is submitted, they must take required documents to their zoned school, including a birth certificate, two proofs of primary residence and proof of a recent physical and updated immunizations for their child. 

The Alachua County Health Department provides school immunizations for free and school physicals for $35, seven days a week. Those interested in an appointment can call (352) 334-7910. 

For students moving to a new school zone within the district, two proofs of their new residence is the only documentation they must provide to the new school. 

If a parent needs more information or is unsure about which school their child is zoned for, they can visit the enrollment webpage, contact the district’s zoning office at (352) 955-7700 or email zoning@gm.sbac.edu.