Families in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre with siblings in Pasadena Unified School District schools or students continuing specialty programs can apply for priority placement starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20.

The three-week window closes at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, according to the district's enrollment calendar and the Pasadena Education Network. Families who miss it will have to wait for the general lottery in January.

Two groups qualify for priority status, Pasadena Now reported. The first is siblings of students already enrolled in a PUSD school, provided the children live at the same address and would attend the same campus at the same time. The second is current PUSD students entering sixth or ninth grade who want to stay in the same academic pathway at their next school.

Eligible programs include International Baccalaureate (IB), magnet programs, dual language immersion and Math Academy.

All applications must be submitted online through the district's SchoolMint portal at pusd.schoolmint.com.

Priority does not guarantee a seat. The district uses a random lottery when applications exceed available spots at a given school.

Families can expect to see lottery results online by 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, according to the district's enrollment calendar. Those who receive offers must accept by Friday, Dec. 11, and complete the registration steps described in their enrollment notifications.

One catch: students who receive placement through the priority process cannot participate in the general open enrollment lottery in January, according to the Pasadena Education Network.

Families who do not qualify for the priority window can apply during the first general lottery, scheduled for Jan. 14–28, 2027. That round covers students requesting a school other than their neighborhood campus, dual language immersion applicants and incoming transitional kindergarten (TK) students. PUSD requires an application for all TK students, including those planning to attend their neighborhood school.

The district's eligibility rules also include former PUSD residents displaced by the Eaton Fire among those eligible for the first general lottery, provided they meet the district's enrollment requirements.

A second general lottery runs Jan. 29 through Feb. 19, 2027, for district residents who have not yet applied and students living outside PUSD boundaries, subject to interdistrict permit requirements.

Shannon Mumolo, PUSD's director of magnet schools, enrollment and community engagement, oversees the process. Families needing help can call the Office of Enrollment at (626) 396-3639, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 351 S. Hudson Ave., Room 123, in Pasadena. Staff members speak Spanish, Armenian and Arabic.

The Pasadena Education Network hosts a virtual program on high school options at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21.