Enrollment FAQ
PLEASE NOTE: The information on this page concerns the current school year (2022-23). Information about enrolling students for next year (2023-24) will be posted soon.
This page addresses the most frequently asked questions about the District 401 enrollment process. All students, both new and returning, must enroll each school year to attend class.
In practical terms, there is no difference. As District 401 uses the two words, they are essentially interchangeable. "Enrollment" and "registration" both refer to the process of making sure a student is officially part of the District.
All District 401 students, whether new or returning, must enroll or re-enroll each school year.
- Information about enrollment for new students, including transfers, is available here.
- Information about enrollment for returning students is available here.
Please use the following to determine your child's home school:
- Students in preschool (PK3 & PK4) attend John Mills Elementary School.
- Students in grades K-5 from north of the railroad tracks attend John Mills Elementary School.
- Students in grades K-5 from south of the railroad tracks attend Elmwood Elementary School.
- Students in grades 6-8 attend Elm Middle School.
- Students in grades 9-12 attend Elmwood Park Park High School.
A student is "new" if he or she did NOT attend a District 401 school the previous school year. For the purposes of 2022-23 enrollment, this means a student is new if he or she was not enrolled in the District during 2021-22.
A student is "returning" if he or she DID attend a District 401 school the previous school year, including John Mills for preschool or one of our alternative schools. For the purposes of 2022-23 enrollment, this means a student is returning if he or she was enrolled as a District 401 student during 2021-22.
All new students must enroll in the District before they can attend a D401 school. Enrollment is a three-step process:
- Proof of residency
- Payment of fees
- Submission of consent forms
New students and their parents/guardians can find additional information at Enrollment for New/Transfer Students.
PLEASE NOTE: Residency and registration for 2022-23 must be completed before Friday, Aug. 26. Your child will not start if both are not complete.
All returning students must re-enroll in District 401 in order to attend a District school again the following year. Enrollment is a three-step process:
- Proof of residency
- Payment of fees
- Submission of consent forms
Returning students and their parents/guardians can find additional information at Enrollment for Returning Students.
PLEASE NOTE: Residency and registration for 2022-23 must be completed before Friday, Aug. 26. Your child will not start if both are not complete.
Only students who are Elmwood Park residents may attend District 401 schools, except as provided in Section 7:60 of the Board of Education's District Policy Manual or in Illinois law.
A student's residence is the same as the person who has legal custody of the student.
The District's residency requirement and related procedures are governed by Section 7:60 of the Board of Education's District Policy Manual.
A student's proof of residency must be supplied to District 401, or the student will be not be scheduled for classes. This requirement applies to all students, new and returning.
The residency requirement can be satisfied by submitting District 401's Proof of Residency Form along with all necessary supporting documents.
If you have questions or run into problems, please reach out to your school's enrollment contact person:
JOHN MILLS ELEMENTARY
Denise Wurtz, Building Secretary
John Mills Elementary School (Grades K-5 north of tracks; all preschool)
Phone: 708-452-3560
Email: wurtzd@epcusd401.org
ELMWOOD ELEMENTARY
Felicia Mirabile, Building Secretary
Elmwood Elementary School (Grades K-5 south of tracks)
Phone: 708-452-3558
Email: mirabilef@epcusd401.org
ELM MIDDLE
Maria Vargas, Building Secretary
Elm Middle School (Grades 6-8)
Phone: 708-452-3550
Email: vargasma@epcusd401.org
ELMWOOD PARK HIGH
Joanna Acosta, Deans' Secretary
Elmwood Park High School (Grades 9-12)
Phone: 708-452-7272
Email: acostaj@epcusd401.org
Please note that the main offices of John Mills Elementary, Elmwood Elementary and Elm Middle will be closed for summer break. If you plan to enroll your child during that time, please direct your questions to the Registrar's Office at Elmwood Park High School:
DURING SUMMER BREAK
Kim Kaminski, Registrar
Registrar's Office
Phone: 708-583-6479
registration@epcusd401.org
Elmwood Park borders several municipalities, so the District is diligent in ensuring that only students who are Elmwood Park residents enroll in its public schools.
Parents/legal custodians must provide documentary proof of residency every year, regardless of how many years they have lived in Elmwood Park.
Yes, District 401 may sometimes question the legitimacy of paperwork. When this occurs, the District has several options that can confirm or disprove residency:
- The District subscribes to a special database that has access to public records.
- The District may also use a private investigations company to assist.
In Illinois, it is a Class C misdemeanor to knowingly enroll or attempt to enroll a child in the wrong school district, or to knowingly or willfully present false information regarding the residency of a child for enrollment purposes. See 105 ILCS 5/10-20.12b(e)-(f).
In addition, parents/legal custodians are billed for each day of non-resident tuition.
No. A student is new only if he or she did NOT attend any District 401 school the previous school year.
A student entering grades PK-12 is a returning student if he or she attended a D401 school the previous year (including John Mills for preschool or one of our alternative schools), even if the student will attend a different D401 school in the upcoming year.
Yes. Enrollment or re-enrollment in District 401 requires the payment of school fees. The amount for each school is set by the District 401 Board of Education. A complete list of school fees for 2022-23 is available here.
New students in K-12 who arrive after the due date have 30 days to pay their fees after they enroll in the District. Monthly payments are available for preschool students.
Waivers are available for most school fees if you meet the income eligibility requirements. Please note, however, that preschool tuition cannot be waived.
Our method of paying fees is online payment via District 401's new school fees payment system, MySchoolBucks School Store.
For more information about school fees and an explanation of payment, please visit our School Fees and School Fees FAQ pages.
To learn about the possibility of waiving your child's fees, please visit our School Fees Waiver page.
No. Any homeless child shall be immediately admitted, even if the child or child's parent/guardian is unable to produce records normally required to establish residency.
A homeless child may attend the District 401 school that the child attended when permanently housed or in which the child was last enrolled. A homeless child living in any district school’s attendance area may attend that school.
District 401's liaison for homeless children is Ms. Stephanie Daly, Director for Student Services. If you have questions about enrolling a homeless child in District 401, you can reach Ms. Daly by phone at 708-583-5836 or by email at this address.
A “homeless child” is defined as provided in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (McKinney-Vento) and the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act (IEHCA).
McKINNEY-VENTO DEFINITION
As defined by Section 725 of the McKinney-Vento Act, the term "homeless children and youth" means individuals who lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence. This includes:
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Children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing, economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping grounds due to the lack of alternative adequate accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
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Children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings (within the meaning of Section 103(a)(2)(C) of the statute);
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Children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings, substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings;
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Migratory children (as such term is defined in Section 1309 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the children are living in circumstances described in the three previous clauses.
IEHCA DEFINITION
As provided in the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act (105 ILCS 45/1-5), a homeless person, child or youth includes, but is not limited to, an individual who lacks a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime place of abode, or an individual who has a primary nighttime place of abode that is:
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A supervised publicly or privately operated shelter designed to provide temporary living accommodations (including welfare hotels, congregate shelters, and transitional housing);
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An institution that provides a temporary residence for individuals intended to be institutionalized; or
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A public or private place not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings.
You should receive your enrollment materials by mail.
If don't receive them, please contact Ms. Nancy Lasselle in the District Office by phone at 708-583-5831 or by email at this address.