Enrollment & Fees

Please note the following dates if your child will attend a District 401 school in 2021-22:

► MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021
Enrollment begins for kindergarten and preschool.

► WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021
Kindergarten enrollment help is provided via email or phone (NOT in person) by the John Mills & Elmwood main offices during parent-teacher conferences, 3:30 to 7 p.m. Please contact by email or phone only the main office at your child's future school for enrollment support on this day:

• John Mills | 708-452-3560 | millsinfo@epcusd401.org
• Elmwood | 708-452-3558 | ewinfo@epcusd401.org

► THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
Kindergarten enrollment is provided via email or phone (NOT in person) by the John Mills & Elmwood main offices during parent-teacher conferences, 3:30 to 7 p.m. Please contact by email or phone only the main office at your child's future school for enrollment support on this day:

• John Mills | 708-452-3560 | millsinfo@epcusd401.org
• Elmwood | 708-452-3558 | ewinfo@epcusd401.org

► FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021
Enroll in kindergarten for 2021-22 by this date or earlier and receive free school spirit wear!

► MONDAY, MAY 3, 2021
Returning students in grades 1-12 may send in their proof of residency and start paying their school fees.

► MONDAY, MAY 3, 2021
Enrollment opens for new students in grades 1-12.

► FRIDAY, JULY 23, 2021
All residency documents for returning students grades PK-12 are due.

► WEDNESDAY, AUG. 18, 2021
First day of school for students.

► WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 1, 2021
School fees and fee waivers are due.*

*This date applies to all fees except for preschool tuition payment, which can be made monthly 10 times a year. New students in K-12 who enter the District after the Sept. 1 due date will have 30 days to pay all fees after they have enrolled.

A student is considered "new" if he or she did NOT attend a District 401 school the previous school year. For the purposes of 2021-22 enrollment, this means a student is new if he or she was not enrolled in the District during 2020-21.

A student is considered "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 2021-22 enrollment, this means a student is returning if he or she was enrolled as a District 401 student during 2020-21.

All District 401 students must be Elmwood Park residents by the start of the school year. For 2021-22, this means students must be Elmwood Park residents effective Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.

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.

All families, whether new or returning, must submit a Proof of Residency Form. See the next section below, "Proof of Residency," for more information.

Families must submit District 401's Proof of Residency Form. This form can be obtained here, and it requires three supporting documents. See the form itself for details.

For 2021-22, a returning student's proof of residency must be supplied to District 401 by Friday, July 23, 2021, or the student will be not be scheduled for classes.

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 information about these steps and all necessary enrollment forms for 2021-22 at Enrollment for New/Transfer Students.

The first day of school for 2021-22 is Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.

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 information about these steps as well as links to all necessary enrollment forms for 2021-22 at Enrollment for Returning Students.

The first day of school for 2021-22 is Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.

Any homeless child shall be immediately admitted to District 401, even if the child or child's parent/guardian is unable to produce records normally required to establish residency. 

District 401's liaison for homeless children is Dr. Kari Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Student Services. If you have questions about enrolling a homeless child in District 401, you can reach Dr. Smith by phone at 708-583-5836 or by email at this address.

As stated in Section 6:140 of the Board of Education's District Policy Manual, 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 401 school’s attendance area may attend that school.

A "homeless child" is defined as provided in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act. See our Enrollment If Homeless page for more information.

Enrollment/registration and payment information will be mailed to District students who attend alternative schools.

If you have not received your materials, please contact Ms. Nancy Lasselle in the District Office. She can be reached by phone at 708-583-5831 or by email at this address.

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 2021-22 is available here.

Full payment for students in grades K-12 is due Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021. Monthly payments are available for preschool students. 

New students in K-12 who arrive after the due date have 30 days to pay their fees after they enroll in the District. As mentioned above, 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.

The terms "school fees" and "fees" mean any monetary charge collected by District 401 from a student or the parent(s)/guardian(s) of a student as a prerequisite for the student’s participation in any curricular or extracurricular program of the district. 

The District does not impose a "fee" when it requires that a student provide his or her own ordinary supplies of materials (e.g., pencil, paper, notebooks), which are necessary to participate in any curricular or extracurricular program.

School fees for the 2021-22 school year have been set as follows:

► Pre-Kindergarten: $3,000 (monthly payments available)
► Pre-Kindergarten (special ed): $50
► Kindergarten Half Day: $170
► Kindergarten Full Day-Grade 8 (John Mills, Elmwood, Elm): $200
► Elmwood Park High School: $350
► Co-op/Alternative School: $50

Other fees for the 2021-22 school year include but are not limited to the following:

► EPHS Senior Graduation Fee: $60
(This fee is NOT eligible to be waived; the graduation fee is preloaded to your student's webstore account)

► EPHS Advanced Placement Test Fee: $85 each
(This is only for students enrolled in AP classes; fees will be loaded into student accounts over winter break)

► Driver's Education Fee: $275
(This is for sophomore Behind-the-Wheel)

► New Students | 2021-22 Fee Schedule and Payment Form
► Returning Students | 2021-22 Fee Schedule and Payment Form

School fees along with other monies due to the school (lost books, book fines, etc.) typically must be paid in full by early in the fall semester. 

For the 2021-22 school year, the due date for students in grades K-12 to make full payment is Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.

Preschool tuition cannot be waived, but the amount can be paid in 10 monthly installments of $300, due on the first of each month.

New students in grades K-12 who enter District 401 after the Sept. 1 due date will have 30 days to pay all fees after they have enrolled in the District (unless they are eligible for fee waivers). Preschool tuition cannot be waived, but the amount can be paid in monthly installments, due on the first of each month.

You can pay by mail with a check or money order, or you can pay online with a credit or debit card via the District's webstore. (In the case of returning students, school fees have been preloaded to their webstore accounts.) 

With either method you can pay by installments as long as your total amount is received by the final due date: Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021.

For more information about payment methods, visit the School Fees page on the District 401 home site.

Use this link to access District 401's online payment system — aka, the D401 webstore.

Use this link for information about applying for a fee waiver. Please note that preschool tuition ($3,000) cannot be waived, although monthly payments can be used.

District 401's procedures related to the waiver of student fees are governed by Section 4:140 of the Board of Education's District Policy Manual.

If a student leaves D401 after paying all required fees, the following refund policy applies:

► 75 percent refund if the student leaves by the end of the first week of school
► 50 percent if the student leaves by the end of the second week
► 25 percent if the student leaves by the end of the third week
► Zero if the student leaves after the end of the third week

For more information about fee payments, visit our School Fees and School Fees FAQ pages.