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Gwinnett County Public Schools

Pre-K Enrollment Guidelines

GCPS Pre-K

Thank you for your interest in the free Pre-K Pilot program being piloted by Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS) in 2024-25. The following information provides answers to several frequently asked questions. We hope that you find it helpful.

Lottery Information

Applications for Gwinnett County Public Schools' 2024-25 Pre-K Pilot Program Lottery will be accepted online— starting February 19 at 7 a.m. and closing April 12 at 5 p.m.— using the GCPS Pre-K Lottery Online Application.

Children must be four years of age on or before September 1, 2024, to apply for the GCPS Pre-K program. 

The link to the Pre-K Lottery Online Application System can be found on the GCPS Pre-K Lottery webpage. Parents will use the online system to submit their child's Pre-K Lottery application.

The Pre-K Lottery Online Application will close on April 12 at 5:00 p.m. Completion of a Pre-K Lottery online application does not guarantee that a child will be enrolled, but instead places the child on the list for the GCPS Pre-K Pilot Program Lottery for 2024-25. Families that miss the April 12 deadline will not be eligible to participate in the Pre-K Lottery.

Please note: If your child will be 5 years of age on or before September 1, please visit the Kindergarten Registration page. 

 

Pre-K Lottery Information

 Families with more than one child eligible for Pre-K will be assigned one number and the siblings will be drawn together. (However, an application must be completed for each sibling to be entered into the lottery.)

The lottery consists of random drawings from among all applicants within each elementary school attendance zone. Eight separate lottery drawings will be held to determine the class lists and waiting lists for each elementary school. Each drawing will be recorded.

All families submitting Pre-K Lottery Applications will be notified by mail, email, and phone call to learn if their child is on a Pre-K class list or on a waiting list.

The Pre-K Lottery will not be open to the public, class lists will not be posted online, and no information will be given over the phone. If you do not receive notification by April 26, 2024, you may contact GCPS.EarlyLearning@gcpsk12.org.
 

How Pre-K Classes Are Established

Gwinnett County Public Schools will offer two Pre-K Pilot classes at eight elementary schools during this pilot year. Pre-K students will attend a Pre-K class within their elementary school attendance zone. All students entered in the lottery will be randomly selected and placed in order based on their selection. Once the first 32 positions are filled, the names of the remaining children will be placed on the waiting list for the school’s Pre-K program based on their position in the lottery. Any openings that become available in the Pre-K classes will be filled using the waiting list. The district will keep documentation of the progression of the waiting lists.

After notification of lottery results, families of children who are placed in a GCPS Pre-K class will need to register their child. Details regarding the GCPS registration process will be included in a letter and email that will be sent to each family. For those children selected through the random lottery process, the family will have to complete the registration process at the school. In addition, these families will need to provide their child’s birth certificate or other official document showing proof of birth date; proof that they live in the attendance zone; Proof of Immunization (Form 3231); a Hearing, Vision, Dental, and Nutrition Screening (Form 3300); the child’s social security number (or sign a waiver at the school) under state law (O.C.G.A.20-2-150); and proof of authorized adult to enroll the child and a photo ID for that person. . Proof of residency in the attendance zone will be required at registration, including a current utility bill and another document (lease, tax return, paycheck stub, etc.) with the same address. 

Click here for more about registration documents.

What if we move after the Pre-K Lottery or during the Pre-K school year? If your child is placed in a Pre-K class and you move after the Pre-K Lottery is held (over the summer or during the school year), you have the following options:

  1. If you still reside in Gwinnett County, you can do one of the following:
  • Parent can make a request for their child to stay at their current school and provide their own transportation for the remainder of the Pre-K year only. *If this option is chosen, the parent must send a request in writing to the Director of Early Learning and School Readiness asking to stay at their current elementary school in the Pre-K Program for the remainder of the school year. The student must live in Gwinnett County. 
  • If the family moves into another GCPS school zone with the Pre-K pilot, the parent/guardian may choose to place their child on the bottom of the waiting list for the new school attendance zone and lose their child’s current spot. The student must also live in Gwinnett County.
  1. If you no longer reside in Gwinnett County (child’s physical residence is in another county), you must give up the GCPS Pre-K spot and look for another spot in the county you reside.

Pre-K Pilot Information

The free GCPS Pre-K Pilot Program will be located at eight elementary schools during the 2024-25 school year. These Pre-K classes will follow Gwinnett County Public Schools’ calendar and students will attend school during the elementary school hours of operation. Bus transportation will be available within the school's attendance zone. For further information, please contact Gwinnett County Public Schools Office of Early Learning and School Readiness at GCPS.EarlyLearning@gcpsk12.org.