WPS Enrollment Express Guide - English

WPS Enrollment Express Guide - Spanish

Families may use the WebQuery Property Search Tool or call an elementary school to confirm the school zone in which the family resides.

To use the Property Search Tool: 
1. Enter your home address
2. Select your student's grade (choose K if searching for PreK)
3. Select GO
4. View the school(s) that service that address, select Details for more information including Bus Stop.
*Note: All WPS students attend the same intermediate, middle, and high school. 

• Students MUST be residents of Winchester City (22601 zip code) and turn 3 or 4 by September 30, 2025.
  
  A home visit is required before a student can begin Preschool.
  
  Students can qualify for Preschool under General Eligibility OR Local Eligibility. 

  General Eligibility: Family income at or below 200% of poverty, OR the child has an educational special need/disability and the family is above the income level, OR family is homeless, OR either parent/guardian is a high school dropout and does not have a GED.  

  

  
  *For families with more than 8 persons, add $5,550 for each additional person

  • Families with income 200% or less above the poverty level are eligible for Pre-K.
  • Families who are at 130% of poverty level may also be eligible for Head Start.
  • Remember: If your family does not meet income requirements, you may still be eligible under local criteria. 

  Local Eligibility criteria includes the following:

  1. Family member suffers from abuse, including all forms of trauma and/or adverse childhood experiences. (Must identify family member by name, relationship and form of trauma/abuse)
  2. Family member living in the household has mental illness or disability. (Must identify family member by name and relationship and also provide diagnosis and medical evidence)
  3. Single parent home.
  4. Foster/welfare: Child is in foster care or is involved with the Child Welfare system.
  5. Death/Major medical treatment or issues in the family during the child's lifetime.
  6. Student is being raised by someone other than a parent.
  7. ELL (English is not the primary language spoken at home).
  8. Parent is deployed, (military), or is on active military duty.
  9. Parent is incarcerated.
  10. Child has documented child development concerns based on medical documentation or a
      standardized screening tool.
  11. Teen parent (17 or younger).
  12. No access to high quality, available, affordable childcare options within 10 miles of the child’s home: high quality is a Ready Region Blue Ridge site, available is a site with open slots, affordable is a site that accepts Child Care Subsidy.
  13. Recent unexpected decrease in household income by 30% or more in the past 12 months.

Parents registering children to enter Virginia schools for the first time are required by law to present the following information:

• Parent/Guardian's email address (this is required for the online registration and returning student annual verification process)
• Parent/Guardian's photo identification
• Birth certificate: a certified copy of the child's birth record
• TWO (2) Proofs of Residency: proof of parent or legal guardian's residency in the City of Winchester (two of the following):
  • Utility bill, no more than 2 months old, indicating street address (no post office box or business address) 
    • Accepted: gas, electric, water/sewer, home phone
    • NOT accepted: cell phone, cable, and pager bills 
  • Receipt for personal property taxes or real estate taxes paid within the last year to the Commonwealth of Virginia or City of Winchester 
  • Current homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy
  • Current deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement or residential rental/lease agreement
  • Full Proof of Residency Guidelines
• Physical exam: a certificate of physical examination from a physician or a health department is required to be completed no earlier than one year prior to the first day of school, for all students in grades Pre-K through 4th grade.
  • Physicians should have access to the school entrance health form. Parents may also print the form and take it to the doctor's office or health department. 
• Immunization record: an immunization certificate containing complete dates for required vaccinations
  • Full Immunization Guidelines
• Income verification: PRE-K ONLY  
  • Full Income Verification Guidelines 

Parents are urged to register the child even if all of the above have not been obtained.

If you do not already have an email address, obtain one prior to filling out the pre-enrollment form. An email address is required to complete registration. Here is a resource if you need assistance: How to create a Google account (GMail)

PreK Eligibility Kickoff Events

We would love to meet your student! Bring them and receive a free children’s book! 

• Monday, April 28 / 3-7 p.m. / Douglas School, 598 N Kent St

• Tuesday, April 29 / 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. / Douglas School, 598 N Kent St 

• If you miss the eligibility events, please check eligibility at your child's school from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m., Tuesday-Friday, starting Tuesday, May 6.

For all students who are NEW to Winchester Public Schools, the first step in the online registration process is to complete the PRE-REGISTRATION Form. 

Students currently enrolled in Preschool with WPS who are moving to Kindergarten should skip the pre-registration form and start on STEP 7.

Please contact your student's school if you have any questions about the registration process. 

Once the Pre-Registration form has been completed, you will receive an email with the steps to create and access your Powerschool Parent Portal account. That email will also include your students Access ID and password that is used to link your student to your Parent Portal account. 

If you already have a PowerSchool Parent Portal account (if you've had other students attend WPS currently or in the past), use the Access ID and Password included in your email to link your new student to your existing Parent Portal account. 

If the student you are registering has previously been enrolled at WPS in the past, you may already have a Parent Portal account. You may contact the school registrar to have them confirm your account and student access code. You may also attempt to recover your Parent Portal username or password.

If you do not receive an email, please contact the school where you are attempting to register your child.  

Tip: Use the Enrollment Express Guide for step-by-step instructions: https://bit.ly/WPSEnrollmentGuide (English and Spanish included in same document). 

Once the Powerschool Parent Portal account setup is complete, you will access the rest of the registration forms in the Portal to complete the registration process. Login to your Parent Portal account. Select your student from the top, then select Forms from the left navigation. Complete all of the enrollment forms. During this process you must upload: 

• Parent/Guardian's photo identification
• Birth certificate: a certified copy of the child's birth record
• TWO (2) Proofs of Residency: proof of parent or legal guardian's residency in the City of Winchester (two of the following):
  • utility bill, no more than 2 months old, indicating street address (no post office box or business address) 
    • Accepted: gas, electric, water/sewer, home phone
    • NOT accepted: cell phone, cable, and pager bills 
  • Receipt for personal property taxes or real estate taxes paid within the last year to the Commonwealth of Virginia or City of Winchester
  • Current homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy
  • Current deed, mortgage, monthly mortgage statement or residential rental/lease agreement
  • Full Proof of Residency Guidelines
• Physical exam: a certificate of physical examination from a physician or a health department for all students Pre-K through 4th grade.
  • Physicians should have access to the school entrance health form. Parents may also print the form and take it to the doctor's office or health department. 
• Immunization record: an immunization certificate containing complete dates for required vaccinations
  • Full Immunization Guidelines
• Income verification: Pre-K Only  
  • Full Income Verification Guidelines 

Once all forms are submitted, you will receive an email with a status update. The registrar will then contact you by phone to let you know when your child’s first day of school will be.