Attention families! Will your child be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2023? Do you know about the great Kindergarten options here in Philly? Keep reading to learn more!

Experts around the world agree: attending kindergarten is vital to the social, emotional and intellectual development of a child.

In Philadelphia, the options for Kindergarten are many. Explore the list below to find what options are available for your child and your family.

Most urgently: 

  • Applications for schools that are outside of your catchment (neighborhood) are now open and due at 11:59 p.m on Nov. 4, 2022.
  • Charter schools using a common application opened Sept. 23, 2022 and are due Jan. 23, 2023.

Note: some charter schools do not use the common application, so please review the links below for more information on individual charter selection dates.

Learn more about your Kindergarten options:
Applications for schools that are outside of your catchment are now open and due by 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2022. Learn more and apply here.
Apply to charter schools with the Apply Philly Charter application. Jan. 23, 2023 is the last day to apply to charter schools that use Apply Philly Charter’s common application.
Registration for Kindergarten at the School District of Philadelphia opens Jan. 17, 2023 for 2023-2024 school year. Check back in the coming months for updates!

Explore your catchment area and neighborhood school.
Apply to charter schools with independent applications. (Register through March — every charter school with an independent application has its own deadline.)
Apply to Philadelphia’s Catholic schools.
Apply to Philly’s independent private schools.
Read school reviews and performance reports on Great Philly Schools.
And check out these resources to help get ready for Kindergarten:
Get fun, free, learning tips sent straight to your phone with Ready4K.
Learn about the developmental skills your child will need for Kindergarten with Conquering Kindergarten.
Practice your child’s ABCs with this album.

And don’t forget: before Kindergarten, there’s pre-K!