Pasadena Schools Offer Help Before Nov. 10 Deadline
Pasadena Unified families can get one-on-one help with sibling and continuing-program priority applications before the deadline.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Secondary Education
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The Pasadena Unified School District is offering in-person and virtual application support for its sibling and continuing-program priority period for the 2027-28 school year. The priority window closes Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 4 p.m.
Why it matters
Families who miss the priority period are not excluded from enrollment but must enter the first general Open Enrollment lottery instead. Priority placement gives eligible siblings and continuing students a defined advantage in securing seats at their preferred schools.
The priority period runs from Oct. 20 to Nov. 10, 2026, with applications submitted through SchoolMint and each student needing a separate form. Seat counts per school and total applicant volume were not disclosed, so the likelihood of a lottery placement cannot be estimated.
The players
Pasadena Unified School District
The public school district serving Pasadena, California, which runs the enrollment process and its priority-placement programs for families in the city.
The details
Sibling Priority covers siblings of enrolled PUSD students who share an address and will attend the same school at the same time. Continuing Program Priority applies to current PUSD students moving into sixth or ninth grade who want to stay in the same program. Where applications exceed seats, placements are made by random lottery.
Timeline
Oct. 20, 2026, 9 a.m.: priority application period opens
Nov. 4, 2026, 6-7 p.m.: virtual application-support workshop
Nov. 6, 2026, 10 a.m.-noon and 2-5 p.m.: in-person help sessions at the PUSD Education Center
Nov. 10, 2026, 4 p.m.: priority application period closes
Dec. 3, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: priority results posted online
Roadmap
Priority periods ahead of general lotteries are a standard feature of many California districts' open-enrollment systems, shaping which families secure seats before the wider pool is drawn. Pasadena's timeline follows that structure, placing sibling and continuing-program applicants first in line before the Jan. 14-28, 2027 general lottery.
Families with a child entering sixth or ninth grade, or with a younger sibling of a current PUSD student, should submit an application through SchoolMint before Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, at 4 p.m. Each child needs a separate application, and in-person help is available Nov. 6 at the PUSD Education Center.
The takeaway
Families who want a seat at a preferred school should act before the priority window closes, since waiting pushes them into a general lottery with no guaranteed placement. Scheduling a help session on Nov. 6 can reduce errors on the forms.
What happens next
The first general Open Enrollment lottery runs Jan. 14-28, 2027, for families who did not apply during the priority period.
Further reading
Explore more on Secondary Education for context on middle and high school enrollment in Pasadena.
More information
Submit applications through the SchoolMint online application portal for PUSD.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Pasadena Now.
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