With the imminent start of the 2026-27 school year, families may still be looking at their options — from their local Akron Public School site to a nearby community, private or homeschool enrollment.
Making the choice before the first day of school, which is toward the end of August for many districts, is ideal as enrollment requires paperwork before a child can step foot into their new classroom.
That paperwork often includes multiple proofs of residency — like a recent utility bill, lease or mortgage agreement or bank statement — immunization records, custody agreement (if applicable), birth certificate and the guardian’s photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
Students cannot start class until their enrollment is complete.
Immunization records are required for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. All students, unless a family has secured an exemption under the Ohio Revised Code, must be vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, rubella, polio and chickenpox.
Students in seventh through 12th grade should also be vaccinated against meningococcal meningitis, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
INFO BOX: Documents needed to register a new student at Akron Public Schools
Student’s birth certificate
Student’s immunization record
Guardian’s photo ID (such as a driver’s license or passport)
Proof of residency in the guardian’s name less than 60 days old
Primary proof of residence: Utility bill, lease agreement or mortgage statement
Secondary proof of residence: bank statement, government documents or change of address
Custody papers (if applicable)
Individualized Education Program or Evaluation Team Report (if applicable)
Akron Public Schools engagement center offers assistance
For those who are new to — or late to enroll at — Akron Public Schools, the district’s engagement center can help, said Latisha Hamer-Battle, the center’s lead enrollment specialist.
“They can enroll at any point, and they can come here and do it, or they can do it online,” Hamer-Battle said. “They don’t have to come in person if they do it at home online … they can take documents directly to the building that the student is going to attend.”
APS staff can help families new to Akron Schools enroll their child from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Enrollment takes about 30 to 45 minutes for each child, she said.
Some things, like immunization records, may be available from a prior school district, but students enrolling in kindergarten must turn in their records within 10 days of starting school, Hamer-Battle said.
Now is their “busy season,” Hamer-Battle said, with staff fielding calls and handling in-person visits throughout the last few hectic weeks and in the days after Aug. 27, when the majority of students are back in class.
Interpreters are available for some of the most common languages spoken by APS families, including Nepali, French, Spanish and Arabic. Families who may not have access to their child’s birth certificate or other documentation due to immigrating to the U.S. should reach out to the engagement center for assistance.
Families who are new to Akron Public Schools may request late open enrollment to a building outside of their “home school,” Hamer-Battle said, with those requests accommodated based on space.
High school students living in Akron are eligible for free METRO bus passes through Akron Public Schools, regardless of whether they attend APS or not. Students and families must sign a permission slip for the bus pass, which is valid through graduation.
While the weeks leading up to a new school year may be the busiest for the engagement center, its specialists are available year-round, Hamer-Battle said, and can help connect families to resources like food assistance and provide toiletries and hygiene items.
Kindergarten age cut-off moved up
New for the 2026-27 school year, children must be 5 years old by the first day of kindergarten classes — for Akron Public Schools, that’s Aug. 31 — to enroll in kindergarten.
That statewide change, when the cutoff was Sept. 30, has meant kindergarten enrollment is lagging behind years prior, said Jennifer Douglas, APS’ director of early learning.
“We’re missing a whole month of children who would’ve turned 5 during September – previously, they would’ve been eligible,” she said.
Those students can choose to attend another year of preschool or go through the district’s process for early entrance to kindergarten. To enter kindergarten early, families must schedule an appointment with the district’s gifted intervention services for an individual assessment.
Basic reading and math skills, and other assessments to determine if the child is academically, socially and emotionally prepared for kindergarten, are considered in the decision, explained Diana Gearhart, APS’ gifted and talented education coordinator, in an email.
“Early entrance to kindergarten is considered an acceleration,” said Melissa Frymyer, APS’ director of special education, in an email. “Therefore, students are assessed on skills and abilities that are above the typical kindergarten level. The assessment process includes two stages. If a child meets the criteria to advance after the first assessment, they will participate in a second assessment.”
Families should contact APS’ Special Education Program at 330-761-3146 for more information.
Preschool-age children may be eligible for grants
Families with preschool-age children may be eligible to receive the Ohio Preschool Program grant to offset costs. Akron Public Schools has 475 slots for preschool through that grant — and about $2.2 million from the state to pay for them, Douglas said.
Normally, the district is able to fill about 380 of those grant-funded slots, she said, but changes in the application process and how district staff were able to assist families meant only 220 slots were filled for the 2025-26 school year.
The application process is now through the Ohio Benefits Portal and is similar to the application for food assistance or Medicaid, Douglas said.
“It’s become challenging for some of our families to be able to navigate that process,” she said. “That had a pretty negative impact on enrollment last year.”
Now, Douglas said, APS staff are able to work with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to assist families and “make sure that none of the pieces of that application fall through the cracks.”
“We are already seeing a huge increase in the percentage of families that are successfully getting authorized,” she said.
Students who will be 4 years old by Aug. 30 and are potty trained are eligible to enroll in APS’ pre-k program. Children who will be 3 years old by Aug. 30 can enroll in half-day preschool. Full-day pre-k is $250 per month; half-day preschool is $125 per month.
Families who do not qualify for the grant program may pay for preschool out of pocket. There are about 600 seats available for preschool within Akron Public Schools.
‘One size doesn’t fit all’ for community schools
APS is not the only option in the area — community schools are tuition-free public schools that receive state and federal funding and are free to Ohio residents. Considered public schools under Ohio education law, they are sponsored by organizations and often run by operators.
There are 19 community schools operating in Summit County, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce.
“It’s a different kind of public school,” said Jason Wall, associate executive director of the Ohio Council of Community Schools. “The big difference in the charter sector is they can be privately managed — what that means is the public charter school, run by a governing board, can hire an entity to help them manage the daily operations of the school.”
It is similar to a landlord hiring a property management company to handle the day-to-day workings of a building. The difference, Wall said, is the accountability. Community schools receive state report cards from the Ohio Department of Education and the contracts between a school sponsor and an operator may include metrics schools must meet.
Community schools cannot ask voters for funding via tax levies like their traditional counterparts can, but are state funded for each student who attends.
Families do not need a voucher to attend a community school, which have been available as an option outside of traditional public schools since the late 1990s.
“There’s nothing wrong with traditional public schools,” Wall said, “but it can’t be all things to all people. The impetus behind [community schools] was let’s create another type of school that can have more flexibility.”
Wall suggested families interested in a community school visit the brick-and-mortar options available, or get questions answered about virtual schools by administrators.
“The charter sector is very nuanced, and we’ve been trying to do a better job of educating the general public on how we’re different and how we’re the same [as a traditional public school],” he said.
“The big piece about the charter world is one size doesn’t fit all. People tend to choose the charter world because it meets their individual [needs] — it doesn’t mean they feel it is better or worse than the traditional school district.”
Vouchers provide pathways for school choice
Beyond public options, families can also opt for private schools throughout Summit County.
About 3,400 children in Akron used an EdChoice scholarship for the 2025-26 school year – a fraction of the more than 143,000 students across the state who took a voucher.
Ohio’s school voucher program is a controversial one. It is frequently blamed for unfair public school funding and, like community schools, the costly demands it makes of its traditional public school counterparts for transportation and other student services. A 2022 lawsuit filed by a coalition of public schools argues the voucher program is unconstitutional — it remains in the appeals process.
Unlike community or traditional public schools, private and parochial schools can charge tuition — though families may use EdChoice vouchers to help offset those costs as long as the school of their choice accepts them.
In Summit County, 32 schools accept EdChoice vouchers, according to the state, including several operated by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.
The EdChoice scholarship is $6,166 for elementary and middle school students and $8,408 for high schoolers for the 2026-27 school year.
For families earning above 450 percent of the federal poverty level, the amount received for a voucher is prorated — bottoming out at about $616 for elementary and middle schoolers and $840 for high schoolers for families earning 785 percent of the federal poverty level.
For a family of four, the federal poverty level is $33,000 per year. For that same family, 450 percent of the federal poverty level is $148,500, while 785 percent is $252,300.
For families earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level, private schools must take the full voucher amount and not charge them any additional tuition, said Beth Lawson, School Choice Ohio’s director of media and communication.
Families can access EdChoice scholarships at any point during the school year, but the amount will be prorated based on the date the child started attending the private school, she said.
Homeschooling may fit student, family needs
Families may also trade traditional classroom settings for home education. In Ohio, homeschooling has increased since the pandemic, with about 61,000 students taking the option for the 2024-25 school year (the most recent data available).
In Akron, homeschool enrollment has remained largely unchanged for the past several years, with about 373 students opting to learn at their kitchen tables rather than inside a traditional classroom.
For families interested in the option, notice is required to the child’s resident district within five days of the child being withdrawn from school or moving into a new school district’s boundaries, and by Aug. 30 of each year thereafter.
Homeschooled students may participate in their public school’s extracurriculars, like sports teams, but beyond that families must supply their own curricula and materials, as well as provide instruction.
Ohio has few hard guidelines for homeschooling beyond notification of their local superintendent and providing instruction in English language arts, math, science, history, government and social studies. It does not define what that instruction must include, and homeschooled students are exempt from state testing.
