Parents and Students
Enrollment and Attendance
Enrolling a child in an Arkansas public school is addressed in Arkansas law and in the State Standards for Accreditation of Arkansas Public Schools.
According to A.C.A. § 6-18-208, "(a) Prior to a child's admission to an Arkansas public school, a school district shall request the parent guardian, or other responsible person to furnish the child's social security number and shall inform the parent, guardian, or other responsible person that, in the alternative, they may request that the school district assign the child a nine-digit number designated by the Department of Education. (b) Prior to a child's admission to Arkansas public school, the parent, guardian, or responsible person shall provide the school district with one (1) of the following documents indicating the child's age: (1) A birth certificate; (2) A statement by the local registrar or a county recorder certifying the child's date of birth; (3) An attested baptismal certificate; (4) A passport; (5) An affidavit of the date and place of birth by the child's parent or guardian; (6) Previous school records; or (7) A United States military identification."
Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact their local school district superintendent’s office for specific information concerning required enrollment documents.
Enrollment Age for Kindergarten Students
Act 462 of the Regular Session of the 86th Arkansas General Assembly (2007) changed the age of enrollment for kindergarten students entering public schools.
A.C.A. § 6-18-207 states that for the 2011-2012 school year and afterwards, students may enter kindergarten in the public schools of the state if they will attain the age of five (5) years on or before August 1 of the year in which they are seeking initial enrollment.
More information is available in Commissioner's Memo LS-10-023.
For questions on the new kindergarten enrollment age, please contact:
Cindy Hogue, Program Coordinator
Arkansas Department of Education
Early Childhood Programs
Four Capitol Mall, Box 26
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-682-5615
Fax: 501-682-5136
