Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 has announced updates to its preschool enrollment and placement process for the 2026–2027 school year. The district stated that these changes are being made to comply with requirements from the Preschool for All (PFA) Grant and to address ongoing high demand for its preschool program.
The new procedure includes a computerized lottery system to determine classroom placements, either in the morning or afternoon sessions. This lottery is open only to returning students currently enrolled at Jefferson. The application window for the lottery begins on December 5 and closes on December 12.
According to the district, families will be notified of their child’s placement results on December 19, 2025. This notification will also provide information needed to complete registration for the upcoming school year.
Registration opens to District 64 families on January 20, 2026, and must be completed by February 27. The district emphasized that families who do not register by this deadline will lose their preschool spot and move to the bottom of the waitlist.
Families who do not receive their preferred AM or PM placement through the lottery will be placed on a waitlist or may have an opportunity to enroll in an alternate session.
Ms. Barkley said, “We appreciate your understanding as we work to provide an enrollment process that supports all families, meets state requirements, and continues to offer high-quality early childhood education to our community.”
The district highlighted that there are more interested families than available spots, making it important for the process to remain consistent, transparent, and fair.
