Central Registration
Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center
518-475-6125 | 75 Watervliet Ave., Albany, NY 12206
Please note that this information below is for general registration for grades 1-12. The registration process is different for the following areas:
Pre-K | Kindergarten | Magnet Programs
Online registration
At this time, registration in the City School District of Albany is being done primarily through our online portal.
Please review all the information in the "what you'll need" section below before beginning the online registration process.
As part of the online registration, you will be assigned a reference ID number (session key) and asked to create a password. Please record your ID number and password for future reference. You will contacted when your registration has been accepted or if any additional information is needed.
If you cannot complete the registration process online, you can contact our Central Registration Office at (518) 475-6125 to set up an appointment and/or obtain the required forms. Please be advised that for the health and safety of everyone, we cannot accommodate walk-in registrations at this time.
What you'll need
Before you begin the online registration process, make sure you have the all the required documents and forms below completed and on hand, as you will need to upload them.
To enroll in the City School District of Albany, New York State Education Law requires that students be residents of the district and of age to attend school. The following documents must be submitted to demonstrate this:
1) Documentation of birth – One of the following:
- Original birth certificate
- Original baptismal certificate
- Passport*
The following will be permitted as proof of birthday only if none of the above documents exist or can be produced*
- Official driver’s license
- State or other government issued identification
- School photo identification with date of birth
- Consulate identification card
- Hospital or health records
- Military dependent identification card
- Documents issued by federal, state, or local agencies
- Court orders or other court-issued documents
- Native American tribunal documents
- Records from non-profit international aid agencies and volunteer agencies
2) Parent/guardian photo identification. If you are not the parent listed on the birth certificate, you will need to provide certified copies of legal guardianship. Please also provide certified copies of any legal custody documents if applicable.
3) Proof of address (2 different items required in one parent/guardian name)
- Each must include the name and address of a parent or guardian and must be dated within 30 days prior to registration date
- Parent or guardian must be able to produce one document from each category. Two forms of proof of address from Category 2 will be acceptable only if the parent/guardian is unable to produce a document from Category 1.
Category 1
- Copy of a residential lease; deed; or mortgage statement
- A notarized statement by a third-party landlord, owner, or tenant from whom the parent/guardian lease from or live with
- Other notarized statement by a third party establishing physical presence of parent/guardian within the school district
Category 2
- Cell phone/telephone bill (welcome letter from phone company is acceptable)
- Utility bill (electric, gas)
- Satellite/cable television bill or installation receipt
- Furniture rental statement (e.g. Aaron’s, Rent-A-Center)
- Auto insurance ID card
- NYS driver’s license, learner’s permit, or non-driver ID
- Payroll check (dated within the last two weeks) or income tax form
- Social security statements
- DSS documentation
- State or other government issued ID
- Documents issued by federal, state, or local agencies
4) Official immunization record signed by physician or clinic staff
5) Evidence of custody (Custody papers in the form of a court order or stamped petition are acceptable)
- If the student is not the biological child, documentation must be presented which proves a permanent and total transfer of custody and control has been achieved
- Parents must be able to demonstrate they are the person in parental relation to the child, over whom they have total and permanent custody and control
- Under special circumstances, an affidavit may be used in substitution with approval from Pupil Personnel Services.
6) Report card or transcript for all new students entering middle school and high school
You will also need to complete and sign a request for records form if records are needed from the student's previous school.
If your child is a Special Education student, you will also need to complete a request for records for Special Education form to obtain records and a Medicaid consent form to consent to billing your child’s Medicaid Insurance Program for special education and related services.
Physical Exam Requirements
New York State Education Law requires all new entrants and students in pre-K, kindergarten, and grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 to have physical exams. New entrants must submit proof of physical exam within 30 days of the start of the school[Education Law §903, 8 NYCRR §136.3 (c)(1)]. If proof of physical exam is not returned to school before our school physicians come for physicals, your child will have a health appraisal in school.
The NYS mandated health form is the only physical exam form we are allowed to accept. Dental certificates are also requested but not required for entrance to school.
Vaccination Requirements
Proof of vaccination (Public Health Law §2164) is required within 14 days of the first day of school or day care. Children must receive the first age-appropriate dose in each immunization series to attend or remain in school or day care. The 14 days may be extended when the student is transferring from out of state or from another country.
Electronic copies of vaccination information and proof of physical exam may be uploaded when completing the Health Form during the online registration process.
If you do not have proof of physical exams or vaccinations, you may also complete and upload a medical release form to allow school personnel to request medical records from your child's physician on your behalf.
Just need to update your address?
Please visit our change of address page.
Need assistance?
Central Registrar
While we ask that you upload the required documents and forms directly within the online registration portal, you can also submit the required documents and forms in the ways below.
Email electronic documents to centralreg@albany.k12.ny.us. Please enter your child's name in the subject line.
Postal mail
Central Registration
Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center
75 Watervliet Ave., Albany, NY 12206
In person (appointment only)
If you prefer a paper application or need assistance, please call 518-475-6125. Please note that the Central Registration Office is open for in-person service through appointment only.
If you need assistance registering in a language other than English, please contact our Office of ENL and Refugee Services at (518) 475-6147.
Additional resources and services
Open enrollment is a school-choice option through which parents can enroll their children in a school other than their neighborhood elementary school. It applies to non-magnet elementary schools only.
The ability to use open enrollment depends on available space in the school you want your child to attend. Siblings of students already open-enrolled at a school will be given preference. However, open enrollment is not guaranteed. Open-enrolled students who live less than 1.5 miles from their school are not eligible for transportation.
For more information, contact the Pupil Personnel Services Office at (518) 475-6130.
If you are a City School District of Albany graduate, and need to acquire a copy of your official transcript, please contact:
Albany High School Registrar
All students must be registered at Central Registration, but before you go you can use our list of school attendance zones to find out which elementary and middle school your child will attend based on where you live.
Please note that the list does not include the district's three magnet elementary schools, which are enrolled each spring via lottery.
Please note that children and youth in temporary housing can enroll in school without the documents normally needed to enroll.
Children and youth are temporarily housed or homeless if they lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence, which includes, for example:
- living in a shelter or,
- sharing the home of a relative or a friend because they lost their home or were evicted.
For more information on receiving assistance while in temporary housing, please visit our homelessness and temporary housing page.
The City School District of Albany transports all eligible students – those who live 1.5 miles or more from their school – either by First Student Inc., yellow bus or Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) bus.
Please visit our Transportation Department section to learn more.
Pre-K, kindergarten and magnet registration
Please note that there are special registration procedures for students entering pre-K and kindergarten, as well as for our four magnet elementary offerings.
Prekindergarteners are enrolled through a lottery designed to provide access for all Albany children. You must enter your child into the lottery to get a seat in the program of your choice.
Kindergarten registration typically beings in late April for the upcoming school year.
Admission to Albany's magnet schools is done through two random lotteries -- one for prekindergarten, and one for grades kindergarten through 5 or 6, depending on the school. Both lotteries require applications. Families are asked to select their top four choices.
