Give your child a head start by enrolling them in prekindergarten now.

Pre-K is just as necessary for academic success as kindergarten or first grade, according to numerous research studies. Not only will your child be more successful in school, but later on, they are more likely to graduate high school and attend college, which leads, in turn, to a well-paying job and increased earning potential.

HISD offers both free and tuition-based Pre-K in 153 district schools, including many that are dual-language. We also have nine early childhood centers specifically for young learners. All Pre-K students in the district receive breakfast and lunch during a full day of instruction from certified teachers.

To be eligible for free enrollment (non-tuition-based Pre-K), your child must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, 2015, and live within the boundaries of HISD.  Additional requirements can be found here, as well as the district’s policy on 3-year-olds.

A partial list of schools offering Pre-K programs, along with their available space, is below. If no seats are available at your preferred campus, contact other HISD schools near your home or workplace, a list of which is available here. HISD is an open-enrollment district, which means that you are not restricted to your neighborhood school but can enroll your child in any elementary school or early childhood center with space available.

Complete an application (available here), and take it to the school, along with your child’s birth certificate, your photo ID, proof of residency (utility bill), and proof of income (current check stub). To determine if your child is eligible for free pre-K, check here for eligibility requirements. For tuition-based Pre-K, a 10-month payment plan of $477 a month is available. Find out more about tuition-based Pre-K here.

We encourage you to enroll your child and reap the proven benefits of a Pre-K education. For more information or for help registering for the upcoming school year, please call the HISD Parent Center at 713-556-7121 or visit the Early Childhood website at www.houstonisd.org/PreK.

The following schools have seats available as of Aug. 26, but they’re filling up quickly. Since many parents are using the list to find spots for their children, it’s possible that seats may be filled by the time you call.

• Arabic Immersion Magnet School (wait list only)
• Bastian (wait list only)
• Bell (English only)
• Bellfort Early Childhood Center
• Blackshear
• Briscoe
• Brookline (English only)
• Burbank
• Burrus
• Cage (dual language)
• Carrillo
• Coop
• Crespo (bilingual wait list only)
• DeChaumes
• De Zavala (dual language)
• Elrod (dual language)
• Farias Early Childhood Center
• Fonwood Early Childhood Center
• Franklin
• Halpin Early Childhood Center
• Harris, R.P. (English only)
• Isaacs
• Kandy Stripe Academy
• King Early Childhood Center (English only)
• Laurenzo Early Childhood Center (bilingual only)
• Looscan (English and Spanish)
• Lyons (English only)
• Mading (English and dual language)
• Mistral Early Childhood Center (bilingual and ESL only)
• Mitchell
• Park Place
• Pleasantville
• Port Houston (qualifying bilingual only)
• Ross (English only)
• Scarborough (dual language)
• Scroggins (bilingual only)
• Thompson
• Young

The following schools are at capacity: Anderson, Ashford, Askew, Atherton, Barrick, Benbrook, Berry, Bonham, Braeburn, Burrus, Bush, Condit, Cook, Cornelius, Davila, Dogan, Durham, Emerson, Field, Foerster, Fondren, Golfcrest, Gross, Harvard, Helms, Henderson (J.P.), Henderson (N.Q.), Henderson (N.Q.), Herrera, Herod, Hines-Caldwell, Hobby, Horn, Kennedy, Kolter, Longfellow, Love, MacGregor, Mandarin Chinese Language Immersion Magnet School, McGowen, McNamara, Neff Early Learning Center, Milne, Oak Forest, Patterson, Piney Point, Pugh, Red, Rodriguez, Roosevelt, School at St. George Place, Seguin, Shearn, Sinclair, Tijerina, Travis, Wainwright, Walnut Bend, Wesley, and Wilson Montessori.