Enrollment
Enrollment for Fall 2026 will open March 16, 2026
Schools of Choice Applications will be accepted from February 16th at 8am through February 27th at 3pm.
Dexter Community Schools enrolls new students online using PowerSchool. This secure software allows new families to efficiently register their students online, and allows existing families to update their student information efficiently. All registrations and updates are reviewed by school secretaries before changes are published. Please read the New Student Enrollment Instructions before you begin the process.
- Kindergarten & Young 5
- Enrollment Process
- Paperwork
- TRANSPORTATION
- AFTER SCHOOL CARE
- Unenroll a Student from DCS
Kindergarten & Young 5
Kindergarten and Young 5 Enrollment
The Dexter Early Elementary Complex (or DEEC, pronounced “Deck”) is made up of two school wings, Anchor and Beacon. Incoming students are placed in classes in either wing in order to balance demographics and class sizes. We attempt to keep Y5-grade 2 siblings in the same wing.
Michigan law requires students to be five years old by September 1st in order to enroll in Kindergarten or Young 5; parents of students born September 2nd through December 1st (12/1 included) may also enroll their students, if appropriate. Per state law, there are no exceptions to the December 1st cut off.
Children who turn 5 between June 1 and December 1 are eligible for Young 5. If the child’s birthday falls Sept. 2 through Dec. 1 we highly encourage a Y5 placement. The decision whether to enroll a late-summer birthdate 5-year-old in Young 5 vs. Kindergarten is something we recommend discussing with our staff so we can find the developmentally appropriate program for each student.
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Virtual Parent/Guardian Information Night February 10, 2026 at 6pm via Zoom (click for link to join).
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KG/Y5 Open House Scavenger Hunt: February 17, 2026 from 5:30pm-6:30pm at the DEEC
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Schools of Choice Application Window: 8am February 16 – 3pm 27, 2026 (application will be posted on Schools of Choice page during the window)
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Online Registration for fall 2026 will open March 16, 2026.
The info night webinar recording will be posted here by February 26, 2026.
Enrollment Process
Please click here for New Student Enrollment Instructions. Please print/view these to complete the steps below. Here are Returning Student Enrollment Instructions.
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Contact the school office to reactivate a student returning to Dexter after a break.
It can take two business days for the preregistration form to be approved or a student to be reactivated. If you don't see a registration email in your inbox within two business days after completing the pre-reg form, check your spam folder, search for an email from PS Dexter or powerschoolemail@dexterschools.org, or call the school office for help.
Additional Enrollment Information
immunization requirements
District Maps
- Dexter Community Schools - District Map*
- Washtenaw County School Districts Map
- Michigan ISDs and ESAs Map
We understand that these maps can be hard to read if you are on a border. Please call our office at 734-424-4102 or send an email to info@dexterschools.org and we would be happy to get you a definitive answer about a particular property address. We don't recommend relying on info from neighbors or real estate agents because sometimes they are (understandably, since some sites are complicated!) mistaken.
Contact Us
- District Offices
Bates School
2704 Baker Road
Dexter, MI 48130 - M-F 8:00am - 4:00pm
- (734) 424-4100
(734) 424-424-4108 fax - info@dexterschools.org
Paperwork
Documentation
- proof of residence
- birth certificate
- most recent report card for students entering grades 8 and up
- parent photo ID
- immunization records or health department waiver
Any documents you don't upload during registration may be emailed to registrar@dexterschools.org, brought to the your student's school office in person, or mailed to the appropriate school building.
ALL students:
- parent/guardian photo ID
- original birth certificate or passport
- proof of residence (see below)
- immunization record/waiver
- records release (for transfer students - complete in PS)
As Needed/If applicable:
- transcript (grades 8 and up)
- custodial paperwork (see below)
- medical info/update form
- temporary residence statement (if needed)
- new student parent input form (if desired)
PROOF OF RESIDENCE
At enrollment, and any time you change your address, you will need to verify your eligibility to attend Dexter Community Schools. This applies to all students.
- "In District" students are those who live at an address within the DCS district boundaries. Students of divorced parents who have at least one parent living within DCS boundaries are eligible to attend Dexter Schools, regardless of which parent has physical custody.
- Schools of Choice students' residency documents must verify that they live in the Washtenaw Intermediate School District or a contiguous Intermediate School District (ISD).
We need two documents to verify residence:
- Most recent property tax statement from your issuing tax authority;
- -OR- Closing papers for a recent sale–feel free to redact financial info and/or social security numbers. There are several documents in a typical closing packet which can be used. We need one legal document that includes the following: the property address, parent or guardian name, and date of sale;
- - OR- Contract to build a house with estimated completion date;
- -OR- A lease in your name;
- -OR- A lease in your name and a written statement from the landlord that utilities are included;
- -OR- A notarized statement from a Dexter Schools homeowner/taxpayer indicating that you share living space and the dates of residence (for example, in the case of living with relatives or friends long-term), in addition to that person's proof of residence.
- A utility bill or confirmation of service in the parent/guardian's name at the address: water, electric, cable, gas
OTHER INFO
- Parents and guardians of students who are considered homeless per McKinney-Vento guidelines should complete the Temporary Residence Statement. No further documentation is required. More information is available on our Student Support Services page.
District Boundary Maps:
- Dexter Community Schools District Map
- Washtenaw County School Districts Map
- Michigan ISDs and ESAs Map
- If you are moving households and are unsure whether a particular address falls within the DCS boundaries, please contact our central offices at info@dexterschools.org or 734-424-4102. The county mapping software used to verify addresses can be complicated to navigate, so we are happy to assist you searching for a particular address.
Custodial Paperwork
Parent Notification Regarding CHILD Custody
As per State and Federal Law (MCL 722.30 & FERPA), please be advised, Dexter Community Schools recognizes the equal rights of parents and guardians as indicated on a certified birth certificate or legal court order.
In cases where parents/guardians are legally separated, divorced, and/or those parents who simply have ongoing custody issues between them, the parental rights of both parties will be equally recognized by your child's school, unless and until a parent/guardian has a legal court order that specifically restricts or denies the non-custodial parent's access to the child at school, the child's school records, or other protective order.
To accommodate a custodial parent's request to deny a non-custodial parent's rights to access or information on a child, the school must have a copy of the most recent court order or file that indicates one parent's access and information rights are inhibited. Otherwise either parent with proper identification may have access to the child at school, request and receive information, and be included in the child's educational process.
Parents receive this notification during the enrollment process and sign off to indicate they have read and understand it.
TEMPORARY RESIDENCE STATEMENT
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Receive a free, appropriate public education;
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Enroll in school immediately, even if lacking documents normally required for enrollment;
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Enroll in school and attend classes while the school gathers needed documents;
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Enroll in the local school, or continue attending their school of origin (the school they attended when permanently housed or the school in which they were last enrolled), if that is your preference and is feasible. (If the school district believes that the school you select is not in the best interest of your children, then the district must provide you with a written explanation of its position and inform you of your right to appeal that decision.)
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Receive transportation to and from the school of origin, if you request this;
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Receive educational services comparable to those provided to other students, according to your children's needs.
TRANSPORTATION
TRANSPORTATION
- If you enroll mid-year for an immediate start, please contact the Transportation Department to set up transportation (if needed). Call 734-424-4190 or email transportation@dexterschools.org
- If you are enrolling for fall, we contact all newly registered families when transportation opens the fall request form in June. If you have any questions in the meantime, please call the transportation department at 734-424-4190 or email transportation@dexterschools.org.
- Dexter Community Schools does not provide transportation for schools of choice students. Non-resident students may not be driven to an in-district bus stop to be transported by bus. The only exception to this would be with by written request with verified in-Dexter care arrangements, and only on a space-available basis.
- All parents are requested to update their transportation requests annually starting in June or at enrollment if that happens after June. We send out a form when it's time to do so.
- Routes are published in late August.
AFTER SCHOOL CARE
AFTER SCHOOL CARE