The Central Okanagan School District is looking at online registration.
But in the meantime, it's a stand-in-line, first-come-first-served system that means long lineups at some schools.
The biggest lines Monday were at Chute Lake Elementary in the Upper Mission neighbourhood and Davidson Road Elementary in Lake Country.
"The lineup actually started Sunday morning at Chute Lake, and some parents slept overnight in campers in order to register this (Monday) morning," said Deb Butler, vice-chairwoman of the school board. "In all, about 80 people lined up at Chute Lake and 72 at Davidson Road. There was a small lineup at Watson Road Elementary and a couple of other schools. Registration opened a little earlier than the 9.a.m. usual start to accommodate the lineups."
The lineups had wound down by early
afternoon.
The school district hasn't moved to online registration because not all parents have access to the Internet and the district's computer system has to have bugs worked out before it can accept an onslaught of applications.
Parents have from Feb. 4 to March 7 to register children for kindergarten or children in any grade who will be new to the school district for September classes.
While parents do have to come in person to register their child, there usually is never an issue.
"However, lineups do happen the first day at schools where we have more kids than places in the school," explained Butler.
"And that's what's happened at Chute Lake and Davidson Road, where the populations have grown and the schools are too small for the number of children."
Some districts have a lottery system to place children in in-demand schools.
The Central Okanagan district, however, uses a multi-criteria system.
"We are an open-boundaries school district, which means parents can register their children at any school they want," said Butler. "But first priority does go to those that live in the catchment area of that school, and we also consider if they have a sibling or siblings at that school."
Parents may choose to live in one area of the district, but have their child attend a school elsewhere because the parent works in that area, the family used to live in the vicinity and wants the child to continue school there or parents feel the school is better.