I have heard: The school registration places currently enrolled PAUSD students and then they place new students registering into PAUSD. We registered for 6th grade last year and did not hear until middle of June for final placement. The school office staff are very helpful, but the central attendance office staff were a bit scary. I am sure the central attendance office is very busy, but they show no concern for the parents anxiety about knowing what school the children will attend. For me our work scheduled depended on where my kids would be located, also for peace of mind its nice to know.
You might want to contact the school you are zoned for. They should have some idea of enrollment and space available from the prior year. It would give you some idea of your chances of being over flowed and where you are likely to be sent, if overflowed. You can always visit a few schools based on the results. Good luck.

If the kinder registration deadline was 2/2 - technically your application was late. Aside from that - the secretary of the elementary school which is you neighborhood school should know if there is a waiting list for next year, it depends on if the current 4th grade is full (someone would need to leave), if there are already kids on the waiting list, etc. If the 4th grade is full, the secretaries seem to have a good idea of what schools are not full in a particular grade, though they may not feel comfortable sharing this info. Good luck and remember your child will enjoy any of the elementary schools in Palo Alto!

When you got your school placement in June for 6th grade was it for your assigned school or were you over flowed to another middle school? I was not aware of over flowing for middle and high schools. The central attendance people did tell me that we should be able to get into one of the near by schools: Palo Verde, El Carmelo, Fairmeadow, or Hoover. We are very worried that we would have to go across town to Barron Park or Escondido. I am going to Palo Verde on Monday to try to research the situation a bit further.

Lillian,
We were placed in our assigned school for 6th grade. It seems rare to be overflowed for the middle and high schools, but it is possible when you are reentering the district.

You said that you would probably get into one of your closer schools, including Hoover.

Did you apply to Hoover? You may not know that it is a choice program and is by lottery, so you must apply if you want it ( it has a more "direct instruction" approach advertised as its reason for having a different instructional philosophy from the rest of the district, and thus being an alternative school).
So, if you want that option, be sure to apply.

Yes, I did register for Hoover lotery. My older daughter went to Hoover and we loved it. Although the attendance office supervisor told us that we should be able to get into one of the near by schools I don't know if I could believe it now. I checked with Palo Verde - they already have two people on the waiting list. Both, Hoover and Fair Meadow are full. I've not heard back from El Carmelo yet, but they are probably full too. I don't know how many 5th grade registrations the district has received and how many kids will not be coming back for the 5th grade. I am bracing for the worst - I really don't want my daughter to go to Barron Park.

Anybody has some more information on the registration process and placement chances?