Prospective Families
John Muir FAQ
John Muir is a wonderfully small and supportive school. We had 310 students in the 2025-2026 year.
Our fantastic principal, Jeremy “Paco” Furlan, has been with the school since 2022.
We have two classes per grade, from TK through 5th grade.
The school day starts at 8:57am. Kindergarten and TK get out at 2:15pm. 1st-5th grade gets out at 3:10pm, except on Wednesdays when everyone gets out at 2:15pm.
TK and Kindergarten students gather in the morning and have their recess on the playground yard, a separate area from older students. TK/Kinder kids typically eat their breakfast outside and parents are welcome to stay after drop off for a bit as kids are getting adjusted.
1st-5th grade students gather in the morning and have their recess on the blacktop.
TK students are in classrooms with direct access to the TK/Kinder playground yard and in-classroom bathrooms appropriate for their size.
Recess is 15 minutes a day, twice a day (one in the morning and one around lunch). See our Daily Schedule page for a full schedule breakdown.
The school hosts two after school care options: BEARS & Kids in Motion. BEARS is a district program with a sliding payment scale, and Kids in Motion is privately run. IntraMUIRals are extracurricular programs that take place on campus right after school ends. You can learn more about them on the Extended Care page.
School Tours
From November through the end of January each year, PTA volunteers lead tours of John Muir Elementary to prospective parents for the next school year.
Tours are on Thursday mornings (9:30-11am) from mid-November to mid-January (except for school breaks).
If you'd like to schedule a spot on a tour, call Clarisa in the front office at 510-644-6410.
Upon arriving at the school, buzz for entry at the door just to the left of the main gate. Then report to the front office and sign in as a Visitor.
Tours will start at the Redwood Grove (pictured left).
Tours usually include a welcome from Principal Furlan, walk through the school to see classrooms (including a visit to TK classrooms and view of Kindergarten classrooms), library, auditorium, cafeteria, and TK/Kinder playground yard.
Visits are for adults only. To avoid disrupting the classrooms, we kindly ask that no children, including infants, accompany you.
Enrollment
For complete and up-to-the date admissions information, refer to the BUSD enrollment page.
All students who turn 4 years old by September 1 are now eligible for TK (Transitional Kindergarten). Students who turn 5 by September 1st can enroll in Kindergarten.
TK is a free public-school program that is essentially an extra public-school grade and is designed to be a bridge between preschool and kindergarten.
Once students are assigned to a school for TK, they will automatically be enrolled in that school for Kindergarten.
Berkeley Unified School District is divided into three attendance zones for elementary schools. John Muir Elementary is part of the Southeast Zone, along with Emerson and Malcolm X.
All students K-12 are automatically eligible for free breakfast and free lunch every day they are in school. Learn more about BUSD Nutrition Services.
BUSD enrollment documents are submitted electronically. Caregiver(s) and their student(s) must be residing in Berkeley when submitting enrollment documents.
There are 3 enrollment periods for a school in BUSD. Enrollment opens in early January of the year your student will start.
After your enrollment documents have been submitted and approved, the Admissions Office will send your student’s school assignment and additional information about registration.
Once you’ve received your school assignment, be sure to register! This includes submitting a set of documents to the school.