Pre-K 4 SA Waitlist Full? The East Center Is Still Enrolling for 2026-27

A parent applies to the Pre-K 4 SA center closest to work and gets a waitlist email. A week later, a coworker mentions that the East center on Eisenhauer Road is still enrolling. For a lot of San Antonio families, that tip turns out to be the most useful piece of pre-K advice they get.

The short answer

As of Pre-K 4 SA's enrollment page, last updated July 27, 2026, applications for the North, South and West Education Centers are temporarily closed because their waitlists reached capacity. Applications remain open for the East Education Center. Open means you can apply and be considered. It does not guarantee a seat, and status can change, so call 210-206-PREK (7735) to confirm before you plan around it.

This SchoolPath guide covers what a family needs to decide whether East works: where it is, hours, what the day looks like, how tuition and free seats work, Extended Day, buses, how to apply, and the trade-offs worth weighing. It also clears up the closure stories that still circulate online. You can also see East's details on its SchoolPath profile.

East Education Center at a glance

East sits on the Northeast Side, just inside Loop 410 near Eisenhauer Road and Interstate 35. That makes it reachable for families on the East Side, the Northeast Side, Windcrest, Kirby, and parts of the Converse and Fort Sam Houston corridors.

Featured school

Pre-K 4 SA East Education Center

• Grades: Pre-K 3–Pre-K 4
• Location: 5230 Eisenhauer Rd, San Antonio 78218
• Tuition: Free if eligible, up to ~$9,750/yr

View profile

Is East really the only center still accepting applications?

Yes, based on Pre-K 4 SA's own enrollment page. North (Medical Drive), South (S. WW White Road) and West (Historic Old Highway 90) paused new 2026-27 applications once their waitlists filled. The Gardendale campus in Edgewood ISD operates through a partnership, so families there should call 210-898-4190.

There are two likely reasons East still has room. The new South Education Center opened in fall 2025 with infant and toddler classrooms, and demand there ran high. North and West also draw from dense, fast-growing parts of the city. That is good news for families willing to drive or ride a bus.

The status is a snapshot. Pre-K 4 SA has said paused centers may reopen if seats become available, and East could pause too if its waitlist fills. Apply as soon as you decide.

About the closure stories

If you search for the East center, you may find older news stories about it closing. Here is what actually happened:

• October 2020. East closed temporarily and moved to remote learning after four staff members and one child tested positive for COVID-19, according to KSAT and the San Antonio Report. It reopened after the closure period.
• May 2025. The older South Education Center at 7031 S. New Braunfels Ave. closed and was replaced by the new South Education Center at 3510 S. WW White Rd. That closure did not involve East.

East is operating for the 2026-27 school year. We did not find any report of a permanent East closure.

What a day at East looks like

Every Pre-K 4 SA center, including East, uses the HighScope curriculum. HighScope classrooms are organized into interest areas, such as blocks, art, reading and dramatic play. A core part of the day is "plan, do, review": children choose what they want to work on, carry out the plan, and then talk with a teacher about what they did.

Teachers also lead small group and large group times focused on early literacy, math, science and social skills. If you are weighing play-based against a more structured approach, our guide to structured vs. play-based classrooms walks through the trade-offs.

For parents, a few practical pieces matter most:

• Breakfast, lunch and snacks are served at school, so you do not pack meals.
• The instructional day runs into midafternoon, with Extended Day after that for eligible families.
• Children with developmental needs or an IEP may receive services in coordination with their home district. Ask what support looks like in practice before you accept a seat.

If you can, tour the building or attend an open house. Watching a classroom for 15 minutes tells you more about fit than any website.

Free seat or tuition at East

The rules at East are the same as at every Pre-K 4 SA center. A child receives a free seat only if the family lives in the City of San Antonio or its extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), the home address is in a participating school district, and the child meets at least one Texas pre-K criterion. Those are the same Texas criteria public schools use, such as free-meal eligibility, an active-duty military parent, or being an English learner.

Families who do not qualify for a free seat pay on a sliding scale through Pre-K 4 SA's Investing in Education Scholarship. Annual tuition runs from $0 at the lowest level to about $9,750 at the highest, depending on household size and income.

Run your numbers on the official tuition calculator on prek4sa.com. A 10% annual discount applies to a second or third child enrolled at the same time. Our full Pre-K 4 SA guide breaks down every tuition level.

The district question that matters for East Side families

The home district matters more at East than at any other center, because East sits close to several district lines.

• North East ISD participates in Pre-K 4 SA. Eligible NEISD families can receive free seats.
• San Antonio ISD participates. Eligible SAISD families on the East Side can receive free seats.
• Judson ISD does not participate. Many homes near Eisenhauer Road, Loop 410 and the Converse area are zoned to Judson. Judson families who live in the city or ETJ can attend East, but they pay tuition, even if their child would qualify for free pre-K at a Judson elementary school.

If your child qualifies for free pre-K and you live in Judson, compare East's tuition with free pre-K 4 at your Judson campus. If your child does not qualify, East on the sliding scale may be one of the more affordable full-day options nearby, since Judson does not sell tuition seats. See our Judson and SCUC pre-K guide for who qualifies there.

Extended Day and before care

The building opens at 7:15 a.m., and Extended Day runs from 3 to 6 p.m. at no cost. To qualify, you submit an Extended Day Program Employment Verification form during registration, signed by a supervisor to confirm your work schedule. In a two-parent household, each working parent needs a form.

The Pre-K 4 SA parent handbook notes that repeated late pickups can lead to losing an Extended Day spot. If your commute is tight, build a backup plan for days when traffic on Loop 410 or I-35 runs long. For families who start work before 7:15 a.m., look for a nearby licensed provider that offers early drop-off, or arrange a family drop-off.

Buses and getting there

Pre-K 4 SA runs free buses between designated depots and each center. Buses do not stop at individual homes. Before you accept an East seat, ask:

• Which depot is closest to my home or work?
• What time does the morning bus leave the depot, and when does the afternoon bus return?
• Does the afternoon route run after Extended Day, or only at the end of the instructional day?
• What happens if no adult is at the depot at drop-off?

If you plan to drive, test the route at drop-off time on a weekday. A 15-minute trip on Saturday can be 30 minutes at 7:30 a.m. on a school day.

Infant and toddler care

We did not find an official source showing infant or toddler classrooms at East. Pre-K 4 SA's infant and toddler care is at the new South Education Center. If you have a younger child who also needs care, ask the East front office what is offered on site.

How to apply to East for 2026-27

1. Go to prek4sa.com, open the Enrollment section, and choose "Apply Here," or call 210-206-PREK (7735).
2. Select East as your first or second choice. If you are already waitlisted elsewhere, ask how adding East affects your application.
3. Answer the household and eligibility questions. No documents or Social Security number are needed at this step.
4. If you receive an offer, register in the Parent Portal and upload proof of age, address, income and any eligibility criterion.
5. Submit the Extended Day verification form if you need care until 6 p.m.
6. Accept or decline by the deadline in your email, since unclaimed seats go to the next family.

Active duty military families who run into trouble with the online application can email prek4saenrollment@sanantonio.gov.

What to have ready for registration

The trade-offs, honestly

Distance. For families on the West or South Side, East can mean a long drive or an early bus ride. That is a real cost for a 3- or 4-year-old and for parents juggling work.

Free alternatives you may qualify for. If your child meets a Texas criterion and your district offers free full-day pre-K 4 at a neighborhood school, that may be simpler than a cross-town commute.

Waitlist strategy. Accepting East does not have to end your hopes for a closer center. Ask whether you can stay on another center's waitlist after you enroll, and how a midyear transfer would work.

If the commute is manageable, East offers the same curriculum, meals, Extended Day and teacher standards as the other centers. For many families, that makes it worth the drive.

Other options near the East Side and Northeast

• District pre-K. NEISD, SAISD and Judson offer free full-day pre-K 4 for eligible children at elementary campuses.
• Bezos Academy Universal City. A free, Montessori-inspired preschool for families under 400% of the federal poverty level. It admits by lottery, and the day ends at 3:30 p.m.
• Head Start. Income-based and free, with family support services.
• Licensed child care centers. Check license and inspection history on the Texas Health and Human Services child care search before you enroll.

Frequently asked questions

Not sure East is the right fit? Let SchoolPath help

If you were waitlisted at North, South or West, applying to East is a smart move. It is also worth seeing what else is near your home or work. SchoolPath is a free school discovery platform for San Antonio families.

Share your child's needs and your priorities, like schedule, distance and cost, and SchoolPath shows pre-K and school options that fit. You can then reach out to the schools you like.