When registration happens
Zichron Yaakov registers children for gan and first grade once a year, in winter, for the school year that starts the following September.
- 2026-27 (for reference): registration ran from 19 January to 8 February 2026 (council registration page (opens in a new tab)). The council's English guide gave 19 January to 2 February (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)).
- 2027-28: when this guide was checked (9 October 2026) the council had not yet published the dates. Expect a similar January-February window and check the registration page (opens in a new tab) from December.
Registering late is possible only where places are left, and requests to switch school, register outside your zone, attend school outside Zichron or homeschool must be filed during the registration period. A committee decides them in June (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)).
Who registers for what
For 2026-27 the council's guide set the gan years as: chova (age 5) for children born in 2021, trom chova (age 4) born in 2022 and trom-trom chova (age 3) born in 2023. For 2027-28, add one year to each birth year once the council confirms it (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)).
- Gan: online, on the council's registration system at rishum.sensory.co.il (opens in a new tab). Registering does not guarantee a particular gan; the assignment arrives later by email.
- First grade: if you are already in the system you can register online; otherwise register at your assigned school with both parents' ID cards and proof of address. During the registration period schools also take registrations on Tuesdays 16:00-18:00 (council English education page (opens in a new tab)).
- High school: each high school runs its own registration on its website during the registration period (council high-schools page (opens in a new tab)).
Documents
New residents registering online upload (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)):
- a cancellation of registration from the previous municipality (not needed for new olim);
- both parents' ID cards with the address appendix, or passports;
- a rental or purchase contract if the ID card shows another address;
- for divorced parents, the custody agreement.
Olim without residency in Zichron cannot register children for Zichron schools.
Zones and schools
Schools and chova gans are assigned by registration zone. The council's 2026-27 zones PDF (opens in a new tab) lists the streets in each of its 15 zones. Yavetz (state religious) and Keshet take children from all neighbourhoods.
The council lists five primary schools: HaHoresh, HaChita and Nili (state), Yavetz (state religious) and Keshet (democratic, integrating state-religious) (primary schools (opens in a new tab)). The four high schools are Tichon HaMoshava (state), Pelech (state religious, girls), the Yeshiva Tanachit high school (state religious, boys) and Keshet (high schools (opens in a new tab)). The Ministry of Education's open data also lists Haredi schools and talmudei torah in the town (data.gov.il (opens in a new tab)).
Afternoon care
For 2026-27 the council says kindergarten tzaharonim run 14:00-17:00 with a hot meal and are operated by Tzaharon After School; registration is in July and August on the operator's site (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)). The council's older English education page also mentions after-school programmes at HaHoresh, Nili, HaChita and Yavetz; check with each school (English education page (opens in a new tab)).
Help in English
- The council's olim team helps new olim with school and gan registration and contact with schools (olim page (opens in a new tab)).
- In 2026 the council held an English open house about the kindergartens at the public library, with the education department and the psychology service (Sign.pdf (opens in a new tab)). Watch for a similar session before the 2027-28 registration.
- The education department answers phones 08:30-12:30, and on Tuesdays 16:30-18:30 (education department (opens in a new tab)).
- NBN's community guide has maps of state, state-religious and Haredi schools in Zichron (NBN (opens in a new tab)) and a general guide to the Israeli school system (opens in a new tab).
School transport
Routes follow the registration zones. Pupils eligible for a transport subsidy under the Ministry's rules should contact their school office or the education department (school transport (opens in a new tab)).
