How Riverside Unified Made School Scheduling Easier for Families

Making Registration Easier for Every Family at Riverside Unified School District

Administrative work can quietly become a bottleneck - especially in large school districts where manual processes slow everything from enrollment to engagement. When scheduling, communication, and data tracking rely on disconnected tools or spreadsheets, small inefficiencies add up quickly for families and staff alike.

For Riverside Unified School District (RUSD), simplifying those processes was essential to supporting equitable access, improving engagement, and reducing administrative strain across more than 50 school sites.

Giving Families More Control Over Student Registration

Summer registration is a critical moment for students and families. Assigned appointment times don’t always align with work schedules, transportation limitations, or caregiving responsibilities—and when registration is missed, students risk missing the first days or weeks of school.

Serving a diverse student population in Riverside, California, RUSD needed a more flexible, accessible approach to registration. Ideally,, one that worked for families with different needs and levels of access to technology.

By allowing families to select registration times that fit their schedules and offering on-site kiosks at its family resource center, RUSD created a more equitable intake process that helped ensure students started the school year on solid footing.

“Instead of assigning times for parents to meet with teachers like we did before, we now give them a way to schedule around their busy schedules,” said Raúl Ayala, Director of Pupil Services at RUSD.

The impact extended beyond convenience. More completed registrations meant smoother onboarding for students - and additional revenue flowing into the district.

Supporting Parent and Student Engagement Across the School Year

RUSD also relies on SignUpGenius Enterprise to manage scheduling for parent-teacher conferences, faculty meetings, and extracurricular programs. By replacing rigid, one-size-fits-all scheduling with flexible sign ups, the district made participation easier—and more inviting.

Key capabilities RUSD uses to reduce friction and increase engagement include:

• Flexible scheduling that allows parents to choose conference and meeting times that work for them
• Group messaging and reminders to keep families informed without manual follow-ups
• Attendance tracking and reporting to monitor participation across events and activities
• Centralized sign ups for clubs, sports, and music programs tied to the district’s School +2 initiative

“We used to give parents zero flexibility,” Ayala shared. “Now we let parents decide times that work for them. I assume we see more parents coming to conferences as a result.”

With fewer barriers to participation, students are more likely to get involved, and their families stay more connected throughout the year.

Streamlining Staff Scheduling While Building Trust With Families

Behind the scenes, SignUpGenius Enterprise also supports faculty onboarding and staff coordination. From collecting documentation to scheduling benefits discussions, the platform eliminates the back-and-forth of manually sorting availability.

During summer registration (when staff availability can fluctuate) RUSD uses sign ups to ensure coverage across school sites and create touchpoints for families who need in-person support.

After years of use, the district sees the platform as more than an operational tool.

“SignUpGenius Enterprise is a great tool for engaging students and families,” Ayala said. “There’s something really powerful about giving parents the ability to schedule when things are convenient for them. It shows that we’re being sensitive to their needs—and that matters.”

For RUSD, simpler processes have made it easier for families to show up - and for schools to focus on what matters most.

Want to see how sign ups can work for your school? Contact our sales team today or create a sign up and try it out!