Open Enrollment & Transfers
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Open Enrollment / Transfer Requests
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OPEN ENROLLMENT/TRANSFER REQUEST FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEARWHAT APPLICANTS NEED TO KNOW:
- The application is an online form (one for secondary, one for elementary). Please be sure to specify if you are applying for the current school year of 2023-2024 or the next school year of 2024-2025.
- More information can be found in Board Policy 3010 - Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment/Transfer Guide for Parents/Guardians
The Idaho Legislature passed a law in spring 2023 which allows parents/guardians to apply to send their children to a school outside their resident school district or attendance zone. This guide serves to help parents/guardians understand the new open enrollment/transfer process and how to apply.
What is Open Enrollment/Transfer?
The new open enrollment/transfer process provides parents the opportunity to choose the best educational setting for their children, whether it is within their resident school district (attendance zone) or in another district. This flexibility allows parents/guardians to consider school programs, class size, extracurricular activities, and other important elements of their child's education. Parents/guardians must complete and submit an open enrollment/transfer application for each student they wish to attend a school outside their attendance zone.
What are the criteria for accepting new/transfer students?
Acceptance of a new/transfer student into their school of choice is contingent upon the student’s attendance, behavior, and available space in the preferred school.
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- Students wishing to transfer to their school of choice must demonstrate regular attendance and positive behavior (Attendance Procedure 3040-P).
- Parents/guardians must provide their student’s current attendance and discipline report to the school of choice as part of the open enrollment/transfer application process. This requirement applies to all students in all grades. Parents/guardians will receive an email asking for this report after they submit an enrollment/transfer application for their student.
- Schools must have adequate space (capacity) to accept new/transfer students who wish to attend. Capacity for each school is calculated by the district and will be posted quarterly on the district’s website.
When can I submit an open enrollment/transfer application?
Priority consideration for open enrollment/transfer applications for next school year will be open from January 8, 2024 through midnight on February 1, 2024.
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- Applications received by the district before February 1, 2024 will be given priority.
- The district will consider open enrollment/transfer applications submitted after February 1, 2024 but those applications may be denied based on capacity or other factors (Board Policy 3010).
- Applications submitted during this time, or in winter/spring, apply to student enrollment for the following school year (Board Policy 3010).
How do I apply?
- The Open Enrollment/Transfer Application form will be live on the district’s website at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, January 8, 2024.
- School principals or their designees will let parents/guardians know the status of their student’s application by March 29, 2024.
- At this time parents/guardians will know if their student’s application for the next school year has been approved or denied (Board Policy 3010-P).
Can applications be denied or revoked?
- A student’s acceptance into their school of choice can be revoked if the student exhibits attendance and/or behavior problems.
- A new/transfer student’s acceptance into their school of choice may be denied if the number of enrolled students from that school’s attendance zone pushes a grade level past capacity. If this happens, the new/transfer student will be required to return to their home school.
What do I do if my child’s application is denied or revoked?
If a student’s transfer application is denied or revoked, parents/guardians have recourse under the new law as follows:
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- Parents/guardians who are unhappy with a denial or revocation may request an administrative review to appeal the revocation to a review committee, which must take place within five school days of receiving notice that their child’s transfer has been revoked. The review committee must render a written decision within five school days.
- If parents/guardians are still unhappy after the review committee renders a decision, they may appeal to the Superintendent and/or Board of Trustees.
Other Important Considerations
- Once a student is accepted into their new school of choice, parents/guardians do not need to submit an open enrollment application for the following year. However, if the student does not plan to return to that school after the first year of attendance, parents/guardians must notify the school.
- After attending their new school of choice for two years, students are grandfathered into that school until they advance from elementary to middle school; graduate; or are enrolled in college.
- Students accepted into their preferred elementary or middle school are not automatically accepted into that school’s feeder middle or high school.
- Students attending an elementary or middle school inside their attendance zone who do not wish to attend their feeder school must apply to attend their middle or high school of choice, otherwise they are automatically enrolled in their feeder school.
- Students attending an elementary or middle school outside their attendance zone must apply to attend that school’s middle or high school feeder school.
- Transferring to a new school could affect a student’s athletic eligibility, which is governed by the Idaho High School Activities Association.
- If a student is accepted into their new school of choice, parents/guardians must provide transportation for their child to the new school, or to the bus stop that serves the school.
- Parents/guardians considering open enrollment/transfer for their child should carefully review the guidelines and requirements provided by the Idaho Department of Education.
Questions?
For more information about the open enrollment/transfer process, please contact Becky Bailes at (208) 664-8241 xt. 10005
Questions? Contact Becky Bailes at (208) 664-8241 or BBailes@cdaschools.org.
- The application is an online form (one for secondary, one for elementary). Please be sure to specify if you are applying for the current school year of 2023-2024 or the next school year of 2024-2025.