How to Enroll Your Student in the Boise School District

Open Enrollment

How to Apply | Board Policy Open Enrollment | Open Enrollment Procedures

We recognize the desire of some parents/guardians to enroll their children in a school other than their neighborhood school, from either within or outside of the Boise School District. If you are interested in applying for admission to a school in our District, please follow these Open Enrollment application procedures.

1. Read the Board Policy Manual section on Open Enrollment.
2. Print and fill out the Open Enrollment form.
3. Return the completed form to the appropriate school:
   • If you are a resident of the Boise School District, please take the form to your home neighborhood school's principal.
   • If you live outside the Boise School District's attendance boundaries, please take the form to the principal of the Boise school you would like your student to attend.
4. Your application will be reviewed by the appropriate principal and District area director and a decision to approve or deny will be made.
   • If the application is submitted between January 1 and February 1, you will be notified of the District's decision by March 31.
   • If your application is submitted outside of the January - February enrollment period, you will receive notification within 60 days.
5. Questions? Please contact the Boise school you would like your student to attend.

Open Enrollment Application (English)
Solicitud de Matrícula Abierta (Application in Spanish)

Back to Top

Open Enrollment Board Policy

The Board recognizes the desire of some parents/guardians to enroll their children in a school which is other than their residence school either within or outside the District. In addition, the Board believes that the needs of neighborhood school students should be considered along with the needs of those requesting the transfer. To the extent possible, the Superintendent or designee will attempt to balance these desires and needs.

Transportation

Parents/guardians are responsible for transporting students accepted under open enrollment. If bus space is available, open enrollment students may be transported from an appropriate, established bus stop within the District’s boundaries.

IHSAA Varsity Sports/Activities

A student who plans to participate in a varsity sport and/or activity governed by the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) should review IHSAA rules prior to submitting an open enrollment application form. Certain school transfers will lead to a student being ineligible to participate at the varsity level for one year.

Application/Approval Process

Open enrollment applications will be available and may be submitted at any time throughout the year. However, those applications submitted by the dates indicated in the procedure will receive first consideration for open enrollment in the indicated grade.

In situations where openings are limited and applicants have met the prescribed deadlines, the Superintendent or designee may give priority to certain students. Priorities include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Students residing in the District boundary, but outside the attendance area, whose siblings attend the school
2. Students residing in the District boundary, but outside the attendance area.
3. Students whose parents are employed by the District.
4. Students residing outside of the District boundary, whose siblings attend the school.
5. Students residing outside of the District boundary.

The Superintendent or designee may deviate from the above priorities in order to take into consideration unique circumstances or extraordinary factors.

The priorities listed above are in order of consideration for openings in space-limited schools. Vacancies will be filled until there are more applications than available vacancies in a category, then a transparent lottery will be held for the applications in that category in order to fill remaining vacancies.

Applications received after the deadlines will be considered based on space availability at the receiving school.

The Superintendent or designee may deny an open enrollment request when such enrollment would have a negative impact on the efficient use of District resources. The Superintendent or designee may set numerical limits defining hardship for schools, grade levels, or programs to provide for appropriate and efficient use of facilities and staff. The student to teacher ratios shall not exceed the class/teacher limits outlined in the Class Size policy #2331.

Revocation of a Transfer

The Board reserves the right to remove a transfer student at any time because of unacceptable behavior, false or misleading information on the open enrollment application, lack of academic progress, or poor attendance.

The Superintendent, principal, or designee shall inform the parent/guardian of behavior that jeopardizes the student’s status at the transfer school. If a student’s open enrollment is revoked, the parent/guardian may request an administrative review by the Council of Directors. The decision of the Council of Directors is final.

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Due process for all students remains the same regardless of what school they attend within the District and regardless of where the student resides once accepted under the open enrollment policy.

Preventing or Recruiting Potential Open Enrollment Students

District employees will take no action to prohibit or prevent application by its students to attend school in another school district or to attend another school within the District. In no case is an employee of the District to recruit students outside of their attendance area. Discipline for violation of this policy may involve actions up to and including dismissal.

Back to Top

Open Enrollment Procedures

Submitting the Form

1. Varsity Sport/Activity Participation - A student who plans to participate in a varsity sport or activity governed by the Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) should review IHSSA rules prior to submitting an Open Enrollment Application. Certain school transfers will lead to a student being ineligible to participate at the varsity level for one year.
2. Open Enrollment Application forms are available at any Boise District school or web site. Open Enrollment Applications may be submitted at any time throughout the school year.
3. Students who reside in the District and move out of their school attendance zone during the school year must initiate an Open Enrollment request to stay in their school.
4. For students who reside in the Boise District, the parent/guardian completes the Open Enrollment Application form and submits it to either the principal of their attendance area school (home school) or the principal of the requested school. The principals will follow the process outlined under Review Approval Process. A.
5. For students who reside outside the Boise District boundary, the parent/guardian completes the Open Enrollment Application form and submits it to the principal of the school they wish to attend (receiving school). The principal will follow the process outlined under Review Approval Process. B.
6. . Current open enrolled students moving from elementary to junior high or from junior high to high school must complete an Open Enrollment Application and submit to the school they wish to attend.
7. Open enrolled students within a given school grade span (K-6, 7-9, 10-12) are not required to reapply on an annual basis for open enrollment.

Application Deadlines

Open enrollment applications will be accepted at any time throughout the year. However, those applications submitted by the dates indicated below will receive first consideration for open enrollment in the indicated grade.

Applicants meeting the above deadlines will generally receive notification of their open enrollment status by June 15.

Enrollment Priorities

In situations where openings are limited, the Superintendent or designee may give priority to certain students. Priorities may include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Students residing in the District boundary, but outside the attendance area whose siblings attend the school
2. Students residing in the District boundary, but outside the attendance area
3. Students whose parents are employed by the District
4. Students residing outside of the District boundary, whose siblings attend the school
5. Students residing outside of the District boundary

The Superintendent or designee may deviate from the above priorities in order to take into consideration unique circumstances or extraordinary factors

The priorities listed above are in order of consideration for openings in space-limited schools. Vacancies will be filled until there are more applications than available vacancies in a category then a transparent lottery will be held for the applications in that category in order to fill remaining vacancies.

Applications received after the deadline will be considered based on space availability at the receiving school.

Restrictions

Factors which may cause an Open Enrollment Application to be denied include:

1. a school, grade, or program(s) has lack of available space and/or staff;
2. the current enrollment is at or above the following:

   Grade	Class/Teacher Load Size
   K-1	21
   2-3	24
   4	26
   5-6	29
   7-12	150 students per teacher per day
   Special Education Self-Contained	An average of 6 students per classroom
   English Language Learners	20 per full-time ELL teacher
   Alternative School	12 students per classroom

3. the student has been suspended or expelled from school;
4. the student has a history of documented disciplinary infractions within the past 3 years; or
5. information on the Open Enrollment Application has been misrepresented or was incomplete.

In-district approval process:

1. Parent/guardian completes the open enrollment application form and submits it to either the home school or requested school principal.
2. The principal who initially receives the open enrollment application form completes the appropriate section and sends the form to the other principal. The principals of both the home school and requested school make a recommendation regarding the application.
3. After both principals (home school and requested school) complete the appropriate section of the Open Enrollment application form, the form is sent to the Director of the receiving school.
4. The Director approves or denies the Open Enrollment request by completing the appropriate section of the Open Enrollment Application form.
5. If approved, the applicants sign the Open Enrollment Contract.

Out-of-district approval process:

1. A receiving school principal makes a recommendation to approve or deny the transfer by completing the appropriate section of the Open Enrollment Application form.
2. The receiving school principal sends the form to his/her director.
3. The Director approves or denies the Open Enrollment request by completing the appropriate section of the Open Enrollment Application form.
4. If approved, the applicants sign the Open Enrollment Contract.

Parent Notification

1. The letter approving the request will inform the parents of the following:
   1. Parents must provide transportation or get student to nearest District bus stop, providing space is available on the bus;
   2. Inappropriate behavior, lack of academic progress, or poor attendance, may be grounds for removing the student from the school to which he/she is open enrolled during the school year.
   3. Special Education students, English Language Learners (ELL) alternative school students and students in other special programs must meet the requirements and the procedures established for those programs.
2. If the request for open enrollment is denied, the denial will include a written explanation. If the application is denied because open enrollment capacity has been reached at the school of choice, the denial may include information about other schools that are below capacity.

Revocation of a Transfer

1. The Board reserves the right to remove an open-enrolled student at any time because of unacceptable behavior, false or misleading information on the open enrollment application, lack of academic progress, or poor attendance,
2. The principal or designee shall inform the parent/guardian of the circumstances which jeopardize the student’s status at the transfer school.
3. If a student’s open enrollment is revoked, the parent/guardian may request an administrative review by the Council of Directors. The parent/guardian must request the review within five (5) school days of receiving notice that their child’s transfer has been revoked.
4. The Council of Directors must render the decision to the parent/guardian within five (5) school days of the request for review. This decision of the Council of Directors is final.
5. Except in extenuating circumstances, the student may remain in the open enrollment school during the review process.

DEFINITION

School Days: include only those days when school is in session.

Updated: 8/20/2008

Back to Top