If you want to enroll your child in a public school that's outside of your attendance area, your best bet is to apply through the open enrollment process. The state of Arizona requires each school district to have an open enrollment policy that allows a student to apply for enrollment in any school in the district, regardless of where the student lives. Each district has its own policy, but there's a great deal of similarity among the districts' rules.

Key Terms for Arizona Open Enrollment:

Resident student: A student who lives within a school's designated enrollment boundaries.
Resident transfer student: A student who lives within a district's designated enrollment boundaries, but is enrolled in a school in that district that is not in the student's regular attendance zone.
Nonresident transfer student: A student who lives in the state but who is enrolled in a different district than the one he lives in.
Resident school: The school within the attendance zone where a student lives.

How Open Enrollment Works

First, you need to get an open enrollment form from the office of the district in which your desired school is located. Once you submit the form, you'll be placed in a priority group based on the circumstances of your request. (See below for an example of priority groups.) Lotteries are drawn, group by group, and students still left out are ranked on the waiting list for their priority group. The process of final placement can take months because of the many parents choosing, hearing, appealing and waiting.

When to Apply

Each school district has its own timeline for open enrollment applications; it's important to find out what the timeline is for the districts you're considering. Generally speaking, the key period for submitting applications is January through March, and decisions may be given between March and May for enrollment for the following school year.

What Are Your Chances of Getting the School You Want?

Here's an example of how a school might prioritize students who want to enroll:

1. Resident transfer students who were enrolled the previous year and any of their siblings.
2. Resident transfer students who were not enrolled in the school the previous year and any of their siblings.
3. Nonresident transfer students who were enrolled the previous year and any of their siblings.
4. Nonresident transfer students who were not enrolled the previous year and any of their siblings.

Note: This is only an example. Details vary by school and district.

If there isn't enough space to accept all students in a certain category, requests within the category may be accepted at random (by lottery) until there are no more spaces. In most cases, the district or school won't provide transportation to nonresident students.

As a parent, you still have first priority at your child's school of residence, the one he would automatically be enrolled in because of your home's location. And school choice is generally space dependent. Even though districts are required to have open enrollment policies, the fact is that some schools fill up completely before any open enrollment requests can even be considered. There is one exception. According to the federal No Child Left Behind law, if your child is in a failing school, you hae the right to send him to a better school, regardless of space limitations. For more information on this law, click here.

Additional Resources

Check these articles on school choice:
School Choice in Arizona: An Overview of Your Options
Charter Schools Offer an Array of Choices
What No Child Left Behind Means for Your Child

Updated October 2003