Open Enrollment Application Period Now Open
Nearly 63,000 students used open enrollment program last year
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Parents and guardians will once again have an opportunity to send their children to any public school in Wisconsin through the Public School Open Enrollment program.
The online open enrollment application period for the 2020-21 school year opened February 3, 2020, and runs through April 30, 2020. Application materials and additional information are available on the Department of Public Instruction’s website at https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment.
Traditionally, children in Wisconsin are assigned to public school districts based on the location of their parents’ or guardians’ residence. In operation since the 1998-99 school year, open enrollment is a tuition-free opportunity for parents or guardians to apply for their children to attend a public school in a school district other than the one in which they live. During the 2018-19 school year, 62,962 students transferred through open enrollment. Program statistics for the 2019-20 school year will be available in the fall.
Applications must be submitted during the February 3-April 30 application period. Early and late applications will not be accepted. Districts will notify applicants by June 5 on the status of their open enrollment application. There is also an Alternative Open Enrollment application, in which applications may be submitted outside of the three-month open enrollment period, but additional restrictions and criteria apply. Visit https://dpi.wi.gov/open-enrollment/applications/alternative for more information on the Alternative Open Enrollment application. Resident districts cannot deny a student’s open enrollment application for cost reasons.
To assist in submitting open enrollment applications, a directory of public school districts is available on the DPI’s website at https://dpi.wi.gov/directories. Additional information from local school districts, or from an open enrollment consultant, is available toll-free by calling (888) 245-2732, or emailing openenrollment@dpi.wi.gov.
Transportation to and from a nonresident school, in most circumstances, is the responsibility of the parent or guardian. However, some school districts may provide partial transportation. Those with questions about transportation options should contact the nonresident school district office. Reimbursement of a portion of transportation costs is available for families whose children are eligible for free or reduced price school meals based on federal income guidelines.
The Public School Open Enrollment program is funded by state general equalization aid transfers between sending and receiving school districts, with the transfer amount calculated on statutory provisions. For the 2019-20 school year, the transfer amount is an estimated $7,771 per student, or $12,723 for students with disabilities.
