Does Anyone Know....Question About Elementary School Admissions

[mjaclyn]

My DD will be going to Kindergarten next September. I had originally planned to move back into the school district where I grew up, so she could attend the same school that I did. However, because of the housing collapse when the economy went south, we just couldn't sell our house. I've looked into putting it on the market again, but there's no way we could get what we need to pay off the mortgage. Does anyone know what the general rule is about out of area kids attending another school district? Who I could contact to ask? Should I call the Elementary school itself and speak with the principal? I'd be more than willing to pay some kind of a fee for her to go there. I looked on their website and couldn't find anything but I did see they are having Kindergarten registration next month so I'd really like to find out. If anyone has any information I'd be so grateful!

 

[woodkins]

Not sure where you are in NY, but on Long Island you cannot do that. You go to school in your district, or you go to private school. You cannot pay your way into an outside school district.

 

[stsomewhere]

My kids go to a charter school. If there are more kids applying than spots available, there is a lottery drawing.

However, if you have a child already attending the school, a sibling is guaranteed a spot for kindergarten or admission the following year.

 

[mjaclyn]

I've looked into a private school but the closest one is about 30 minutes away from my house and only goes up to second grade. Once DD starts a school I really don't want to move her. I moved around a lot when I was young and always hated starting new schools.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

In my area, I believe you can send your students to a district besides the one you live in, but you must pay a tuition.

 

[SC Minnie]

IN our area you can send your kid to an out of district school as well but you have to also pay tuition. Several of our elementary schools are maxed out on attendence and will not accept any students out of district even if they are willing to pay tuition. It has gotten so bad that the district does random house checks on new students to make sure they actually like in this district.

OP-- you best bet is to call the district office and ask them about their policy.

 

[Sorsha]

I am sure the rules in New York may be a lot different than the rules in little ol' Montana, but here's how it works 'round here...

Your child may attend an out-of district school as long as these conditions are met:
1. The school has room. This is the biggie, as most of our schools are old and over-crowded. But if there is room in the classroom your child would be moving into, they will consider it.
2. Your child has a clean record. If the child has serious disciplinary problems, they will look MUCH harder at it before approving a transfer.
3. You provide your child's transportation. They will not bus out-of-district - no money for that.
4. Your child's needs can be met. This is only an issue if the child being transferred has special needs, or requires Title One, etc. They will not descriminate, but a lot of our schools are small and have very finite resources, they want to be sure the child will be well-served.
5. Finally, you will pay a yearly tuition if you are from out-of-district. It usually isn't very much, but you will pay.

That said, many kids around here attend out of district schools. Our area is very rural and spread out. Mom and dad may both work 30 minutes away from home and its easier if little Mary goes to school at the school 10 minutes away from work, or perhaps little Johnny must go to Grandma's house after school but the school closest to Grandma isn't in the school district Johnny lives in. They are usually pretty understanding about helping you to work things out.

 

[mjaclyn]

I think I'm going to just call the school and ask what their policy is... I hope I have some options.

One a completely different note... I was looking up private schools in my area and there are a few Montessori schools around. Has anyone had experience with a Montessori school? I was reading about it and on the surface it looks like the kids are on their own most of the time. Do they really learn well this way?

 

[Kathi OD]

I would call the school district and ask. You don't have to identify yourself to make an inquiry.

I know that in some states you are "permitted" to send your children to a school in a district other than one you live in, but the requirements are pretty stringent. Additionally, the tuition you may be required to pay could be prohibitive. When we lived in PA you were allowed to do this, however the tuition was what the average per pupil cost to the district, which is probably a lot higher than you might think.

 

[mjkacmom]

Around here, it would cost about $8,000 a year, and they're very strict about enrollment (utility bills, tax bills, drivers license - many forms of ID). I don't know anyone who does it - might as well go to private school.

 

[HM]

Here you would have to set up a residence in the district and area for the school you want your child to attend. You could rent a small apartment and live there with your necessities, while you continue to try to sell your house, perhaps?

 

[Aristomommy]

Our district has a school of choice policy, but have to live within the district to attend any of the three elementary schools. I called the board of education number for enrollment and filled out a paper. Sounds like you would be asking for admission to another district, which is district specific around here. Our school district allows enrollment up to 90 days prior to actually moving into the district. I would call the enrollment number in your desired district.

 

[pennymom]

I believe here in NJ, if there is space in the district you want her to go to, then you would pay tuition equivalent to the amount spent per pupil by the district, which is definitely more than some private schools' tuition.

Montessori schools all vary a great deal, as there is no definitive Montessori curriculum. Each school director or owner interprets the Montessori philosophy in their own way, so you would definitely need to visit the school, observe in the classrooms, ask lots of questions, and see if their approach to education matches your DD's needs/style of learning.

 

[hedgehog2owl]

Where I grew up, you could write a letter to the superintendent and ask for a transfer. Usually the reasons were: closer to daycare, on my way to work, etc. Although my neighbor did not have a good reason and she was allowed to go to the school her mom requested.

Where I live now, you must pay a fee to go to a school you are not zoned for. it is about $3000.


I would call the School district office and ask

 

[eduk8r26]

In our district in California, you apply for an inter district transfer. You go to the district office of the district you live in and fill out the paperwork, then take it to the district office of the school you want to attend. It is up to them to decide whether or not they will accept you.

 

[taitai]

We live in Minnesota which is an Open Enrollment state. Basically, any kid in the state can attend any school in the state. You do not need to pay tuition but transportation is not guaranteed. The funds follow the kid. So, whatever the per student allocation might be (I think it is around $8K) is deposited in the new school's bank account. Our District has hundreds of kids who open enroll due to the high quality of programs offered (Immersion, IB, Super Gifted, etc.) and the high quality of teaching. It really is sad, though, for the Districts who lose the students and the money. I would say in our elementary school alone, roughly 15-20% of the kids are Open Enrolled.

 

[daisyduck123]

Not sure where you are in NY, but on Long Island you cannot do that. You go to school in your district, or you go to private school. You cannot pay your way into an outside school district.

Same here in Anne Arundel County Maryland.

The only people who live outside of our district that can have their children attend our schools are school staff members...and even they have to pay "out of county tuition for their children, which is several thousand dollars".

 

[castleview]

Here in CT you have to show a photo ID, birth certificate, mortgage bill/deed or renter's agreement, and two utility bills. Needless to say, you wouldn't get in unless you live in the district.

 

[woodkins]

Here in CT you have to show a photo ID, birth certificate, mortgage bill/deed or renter's agreement, and two utility bills. Needless to say, you wouldn't get in unless you live in the district.

It's even worse here on Long Island! There can be a huge difference in quality of education from one district to the other & the districts are fairly small and go by town, so the difference of living 4 blocks in any direction can be the difference of your child going to one of the top performing districts in the state to one of the bottom in the state. Our district employs a person whose job it is to investigate that children are actually living where their documentation states.

 

[DawnM]

Ours is like this too, HOWEVER, if it is a highly desirable school, you will not be able to get in. There are only so many slots and too many want to go there.

Dawn

In my area, I believe you can send your students to a district besides the one you live in, but you must pay a tuition.