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Open Enrollment

Laveen’s open enrollment policy allows students living within the district boundaries to enroll in any district school that has capacity. All resident students are guaranteed enrollment in a Laveen school that is in a walking or transportation zone from their residence within the district.

Schools will accept new students throughout the year as capacity allows and in alignment with the enrollment priorities listed below.

Enrollment Priority

The District will give enrollment preference to and reserve capacity for all of the following:

  1. District resident students, including those issued certificates of educational convenience and those required to be admitted by statute.
  2. Students returning to the same school from the prior year.
  3. Siblings of students already enrolled.
  4. Students who are children of persons who are employed by or at a school in the School District.

If there is excess capacity remaining after the reserved capacity identified above, the District will give open enrollment priority to nonresident students in the following order:

  1. Students who are in foster care.
  2. Students who meet the definition of unaccompanied youth as prescribed in the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (P.L. 100-77; 101 Stat 482; 42 United States Code Section 11434a).
  3. Students who attend a school that is closing.
  4. Nonresident students who are not included in any of the above criteria.

If remaining capacity at a school is insufficient to enroll all nonresident students who submit a timely request, the school will select students through an equitable selection process such as a lottery (but not limited to a lottery), except that preference shall be given to the siblings of a student selected through an equitable selection process such as a lottery.

Admission Standards

Admission may be refused to any student who has been expelled from another educational institution or who is in the process of being expelled from another educational institution.

Except as provided in A.R.S. 15-816.01, the District will not limit admission based on any of the following:

  1. Ethnicity or race.
  2. National origin.
  3. Sex.
  4. Income level.
  5. Disability
  6. Proficiency in the English language.
  7. Athletic ability.

Transportation of Students Admitted Through Open Enrollment

The District may provide transportation for open enrollment nonresident students from a designated pickup point on a bus route serving the attendance area of the school to which the student has been admitted, or as may be otherwise determined by the District.

The District shall provide transportation for nonresident transfer students with disabilities whose individualized education program (IEP) specifies that transportation is necessary for the fulfillment of the program:

A. of not more than thirty (30) miles to and from:

  1. the school of attendance, or
  2. a pickup point on a regular District transportation route, or
  3. for the total miles traveled each day to an adjacent district.

Application

An open enrollment application for nonresident students can be found on the District website or by requesting an application at one of the District school offices.