Attendance Area Transfers

Unless a student has been approved to attend a different school within the District, it is expected that they will enroll at their attendance area school.

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Applications for Attendance Area Transfers

Transfer Request Waitlist Application

This application will be available January 24, 2024 at 9:00 am for those who missed the 2024-25 Open Transfer application period.   Please submit your Transfer Request Waitlist application to be considered for September 2024 entry. Transfer Request Waitlist applicants will be placed by grade level on the bottom of the appropriate Open Transfer waitlist in the order received.

Open Transfer Application

This application is for a parent/guardian to request that their student be allowed to attend another school in the district for the next school year. The Open Transfer period will begin the 2nd week of December for approximately 6 weeks. The Open Transfer application is an online application and will be available on the BSD website. You may submit ONLY one Open Transfer application, requesting one school.

Request to Remain Applications

These applications are for the current school year and are mainly for students who wish to continue at their current school after moving to a different attendance area within the District. A Request to Remain application must be submitted and will be approved or denied based on but not limited to the following.

Request to Remain Considerations by enrollment level:

• Elementary Requests to Remain will be considered on a case-by-case basis and approved or denied based on current or projected enrollment numbers and current or projected staffing levels for the specific grade level and building at both the attendance area and requested school.
• Secondary Requests to Remain will also apply to students enrolled in a Choice Program or self-contained Advanced Learning services who wish to opt out; they may do so and remain at their initial secondary enrollment school.

General Considerations for Request to Remain applications:

• If the student is in good standing at their current school
  • Attendance:  generally, no more than 10% (9) unexcused absences per semester and, no more than 10% (9) tardies per semester.
  • Discipline: generally, no in-school suspensions, emergency expulsions, long-term suspensions or expulsions.
  • Academics: generally, Cs or better (2.0 GPA or better)
• In most instances the family move must have occurred after the start of the entry level grade (kindergarten for elementary school, 6th grade for middle school and 9th grade for high school).
• If the student is not eligible to complete the school level, the request may be approved to complete just the school year. Transfer to the new attendance area school will begin at the start of the new school year.

Considerations for Attendance Area Transfers

• A student who has been attending the school for a minimum of two years and during the last two grades of that grade span (e.g., Grades 4 or 5 for elementary, 8 for middle or 11 or 12 for high school) moves within the District to a new attendance area and the student wishes to remain at the same school.
• Students who move out of an attendance area but have begun 12th grade in the District, will be allowed to stay through graduation.
• If a transfer is approved transportation is the responsibility of the family.

Limitations for Attendance Area Transfers

Transfer Request Waitlist submissions stating sibling enrollment in the school as the reason for the transfer will only be considered after the pending Open Transfer requests of siblings have been placed.

Approved transfer students may be required to return to their home attendance area school or transfer to another school if the enrollment in the school or grade level at the school in which they are enrolled increases to the point where there would be inadequate space for transfer students. Enrollment increases may be caused by an influx of new resident students within a school’s existing boundaries or by the addition of new resident students to a school as the result of a boundary change or movement or expansion of a District program.

Approved transfers are discontinued at the time the student leaves the school or program for any reason or if a student withdraws or is withdrawn from the Bellevue School District.

Approved transfers may be discontinued if the student is not in good standing (see Procedure 3120.1P for more detailed information). Good standing is defined as:

• Attendance:  generally, no more than 10% (9) unexcused absences per semester and, no more than 10% (9) tardies per semester.
• Discipline: generally, no in-school suspensions, emergency expulsions, long-term suspensions or expulsions.
• Academics: generally, Cs or better (2.0 GPA or better)

Before the transfer of a student is terminated under the above provision, the student and the parent/guardian will be notified that the student’s continued attendance at this school or program is in jeopardy. Should a decision be made to terminate the student’s transfer under this provision, the parent/guardian will be notified and may appeal that termination to the Superintendent’s Designee within three days of the notification.

Athletics Eligibility and Attendance Area Transfers

Students granted a transfer request may not be eligible to participate in varsity athletics for one calendar year after being enrolled in the new school. The Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) eligibility rules apply to all high school students who transfer between schools. For more information or if you have questions click here for Athletics & Activities.

• Attendance Area Transfers
• Apply to Choice Schools and Programs
• Transfer Into the Bellevue School District
• Status of Schools 2024-2025 (Next) School Year
• Transfer Out of the Bellevue School District
• Establishing Residency
• Home-Based Instruction
• Exceptions to Entrance Requirements
• Open Transfer
  • Open Transfer – Frequently Asked Questions
  • Open Transfer and Choice Schools & Programs Information for Eligible Employees
  • Nonresident – Frequently Asked Questions
• Status of Schools 2023-2024 (Current) School Year