3141P: Nonresident Students

Last Revised: Dec. 2024 

If the anticipated needs of all resident students and the nonresident students of eligible Bellevue School District employees can be met, nonresident students may be considered for enrollment in the District. All nonresident students applying to attend a school in the District will be considered on an equal basis. Nonresident students are not accepted for less than fulltime admission. 

A. Nonresident Students-General 

This section applies to all nonresident students, including children of eligible employees. 

1. Criteria for consideration of nonresident applications: 

Nonresident applications shall be accepted or rejected based on the standards cited in Policy No. 3141 with consideration to the following criteria: 

1. Enrollment numbers (or projected enrollment numbers) for the building and specific grade level at the requested school. 

2. Staffing levels (or projected staffing levels) at the requested school. 

3. Building or program capacity. 

4. A school’s ability to meet the educational needs of its existing students as well as potential transfer students at both grade level and program level.  Each year, the District shall determine each school’s threshold for accepting transfer students by both grade level and program, to include capacity to provide Special Education Services, Multilingual Learner services, and Advanced Learning services. 

2.  Considerations: 

1. Transportation for approved transfers is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. 

2. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) eligibility rules apply to all high school students who transfer between schools. 

3. Once accepted, nonresident students may continue in the approved school feeder pattern through graduation providing they submit a Choice Transfer Request each year.  

4. If the approved school feeds to two schools at the next school level, the next level school assignment will be determined by the District depending on capacity at the time when changing school levels. 

3. Limitations: 

Approved nonresident students may be required to return to their resident district 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 students within a school’s existing boundaries or by the addition of new resident students to the school as the result of a boundary change or movement or expansion of a District Program. 

The district may reject applications of nonresident students for the following reasons: 

1. The student's disciplinary records indicate a history of violent or disruptive behavior, or gang membership. 

2. The student's disciplinary record includes long-term suspensions, or expulsions. 

3. Enrollment would displace a child who is a resident of the District, except that if an employee’s child is admitted, that child shall be permitted to remain enrolled at that school, or in the feeder pattern, until they have completed their schooling. 

4. Whether acceptance of the student would result in the District experiencing financial hardship. 

5. If the student has an active truancy petition or has obtained the number of absences required for a truancy petition. 

4. Termination of approved Inter-district Transfers: 

Enrollment is subject to termination for nonresident students in the following situations: 

1. If, after an Inter-district Transfer Application has been approved, it is discovered that the information provided was incomplete or has changed since the time the application was considered, and/or was materially misrepresented on the application. 

2. If the student is expelled from the District or suspended for more than ten consecutive days under the usual disciplinary process. 

3. If the student engages in violent, substantial, and/or disruptive behavior. 

Before the transfer is terminated: 

• The parent/guardian will be notified that the student’s continued attendance in the district may be in jeopardy.  

• Parents and students will be required to work with school administrators to remedy the situation.  

If the decision is made to terminate the approved transfer, the parent/guardian will be notified and will be informed that they may file an Appeal with the Superintendent or designee. 

5. Transfers within Bellevue School District for nonresident students: 

Nonresident transfer approvals are limited to the designated school/program and are not transferable. Nonresident students wanting to transfer to another school or program within the Bellevue School District, must submit a nonresident application; approval will be based on the criteria for consideration above. 

6. Application Process: 

New nonresident students will submit a nonresident application. 

1. Applicants may request one (1) school but will be able to indicate if they are interested in other BSD schools if space is not available at the requested school. 

2. Applicants will be placed on the waitlist for the requested school by grade in the order received, available spots will be offered by waitlist order. 

3. If placement can be offered, Student Placement will contact the parent with a placement offer. 

4. The parent will have one week to accept the placement offer. If there is no reply or if the offer is declined, it will be rescinded, and placement may be offered to the next student on the waitlist. 

5. If the offer is accepted Student Placement will respond with next steps for enrollment. 

6. A Choice Transfer Request confirmation will be required during the enrollment process. Choice Transfer Requests submitted without receiving a placement offer will be denied. 

7. The nonresident waitlist will close on October 1st and will not be carried over from year to year. 

7. Timeline: 

Application dates will be posted on the District website. 

8. Change of Residence for nonresident students: 

When a family moves, the parent must update their address through the ParentVUE Data Verification Process within five (5) days of changing residence; this is also required during the summer break. 

• If the move was into the Bellevue School District, the Choice Transfer Request will be rescinded.  
• If the move was into the attendance area of the student’s current school, the transfer will be closed. 
• If the move was into the attendance area of a different school, the student may enroll in the new school or remain at their current school and the approved Interdistrict transfer will be reclassified to an in-district transfer to that school.  
• If the move was to a different school district the Choice Transfer Request will be rescinded and if the parent would like the student  to remain at the current school, a new Choice Transfer Request will need to be submitted to their new school district. 

Nonresident Children of District Employees 

This section only applies to nonresident students of eligible employees. 

You must be an eligible employee for your student to be accepted for enrollment and be employed by the District when your student’s enrollment begins. Once enrolled with eligible employee status your student may continue in the feeder pattern to that school, even if you are no longer employed by the District. However, if you are no longer employed by the District, employee status will be revoked if your student withdraws or is withdrawn from the District. Eligible Bellevue School District employees must be in permanent positions and are defined as: 

• classified employees who work 16 hours per week or more for a minimum of 180 days 

• certificated employees who work 0.4 FTE or greater 

1. Employees assigned to schools: 

The District will accept applications from nonresident students who are the children of eligible school employees, and those students will be permitted to enroll: 

1. At the school to which the employee is assigned. 

2. At a school within the feeder pattern which includes the school to which the employee is assigned. 

2. Employees not assigned to schools: 

The District will accept applications from nonresident students who are the children of eligible employees not assigned to schools, and those students will be permitted to enroll at a school that has capacity to serve the student. 

3. Early intervention or preschool services: 

Nonresident preschool students of eligible District employees will be permitted to enroll at the assigned school where early intervention services or preschool services for students with disabilities can be provided if the student is eligible for such services. 

4. Open Transfer: 

Eligible employees with students new to BSD and with current BSD students wanting to change schools or request a next level school not in the feeder pattern will use the online Open Transfer process. 

5. Choice Schools/Programs: 

Nonresident students of eligible District employees will be treated in the same way as residents in the application process for Choice Schools/Programs. 

6. Continued enrollment: 

Once enrolled within a feeder pattern, students of employees may continue in the feeder pattern until they graduate regardless of the parent’s employment status provided, a Choice Transfer Request is submitted each year. 

7. Home School Part-time enrollment: 

Nonresident home school students of eligible employees will be treated in the same way as resident home school students in requesting part-time attendance.