Wisconsin's public school open enrollment application period begins Feb. 2nd

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Wisconsin’s public school open enrollment application period runs from Feb. 2 to April 30 for the 2015-16 school year, allowing parents an opportunity to send their children to any public school district in the state.

Traditionally, children in Wisconsin are assigned to public school districts based on the location of their parents’ home. Open enrollment application is the only tuition-free opportunity for most parents to apply for their children to attend a public school in a school district other than the one in which they live.

“Wisconsin’s open enrollment program has a long history of providing public school choice. It is the largest parental choice program in Wisconsin. I look forward to working with the governor and Legislature to enact the changes I proposed in my 2015-17 budget that would improve equity and access to open enrollment for students with disabilities and their families,” said State Superintendent Tony Evers.

The state’s open enrollment program is an inter-district choice program that began in the 1998-99 school year. During the first years of the program, the application window was three weeks. With legislation adopted for the 2012-13 school year, the application window expanded to three months. According to the Education Commission of the States, Wisconsin is among 21 states with inter-district open enrollment.

Under the full-time public school open enrollment program, parents may apply during the three-month application period to the school district they wish their children to attend. Online application is encouraged. Application deadlines are firm. Early and late applications are not accepted. Districts will notify parents by June 5 whether their open enrollment applications have been approved or denied. Although an alternate application procedure allows parents to apply outside of the application period, there are more restrictions associated with the alternate procedure.

Under the current open enrollment law, transportation, in most circumstances, is the responsibility of the parent. However, some school districts may provide partial transportation. Parents with questions should call the nonresident school district office to find out if any transportation will be provided. 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 Department of Public Instruction provides the following guidance for parents who wish to apply for open enrollment.

To assist parents in submitting open enrollment applications, a directory of public school districts is available on the DPI website at http://dpi.wi.gov/directories. More information is available from local school districts or from an open enrollment consultant at DPI, (888) 245-2732 (toll-free), or openenrollment@dpi.wi.gov.