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Public School Open Enrollment Begins February 6

Dept. of Public Instruction

An increasingly popular option for parents to pick the public school for their children is beginning February 6.

Open enrollment is a tuition-free opportunity for parents to apply for their children to attend a public school in a school district other than the one in which they live.

Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, Dr. Tony Evers, says the reasons parents want to move their children to another district vary by family, but it has proven to be effective...

".....it's a program that works well, and public schools have accepted it and it continues to grow, but the important message is the people have an opportunity to stay within the public school system and go to the school of their choice...."

The program began in 1998. In the first year, nearly 2,500 students transferred from their home district to a nonresident public school district. The program has grown over the years with 55,737 students enrolled last year.

Evers says there was skepticism at first, but that has been overcome...

"....it's a program that has grown in popularity. For awhile early in the program, districts had concerns about it, making it more difficult to plan, but it's pretty much part and parcel of what goes on in schools nowadays...."

School districts worry about the loss of students as that affects the amount of state financial aid.

The open enrollment period ends on April 28. Parents are responsible for transportation to the new school.

Evers says a web page at the Department of Public Instruction  website explains the program.

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