January 15, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District holds an open enrollment period once each year for parents who want their children to attend a school other than their neighborhood school. To take advantage of open enrollment for students in grades one through 12, parents may apply for a change to that school assignment, also known as an in-district transfer or variance, between February 2 and February 23, 2009.

For kindergarten students, parents must request the variance at the time of registration. Kindergarten registration begins Thursday, February 5, 2009, from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. at the schools.

This open enrollment option only applies to those schools that have space available. The list of schools that are closed to students outside their neighborhood will be available on the In District Transfer Options page on this Web site. Schools are closed if current and projected enrollment indicates that school capacity will be reached with those students who live within their boundary areas.

Students who already attend a school other than their neighborhood school need not reapply for next year, unless the student will be going into 7th or 10th grade. These students will be changing schools to go to a junior high or high school. These changes are treated as a new variance request.

In-district transfer forms can be picked up at any school during the open enrollment period. The completed request must be submitted to the student’s home school. Acceptance is based on space available in a school, grade or program. In the event that there are more requests than can be accommodated, date of request will determine admission.

Students from outside the district who wish to attend Lake Washington’s schools can apply for enrollment at any time by initiating a request with their home school district. However, students within the district have priority for available spaces. Students from outside the district will be placed after the in-district students are accommodated.

Parents who live in the district will be notified of the result of their in-district transfer request at the end of May. For out-of-district requests, the notification will take place in late August 2009.

The Student Placement Office, at (425) 702-3283, can answer any questions on this process.

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About Lake Washington: Lake Washington School District is a high-performing public school district serving Kirkland, Redmond and Sammamish, Washington. It is the sixth largest district in the state of Washington, with over 23,000 students in 50 schools.