Unless a student is attending the Lake Washington School District on an Interdistrict Transfer or does not have a legal residence, residency in the Lake Washington School District must be established prior to enrolling a student. Residency is defined as the physical location of the student’s principal abode e.g., the home, house, apartment, etc. where the student spends the majority of their time. This is generally defined as where the student spends the night a minimum of four nights out of the week. Owning or renting a house or renting an apartment in the District does not establish residency – the student and parent/guardian must physically live within the District. The following locations do not constitute places of residence: secondary homes or other property (whether rented, leased or owned); places of business apart from primary residences; or addresses designated only for receipt of mail. There is no provision for families who live outside of the Lake Washington School District to claim residency in the District because they have made arrangements for their child to live with another family member or friend who lives in the District.
Exceptions
- Students who live in a foster home, officially established group home to which they have been legally assigned, residential treatment center, or juvenile detention, are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which the foster home, group home, or other such facility is located.
- Students under the joint custody of separated or divorced parent(s) or guardian(s) are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which the student actually resides with a parent or guardian, subject to residence verification and the provisions of a parenting plan or divorce decree if applicable.
- Students 18 years of age or older not living under the care and custody of parent/guardian, or legally emancipated minor students, are considered to be residents of the attendance area in which they reside, subject to comparable address verification required of parent(s) or guardian(s) for non-emancipated minor students.
- Students who are homeless are assigned pursuant to the requirements of federal law.
Residency Checklist
To verify residency, parents/guardians must provide two of the items listed below (each bullet counts as one item). All addresses on the documents must match the address of your residence. You will need to present original documents.
- Government Mail (e.g. vehicle registration, Good to Go! bill, letter from Social Security, immigration, unemployment, DMV, USPS Change of Address confirmation letter, or election ballot. Correspondence from the Lake Washington School District does not qualify as Government Correspondence.
- Mortgage Statement or Homeowner’s Insurance Policy Declaration or Property Tax Statement.
- Unexpired Lease/Rental Agreement and include the contact information of the lessor/landlord.
- Utility bill dated within the last 2 months. Accepted utilities include water, sewer, gas, electricity, or garbage (the mailing and service address must be the residence address). Cable, internet and phone bills are not accepted.
If you are part of the Washington State Address Confidentiality Program, an official letter from the Address Confidentiality Program stating the attendance area school fulfills the requirement to establish residency in the Lake Washington School District. You must submit a renewed letter to the school each year.
Additional Verification of guardianship and/or residency may be required.