Open Enrollment/Choice Transfer

In most instances, all three terms are synonymous. They refer to the process whereby a student who lives in one district seeks or is accepted to enroll in a different district. On the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website, the process is often referred to as choice transfer. Interdistrict transfers, while most often used interchangeably with choice transfer or open enrollment, in some cases may refer to a circumstance where a student wishes to enroll for part of their education in a neighboring district.

All applications for nonresident enrollment and attendance will be considered equally on a fair, rational, and equitable basis pursuant to Board Policy 3141, RCW 28A.225.225 and WAC 392-137-205(1). 

• Mercer Island School District
  • Website
  • Call or email Michelle Mueller at 206.236-3300 | michelle.mueller@mercerislandschools.org
  • Submit questions via our Prospective MISD Student/Families Contact Form under General Enrollment
  • Board Policy 3141 
  • 3141 F1
• OSPI Website

Each year, no later than April 15, the superintendent (or designee) will advise the Mercer Island School District Board whether it is recommended that the District generally or specific schools, grade levels or programs within the District be open to new, nonresident enrollment. The Board will determine whether to accept, amend, deny or return the recommendation to the superintendent for further analysis and review. The District shall announce the Board’s decision by posting it on the District’s website and by providing information to any nonresident upon request. Pursuant to this announcement, the Board may determine and announce that the District is closed or open to new, nonresident student enrollment based on the District’s programmatic or financial needs, resources and capacity.

Notwithstanding any decision by the Board to open or close to new, nonresident student enrollment, Choice Transfer requests shall be accepted by the District and considered on a fair and equitable basis according to applicable laws and policy. Pursuant to select statutes and Board Policy 3141, certain classes of students may be eligible for nonresident student enrollment and shall receive priority consideration despite any decision by the Board to close for new, nonresident student enrollment. 

On January 16, the Board approved the superintendent’s recommendation to open enrollment in the 2025-2026 school year to new, nonresident students seeking full-time enrollment in grades 6 through 12, where capacity permits, as stipulated in Board Policy 3141.

Applications are always welcome; however, the Mercer Island School District Board determined that grades K-5 will not open to new, nonresident enrollment in 2025-2026 unless otherwise permitted under the provisions of Board Policy 3141. The acceptance of new nonresident students is expected to create an undue financial hardship for the District.

Applications from new, nonresident students seeking admission under open enrollment in grades 6 through 12 are not eligible for partial nonresident enrollment or enrollment in Running Start through the District.

Applications from nonresident students who have a right to apply for admission notwithstanding a closure decision under Board Policy 3141 are eligible to enroll in Running Start through the District and, if electing to do so, will be considered full-time, nonresident students. With the exception of the children of full-time District staff members, applications for partial enrollment for such students will not be accepted.

• District Employees
  • Children of full or part-time District staff members.
  • Children of athletic coaches who received a supplemental paid by the District for a minimum of one season and who the District expects to engage to coach a subsequent season in the forthcoming academic year.
  • Children of club advisors who received a supplemental paid by the District, as delineated on the District’s certificated or classified supplemental salary schedule, for at least one academic term and who the District expects to lead or sponsor a club in the subsequent academic year.
  • Children of nonresident District employees who are employed as substitute educators who completed 225 hours of work in the previous academic year and have pledged to fulfill at least 225 hours subbing in the upcoming academic year.
  • Children of nonresident, full or part-time employees of the District-contracted food service provider who work in District schools.
• Mercer Island City Employees
  • Children of full and part-time employees of the City of Mercer Island who work on a regular basis and whose employment status entitles them to City-paid benefits, including limited term employees with an employment term of at least one year.

The District is open to nonresident students seeking full-time enrollment in grades 6 through 12, where capacity permits, for the 2025-2026 academic year. To avoid disruption to the educational programs of certain students, the District may also allow nonresident enrollment for certain classes of students as defined in Board Policy 3141.

Yes, the children of full and part-time District employees on contract, letters of assignment, or limited letters of assignment are eligible to attend the school to which the employee is assigned or a school within the attendance area of the employee’s primary work location if not a school; a school forming the District’s K-12 continuum; or a District school that provides early intervention or preschool services, if the student is eligible for such services. Assignment to the school where the employee works or which serves as the employee’s primary work location is not guaranteed and is dependent upon the availability of adequate classroom space, facilities and staff at the requested grade level or in the educational program for which entry is sought. Persons employed on a temporary, casual or seasonal basis are not considered part-time employees under Board Policy 3141.

In the past, part-time employees were defined as those who worked on a regular basis and whose full-time equivalent status entitled them to District or employer-paid benefits. This limitation has been removed beginning with the 2024-2025 school year.

In order for your child to qualify for nonresident enrollment under the provisions of Board Policy 3141, you would need to have received a District supplemental during the 2024-2025 school year and be engaged by the District to return in the same or similar capacity in 2025-2026.

If you do not meet the 225-hour requirement for the 2024-2025 academic year, your choice transfer application may be revoked during the current academic year or denied for the 2025-2026 academic year.

While the District appreciates the contributions of nonresident business owners and their employees to the Mercer Island community, City of Mercer Island employees are limited to those employees employed by the City of Mercer Island and the Mercer Island Police Department. However, the children of Mercer Island business owners and their employees may qualify for nonresident enrollment in the 2025-2026 school year under another provision of Board Policy 3141, such as the open enrollment provision permitting applications from 6th through 12th grade nonresident students.

It is the responsibility of the full-time, part-time or contracted District employee or City of Mercer Island employee to report to the District’s Choice Transfer Coordinator any change in employment status as defined in Board Policy 3141 within five (5) school business days. Students in grades K-12 may be eligible to complete the academic year in which they are enrolled at the time the change occurs with the submission of a new Choice Transfer request. Additionally, students in grade 11 may be eligible to complete their senior year at Mercer Island High School upon submitting the appropriate Choice Transfer request prior to the start of their 12th grade year.

Yes, if the child of an eligible District or contracted employee or a City employee starts an academic year in a Mercer Island School District school, and that child’s parent/guardian ceases to be an employee of the District or City during the course of that academic year, a new Choice Transfer request is required no later than five (5) school business days after the District, District-contracted or City employee’s last day of employment. The child of a part-time or full-time District or City staff member, including the child of a contracted or Food Services employee, was admitted for nonresident enrollment under policy provisions applicable to eligible or contracted District or City employees. When an employee ceases employment, those same provisions no longer apply. However, the child may be eligible for continued nonresident enrollment to complete that academic year in the same manner as that child was enrolled prior to the staff member’s change in employment status (e.g., full time, part time, Running Start, etc.). However, that child would qualify under a different provision of Board Policy 3141. 

Additionally, students in grade 11 at the time the eligible or contracted District or City employee ceases employment may be eligible to complete their senior year at Mercer Island High School upon submitting an additional Choice Transfer request prior to the start of the student’s 12th grade year. With the exception of senior year, the child of a previously eligible or contracted District or City employee will only be eligible to attend District schools in subsequent years if they qualify for full-time, nonresident enrollment under one of the other provisions set forth in Board Policy 3141.

If the employment status of an eligible or contracted District or City employee changes during the summer between academic years and prior to their child’s first day of the upcoming academic year and that employee has an approved Choice Transfer request from the District, the District reserves the right to rescind the acceptance if that child does not qualify for full-time, nonresident admission under a different provision of Board Policy 3141.

Parents/guardians and adult students must report any change in residency to their school’s registrar within five (5) school business days. Students in grades K-12 who begin the academic year as Mercer Island residents but become nonresidents prior to the end of the school year may be eligible to complete the academic year in which they are enrolled at the time of the move with the submission of a Choice Transfer request. Additionally, students in grade 11 may be eligible to complete their senior year at Mercer Island High School upon submitting the appropriate Choice Transfer request prior to the start of their 12th grade year. With the exception of senior year, resident students who end the academic year as nonresidents will only be eligible to attend District schools in subsequent years if they qualify for nonresident enrollment under one of the other provisions set forth in Board Policy 3141.

Choice Transfer applications may be submitted to your resident district for consideration by the Mercer Island School District at any time. The District will not begin reviewing submissions until a complete application, including all required supplementary documentation, is on file. The District has forty-five (45) days following submission of the request to your resident district before action on an application is required; however, in most cases, application review will not demand the full 45-day period.

If a grade level reaches capacity and/or the District makes the determination to close the waitlist for a specific grade level, notification will be posted above. Refer to "Requests" under the academic year for which you are seeking nonresident admission.

The District will have limited spots available in grades 6 through 12 and encourages interested families to submit all applications materials as soon as possible for consideration. While the Board determined that the District is open for new, nonresident enrollment in grades 6 through 12 for the 2025-2026 academic year, it may subsequently determine and announce that the District is closed/open to additional new, nonresident student enrollment if the maximum number of nonresident students the District can accommodate without experiencing a general programmatic or financial hardship has already been admitted or if additional capacity allowing for new Choice Transfer applications becomes available.

A parent/guardian may apply for admission on behalf of their child by presenting the following documentation. Students over the age of 18 may submit their own application.

1. The appropriate interdistrict transfer application (Choice Transfer Request) obtained from their resident school district. The completed form should be submitted to the child's home district or through OSPI's Washington State Choice Transfer Request Portal.
2. A completed Mercer Island School District Application for Nonresident Attendance, Form 3141F1. 
3. A completed Employment Verification or Change in Status form, Form 3141F2, applicable to City of Mercer Island employees only.
4. For new applications, a copy of the student's report cards and attendance records for the two years preceding the current academic year as well as such records, to date, for the current year. These records are required from all schools attended, public or private, during the requested period. If the District determines that additional information is needed, a representative will contact you for more information. Student records are not required for renewal applications where the child is enrolled in the District at the time of application.

No, only one application will be considered. Please select your preferred elementary school in your application. If adequate classroom space, facilities and staff at the requested grade level or in the educational program are not available at the requested school, the District will see if the student may be accommodated at an alternative elementary school and will contact the parent/guardian.

• The Mercer Island School District will be notified when your resident school district processes your Choice Transfer request.
• If your request is approved by your resident district, the District will review your application materials. Only complete applications will be considered.
• Applications from students who have a right to apply for nonresident enrollment under Board Policy 3141 notwithstanding a closure decision shall have priority when applications are considered.
• All other applications shall be considered and either granted or denied in the order in which completed applications are on file with the District.
• You will be notified of the acceptance or denial of your request via email, which is generated through the OSPI Choice Transfer Request portal, within 45 days of the date the request was submitted to the resident district.
• If accepted for nonresident enrollment in a District school, you must complete the enrollment process for your child as outlined on our New Student Enrollment webpage. Enrollment of nonresident students in a District school may occur only after a Choice Transfer request has been approved by the District and the child’s resident school district. During the enrollment process, you will be asked to upload residency verification. For all such questions, you must upload a copy of the email from noreply@k12.wa.us notifying you that your Choice Transfer request for the school year in which you are enrolling your child has been accepted.
• If denied, you will receive notification from the District if your child has been added to a waiting list.
• If the District fails to respond within 45 days, the request will be considered denied. Parents/guardians may resubmit the application or appeal the denial as outlined in Board Policy 3141.

Names will be placed on grade-specific lists for consideration in the order in which the District has a complete application on file. Applications will be reviewed based on their position in the queue and either accepted or denied after priority is given to resident students and certain categories of nonresident students as identified in Board Policy 3141 (e.g., children/dependents of District, City of Mercer Island, and contracted employees). If there is no longer capacity in a specific grade level and a student meets the criteria under Board Policy 3141 for admission, the request may be denied and the family notified that their child's name has been included on a waitlist. If maximum capacity is reached, the District may elect to close the waitlist for a specific grade level. If the District later determines that the acceptance of nonresident students or additional nonresident students off of the waitlist will create an undue financial hardship, the waitlist may be, in full or in part, dissolved and families informed that their student has been released. Waiting lists are not maintained beyond the academic year for which nonresident admission has been requested. Families interested in nonresident enrollment must submit a new request for consideration in a subsequent academic year, subject to the provisions of Board Policy 3141 applicable for that academic year.

Applications for nonresident enrollment must be submitted annually. Students may continue to be enrolled through graduation provided they remain in good standing and submit a Choice Transfer Request each year; however, continued attendance is not assured. Nonresident students may be required to return to their resident district if enrollment of resident students or other eligible nonresident students, such as the children of District staff, in a school or grade level increases such that there is inadequate space for returning nonresident students. No Choice Transfer request shall be granted for longer than one academic year or portion thereof.

The Board considered several options when discussing open enrollment for the 2024-2025 academic year and permitting nonresident students to apply to complete the grade band into which they were accepted was under consideration. However, on March 28, 2024, the Board agreed by consensus to remove this option from further consideration. This possibility was not considered for the 2025-2026 school year.

The District understands that transitions for students can be challenging and prioritizes continuity in education. While continued attendance is not assured, the District makes every effort, barring a programmatic or financial hardship, to maintain a stable learning environment for all students.

Parents/Guardians or adult students assume full responsibility for adequate transportation to and from the school their child attends as well responsibility for the supervision of their child before and after school. The District shall incur no cost or responsibility for transporting the student unless otherwise agreed to by the District on an individual student basis.

The District does not afford preference to applications from the siblings of currently enrolled nonresident students nor to new applications where multiple children from the same family seek nonresident admission. Such applications are subject to the same provisions which apply to all other applicants. Sibling applications are added to the queue for the requested grade level in the order in which the District has a complete application on file. If a sibling is otherwise ineligible for nonresident enrollment under Board Policy 3141, their application shall be denied.

Nonresident student participation in athletics may be determined on a case-by-case basis for 10th-12th graders (WIAA-sanctioned sports) and for 9th-12th graders (non WIAA-sanctioned sports). If admitted to the Mercer Island School District, a nonresident student may discuss their independent circumstances with the MIHS Athletic Director or the IMS Athletic Director as appropriate.

WIAA-Sanctioned Athletics

Pursuant to RCW 28A.225.280, participation in extracurricular activities for nonresident students in grades 7 through 12 is governed by rules adopted by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). Current WIAA eligibility guidelines for students admitted to the District pursuant to an approved Choice Transfer request stipulate the following. 

• Once enrolled, a new 7th or 8th grade nonresident student is eligible to participate in sports and activities at Islander Middle School assuming all other conditions of eligibility have been met.
• A new 9th grade nonresident student is eligible to participate in sports and activities at Mercer Island High School provided they maintain continuous enrollment and assuming all other conditions of eligibility have been met.
• A new 10th, 11th or 12th grade nonresident student may not be eligible to participate immediately in varsity-level sports at Mercer Island High School (MIHS). However, such students may be able to participate in sub-varsity competitions (e.g., junior varsity, C-team). Please refer to the WIAA guidelines for more information on varsity eligibility.

Non WIAA-Santioned Athletics
(Lacrosse, Ultimate Frisbee, Water Polo)

Lacrosse (Boys and Girls) and Water Polo are not WIAA-sanctioned sports; therefore, the ineligibility period under WIAA guidelines does not apply. However, each sport has its own governing body, and nonresident student participation in grades 9 through 12 is subject to the eligibility requirements of the governing body which oversees the respective sport. Nonresident students must also meet Mercer Island High School eligibility requirements.

Ultimate Frisbee is a club/activity and is not a sport sanctioned by WIAA and, therefore, not subject to WIAA eligibility requirements. However, nonresident student participation is subject to the eligibility requirements for each league under the sport's independent governing body. Mercer Island High School offers three Ultimate Frisbee teams - Boys (fall activity), CoEd (winter activity) and Girls (spring activity). Islander Middle School offers a mixed-gender team open to 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Nonresident students must also meet each school's eligibility requirements. 

Pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and WAC 392-172A-02040, school districts are required to conduct activities designed to locate, evaluate and provide services for children with disabilities and who are in need of special education and related services. The process of locating and evaluating children with disabilities is referred to as Child Find. Child Find activities shall be conducted by a child’s resident school district. Should a Child Find screening determine that your child is eligible for services, your child shall generally be served through their resident school district. However, pursuant to Board Policy 3141, a child of an eligible District or contracted employee or an eligible City employee may qualify to receive early intervention services at a school in the district that provides such services or preschool services through the District’s inclusive preschool program provided a Choice Transfer request is submitted annually. 

Families who are interested in having their child participate in the District's Inclusive Preschool Program as a Peer Mentor must reside on Mercer Island. Part of the application process includes the provision of documentation verifying Mercer Island residency. We encourage nonresident families to consider preschool options which may be available through their resident school district. Alternatively, families may wish to peruse the website of the Mercer Island Preschool Association if a private preschool option on the Island is of interest. The website includes a preschool directory. Link here to access.

• If the District has approved your Choice Transfer application pursuant to Board Policy 3141 and becomes aware of a change in employment status making your child ineligible for nonresident admission prior to the start of the academic year for which the request has been approved, the District may rescind the acceptance.
• If a substitute educator does not work 225 hours during the year in which their child is enrolled as a nonresident student, the District may rescind the student’s acceptance or deny an acceptance for the subsequent school year. 
• If a nonresident student does not maintain continuous, full-time enrollment, where required under Board Policy 3141, the District may rescind the student’s acceptance or deny an acceptance for the subsequent school year.
• If a nonresident student does not remain in good academic standing, fails to display regular attendance, does not have a safe transportation method to/from District schools, or fails to conform to school disciplinary standards and such issues are not resolved through conferences with administrators at the student’s school, a student may have their acceptance revoked or their application for nonresident enrollment in the subsequent academic year may be denied.
• Any material misrepresentation of facts by the applicant regarding application information may result in a denial of the admission request or revocation of a previously approved application. When supplying student records at the time of application, please ensure that all records are provided, including, but not limited to, progress reports/report cards, school progression, attendance data, discipline records, health records, vision and hearing screenings, assessment reports and highly capable test results, current IEP or 504, documentation of any specially-designed or differentiated instruction, and behavior intervention plans. Records may need to be requested from more than one department at your child’s school.

If your Choice Transfer request was denied, you have the right to request an informal conference with the District superintendent or designee to reconsider the denial. Please contact the District’s Choice Transfer Coordinator to initiate this process. Applicants also have the right to appeal to the superintendent of public instruction or designee pursuant to RCW 28A.225.225(5), who shall hear the appeal and examine the evidence to ensure the District complied with all applicable standards and procedures.

The District considers all Choice Transfer applications on an equal basis and may not accept all applications. Approval of a Choice Transfer application is based on the criteria outlined in Board Policy 3141, including the following.

• Adequate classroom space, facilities and staff are available in the grade level or educational program being sought.
• It is anticipated that the student’s attendance, citizenship or academic progress will be satisfactory based on a review of records from the student’s previous school.
  • The review of records will include consideration of a student’s academic history and attendance from the preceding two+ years as well as a review of any necessary supports and services which may be required to meet the student’s needs. Academic history includes an evaluation of a student’s grades, coursework and credits toward graduation, if applicable.
• The adult student or student’s parent/guardian assumes full responsibility for adequate transportation and supervision to/from school (unless otherwise agreed to by the District on an individual student basis).
• Acceptance will not result in the District experiencing an undue financial hardship.
  • The District will consider whether the enrollment of a nonresident student will:
    • Create a financial or programmatic hardship in light of available resources for the District.
    • Adversely affect specific programs or schools within the District.
    • Cause staffing anomalies determined by the Superintendent not to benefit students, services or programs.
  • This determination will include whether any supports or services necessary to meet the student’s needs will create a financial burden on the District.
• The student’s disciplinary records do not indicate a history of offenses for violent or disruptive behavior or gang membership; the student does not have any criminal convictions for such offenses; and the student’s attendance at a District school would not otherwise create a health or safety hazard for other students or staff.
• The student has not been expelled or suspended from a public school for more than ten consecutive days, provided the District’s policies on the readmission of resident students who apply for readmission following suspensions or expulsions also apply to nonresident students.