DISTRICT TRANSFERS
There are 3 types of transfers: Intradistrict Transfers / Open Enrollment, Interdistrict Transfer and Overflow Transfer
OPEN ENROLLMENT
WHAT IS OPEN ENROLLMENT?
The Open Enrollment (Intra-district) policy allows parents of students who reside in the Milpitas Unified School District boundaries to request a transfer from their school of residence (home school) to another school within the Milpitas Unified School District. To apply, students must meet the following requirements:
- All students must live in the Milpitas Unified School District and
- All students must have completed address verification and registration at their home school for the grade they will be attending in the upcoming school year.
OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCEDURES
A completed Open Enrollment request form must be submitted to your resident school. Only completed request forms accepted between the first business day in March and the last business day in March will be eligible for the lottery. Request forms are available at all elementary schools, middle schools and district office. If requesting more than one school site, please use a separate request form for each requested school site.
- Open Enrollment does not guarantee placement; open enrollment is a random, unbiased selection process that identifies, if available, space for transfer students after resident students are placed.
- Previously approved Open Enrollment transfers need not reapply yearly.
- Transportation is not provided for students who transfer from their home school.
- Poor attendance, behavior and/or failure to cooperate with school district personnel can result in cancellation of your Open Enrollment transfer.
- If your transfer is denied due to space, you may reapply again next year.
- Because of limited school locations for transitional kindergarten (TK), TK students will NOT be eligible for the 2023-2024 Open Enrollment process. TK placements will be based on a first come, first serve basis at the nearest location to the home school.
OPEN SCHOOLS
The district will be accepting transfer request forms for the following schools for the 2023-2024 school year:
- Burnett Elementary
- Curtner Elementary
- Mattos Elementary
- Pomeroy Elementary
- Rancho Middle
- Rose Elementary
- Russell Middle
- Sinnott Elementary
- Spangler Elementary
- Weller Elementary
- Zanker Elementary
CLOSED SCHOOLS
As schools accept transfer requests and fill to capacity, some schools may not be accepting your transfer request. We will update this website as information changes.
OPEN ENROLLMENT PERIOD
The Open Enrollment period runs from the first business day in March to the last business day in March for the upcoming school year. All students must be registered at their home school in order to participate in the Open Enrollment process. Request forms received after the close of the Open Enrollment period will not be processed. Per Board Policy 5116.1, the district will not maintain a waiting list from requests submitted after the close of the Open Enrollment period.
Notifications for placement will be made as soon as practical, but may be as late as August. Once school has started in August, students previously placed on a waiting list to transfer to another school will not be moved; they will attend their home school until openings at the requested school(s) become available. The waiting list will be maintained through the end of January of the following year.
- When an offer is made you will be given 72 hours to accept or decline the offer. If no response is received your offer will be considered declined.
- To accept an offer you will need to complete an Offer of Acceptance letter at the District Transfers Office.
- If more than one school is requested, accepting an offer for placement at one school site will cancel all other requests on file.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What if my child is new to the Milpitas Unified School District?
Students must be registered at their home school prior to applying for an Open Enrollment transfer.
Where can I obtain an Open Enrollment request form and to whom do I submit it?
Request forms are available at all elementary schools, middle schools, and the district office between the first business day in March and the last business day in March. Completed request forms must be submitted to your resident school or the Learning & Development/District Transfers office located at 1331 E. Calaveras Blvd Bldg #200 Rm 212 by March 31, 2022. NO EXCEPTIONS.
How are parents notified of the status of their Open Enrollment request?
In May, the district will hold a drawing to assign a lottery number to each student participating in Open Enrollment. This drawing will assign lottery numbers only; it will not determine placement. Letters will then be mailed out in June for assigned lottery numbers.
How long is an approved Open Enrollment transfer valid?
An approved transfer is valid for the student’s continuous education at the requested school.
Once an Open Enrollment is approved and accepted the new school becomes the home/resident school for the student. The student does not need to re-apply each year thereafter.
Once an Open Enrollment is approved and accepted the new school becomes the home/resident school for the student. The student does not need to re-apply each year thereafter.
Does this change the middle school my elementary child will attend?
Yes, depending on the new school of record.
- Randall, Rose, Sinnott and Zanker students will attend Rancho Middle School
- Curtner, Pomeroy, Spangler, and Weller students will attend Russell Middle School
- Burnett Students will attend the middle school assigned to their residential address
What if I have more than one child?
Each child’s request is processed individually. The district cannot guarantee that siblings will be placed together or placed at the same time.
If one of my children has previously been approved, what about incoming siblings?
Siblings must go through the same process as all students requesting a transfer. Sibling approvals cannot be guaranteed.
What if we move after accepting an Open Enrollment offer of placement?
If you moved within the Milpitas Unified School District attendance boundaries, you have the option at the time of move to either remain at the Open Enrollment school or transfer your child to the school assigned to your new residence.
If you moved out of the district, the Open Enrollment placement is no longer valid and you must apply for an inter-district transfer with your new district of residence to remain in the Milpitas Unified School District. Continued enrollment through the inter-district transfer policy cannot be guaranteed. Contact your new district of residence to start the process.
If you moved out of the district, the Open Enrollment placement is no longer valid and you must apply for an inter-district transfer with your new district of residence to remain in the Milpitas Unified School District. Continued enrollment through the inter-district transfer policy cannot be guaranteed. Contact your new district of residence to start the process.
Is transportation provided?
The district does not provide transportation for Open Enrollment students to attend their school of choice.
What if I opt to enroll my child in private school pending an offer?
Offers will only be made to those students enrolled and attending a Milpitas Unified school during the lottery process. Dis-enrolling a student to enroll them in a non-Milpitas Unified District school makes them ineligible to participate in the Open Enrollment process.
INTERDISTRICT TRANSFER
Inter-district transfers approved for the 2021-2022 school year school year will expire in June 2022. New transfer request forms may be dropped off in the Learning & Development Department at the District Office beginning April 2022. An approved inter-district transfer request must be on file for non-residents to attend school in the Milpitas Unified School District.
Outgoing inter-district transfer request forms for 2022-2023 school year will be accepted starting April.
Fillable outgoing Inter-district Transfer Request Form (for Milpitas residents requesting to be transferred outside of Milpitas Unified School District only). Three verification documents needed:
Transferring into MUSD:
Outgoing inter-district transfer request forms for 2022-2023 school year will be accepted starting April.
Fillable outgoing Inter-district Transfer Request Form (for Milpitas residents requesting to be transferred outside of Milpitas Unified School District only). Three verification documents needed:
- Government issued ID
- Current rental agreement or mortgage statement
- Current PG&E bill
Transferring into MUSD:
- California mandates that students attend the public school district in which the residency of the parent/guardian is located, called the District of Residence. Parent/guardian whose residence is outside of MUSD boundaries, and desires their student to attend a school in MUSD, must first obtain an Inter-district Transfer approval from their District of Residence. If the District of Residence approves the Inter-district Transfer, it will be sent to MUSD for processing.
- MUSD will begin accepting and processing Inter-district Transfer requests for the 2022-2023 school year beginning April. Failure of the parent to meet any timelines established by this web site, Board Policy, and/or Administrative Regulation, is deemed to be an abandonment of the request.
- Due to continued high enrollment, MUSD does not anticipate approving any Inter-district Transfers other than those that qualify per Board Policy 5111 and accompanying 5117 Administrative Regulation, which include TWBI program, MUSD employee program (working 10 hours minimum a week or more employed), and Senior privilege.
- MUSD will notify parent/guardian of its final decision within the following timeframes:
- Request for transfer during current year: within 30 calendar days from the date the Inter-district Transfer request was received;
- Request for transfer for the coming year: as soon as possible, but no later than 14 calendar days after the beginning of instruction in the school year.
- Should it be determined, subsequent to a student’s enrollment, that the student demonstrates significant problems in attendance, performance, or behavior, the Inter-district Transfer approval may be rescinded at any time during the term of the agreement.
OVERFLOW TRANSFER
When a student completes registration at their resident school and there is no available space in their grade level at that site, the student is overflowed to another District school that has space available. This placement is temporary and the student MUST return to their resident school when space becomes available except when a transfer is approved through the District’s Open Enrollment process (please see Board Policy 5116.1 and Administrative Regulations 5116.1).
When the District is notified that a student is in need of an overflow placement, the District will review enrollment numbers at other District schools and assign placement accordingly. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified of placement details within 5 school days by their resident school secretary.
Between the months of August and January, if space becomes available at the resident school, an overflow student will be given the option to return to their resident school at that time. A request to finish the year at the overflow school may be approved ONLY for the remainder of the current school year. Between the months of February and June, all overflow students will remain at their overflow school for the remainder of the school year.
All overflow students will return to their resident school the following school year. However, there may be some instances where space is not yet available.
When the District is notified that a student is in need of an overflow placement, the District will review enrollment numbers at other District schools and assign placement accordingly. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified of placement details within 5 school days by their resident school secretary.
Between the months of August and January, if space becomes available at the resident school, an overflow student will be given the option to return to their resident school at that time. A request to finish the year at the overflow school may be approved ONLY for the remainder of the current school year. Between the months of February and June, all overflow students will remain at their overflow school for the remainder of the school year.
All overflow students will return to their resident school the following school year. However, there may be some instances where space is not yet available.
