The bad news: Using district lines to determine where a child goes to school is a 200-year-old mistake that has resulted in racial and socioeconomic segregation in U.S. public schools. The good news: Many states have created open enrollment laws that break down those district lines and allow kids to attend public schools outside their ZIP Code-assigned schools. To learn more about inter-district open enrollment policies and how they can affect students and school leaders, EdChoice partnered with Hanover Research to conduct a series of research projects. Author Susan Pendergrass shares the findings in her capstone piece—Breaking Down Public School District Lines. Flip through for quick key findings and recommendations for state lawmakers.

1. BREAKING DOWN PUBLIC
SCHOOL DISTRICT LINES
Policies, Perceptions, and Implications of
Inter-District Open Enrollment
edchoice.org/BreakingDownDistrictLines
HIGHLIGHTS FROM

2. edchoice.org
The Bad News: Using district lines to
determine where a child goes to school is
a 200-year-old mistake that has resulted
in racial and socioeconomic segregation
in U.S. public schools.

3. edchoice.org
The Good News: Many states have created
open enrollment laws that break down
those district lines and allow kids to
attend public schools outside their ZIP
Code-assigned schools.

4. edchoice.org
There are two types of open enrollment
policies.
Intra-district allows kids to attend schools within their
assigned district that may not necessarily be their assigned
school.
Inter-district allows kids to attend schools outside their
assigned school and district. (Think interstate, it’s a road
helping you cross state lines.)
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5. edchoice.org
Every state handles these types of
school choice options differently.
Some have it ALL.
Some have NONE.

6. edchoice.org
EdChoice partnered with Hanover
Research to conduct a series of
research projects around inter-district
open enrollment and how they effect
students and school leaders.
Author and researcher
Susan Pendergrass breaks it down into
this capstone report.

7. edchoice.org
WHAT DID WE LEARN?

8. edchoice.org
Public school enrollment in the
U.S. has been steadily drifting away
from ASSIGNED public schools.

9. edchoice.org
Some states began allowing families to choose schools
through open enrollment in the late 1980s, and
charter schools—which are publicly funded schools
that are privately run with slightly less red tape than
traditional schools—began opening in the early 1990s.
These options, along with existing public magnet
schools—which are like publicly funded private
schools that specialize in one area like arts or medical
sciences etc.—and virtual public schools now enroll
more than one in 10 public school students.

10. edchoice.org
Families and students most often
choose a public school outside their
district because of the academic
programming and school culture.

11. edchoice.org
Participants in the study highlight the importance of
giving students a sense of agency and ownership over
their own educational path. Other common reasons for
open enrollment transfers include:
School safety
District proximity to parents’ work, home or day care
Athletic programs
Various school climate aspects
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12. edchoice.org
School district administrators who were
interviewed for this project feel competitive
pressure from open enrollment and often
referenced the need to “retain market share”
by attracting students from nearby counties
(e.g., from other public school districts,
charter schools, private schools).

13. edchoice.org
Participants from Hanover’s qualitative study explain the
delicate balance districts must strike between accepting
new out-of-district transfers and managing intra-district
school choice transfers. Districts regulate inter- and intra-
district enrollment mainly based on classroom capacity
(i.e., available seats), and they will often use a lottery
system that prioritizes certain tiers of applicants, such
as in-district residency, on-site school employment,
scholarship opportunities or sibling preference.

14. edchoice.org
From the perspective of students:
Open enrollment policies should
make it easy for those who wish to
transfer to do so.

15. edchoice.org
So how should policymakers
improve open enrollment policies?

16. edchoice.org
Transportation is one of the
greatest barriers for open
enrollment students, especially
those from low-income families.

17. edchoice.org
None of the state policies
analyzed mandate that receiving
districts provide transportation to
open enrolled students.
Instead, it is the responsibility of
the parent/guardian.

18. edchoice.org
State policies could reimburse parents for
transporting their own children, as is done in
Wisconsin. Or establishing pick up and drop off
“kiss and ride” locations that could be shared
across multiple districts might improve families’
transportation options.

19. edchoice.org
All open enrollment policies
should be mandatory.

20. edchoice.org
States with voluntary open
enrollment tend to struggle the
most, causing more issues of
equity and access.

21. edchoice.org
For example, both Ohio and Indiana
districts have a documented history and
public perception of “cherry-picking”
students they accept to maintain a high-
achieving student body.

22. edchoice.org
Open enrollment should
be offered to all students
without conditions.

23. edchoice.org
A child’s disability, past grades or test
scores shouldn’t prevent them from
accessing the services and programs
available in other districts through
open enrollment.

24. edchoice.org
Make funding flexible, so district
schools receive funding set aside for
the open enrollment students who
come to their schools.

25. edchoice.org
If states are going to make “capacity” a
restriction districts can use to deny open
enrollment students, then districts must
be mandated and held accountable for
transparently reporting their open seats.

26. edchoice.org
Want to learn more about open
enrollment in America? Visit
edchoice.org/BreakingDownDistrictLines
To share your feedback,
email research@edchoice.org