Texas families can request for their children to attend public schools outside their assigned zones. This option, however, can be complex and sometimes costly. Texas should improve state resources and transparency to optimize student access to quality schools.
Key points
- Texas families can request for their children to attend public schools outside of their attendance zones. This option, however, is complex and sometimes costly.
- A district can decide whether to accept an out-of-district student based on factors such as their previous test scores.
- Until recently, districts could not offer to pick up transferring students at their home without getting a waiver from the state.
- Districts are allowed to charge transferring students up to tens of thousands of dollars in tuition.
- The student transfer process needs more transparency to ensure all students can access its benefits.