Missouri Public School Open Enrollment

Missouri’s Public School Open Enrollment program allows students to transfer to public schools in different school districts under certain circumstances. This is a voluntary program – participating districts set their own policies and capacity limits.

Program Type: Inter-district public school transfer

Tuition: $0 – Completely FREE for students meeting transfer criteria

How It Works:

1. Families identify a public school district they wish their child to attend
2. Contact the receiving district to inquire about open enrollment policies and availability
3. Submit transfer application to receiving district
4. If approved, student enrolls in receiving district
5. State funding follows the student to the receiving district

Key Details:

For Sending Districts:

• Cannot prevent students from leaving – Districts cannot block students from transferring out
• Some districts limit outgoing transfers to 5% of enrollment for 2024-2027 (capacity management)

For Receiving Districts:

• Set capacity limits – Districts determine how many transfer students they can accept
• May prioritize:
  • Siblings of currently enrolled students
  • Military families
  • District employees’ children
• Voluntary participation – Districts choose whether to accept open enrollment students

Availability:

• Participating districts set annual capacity limits
• Not all districts participate – policies vary significantly
• Urban districts with strong charter presence may have different availability than rural districts

Transportation:

• Generally NOT provided by receiving district
• Families typically responsible for transportation to and from the receiving district
• Some districts may offer transportation in limited circumstances – check with district

Transfer Status and Moving:

• If you move out of your district while using open enrollment, your transfer status becomes void
• Would need to reapply if seeking to transfer again to a new district
• Policies vary by district – contact receiving district for specific rules

Combining with MOScholars:

• MOScholars funds CAN be used to attend non-home-district public schools via open enrollment
• This allows families to use scholarship funds for public school choice outside their home district

How to Apply: Contact the receiving school district directly to inquire about open enrollment policies, capacity, application procedures, and deadlines. Each district manages its own open enrollment process.

Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE) →