New Jersey Interdistrict Public School Choice
The Interdistrict Public School Choice Program lets any New Jersey K-12 student apply to attend a public school in an approved “choice district” outside the district where the family lives. Out-of-state students are not eligible.
Program Type: Inter-district public open enrollment. Districts opt in as receiving districts; families statewide may apply.
Tuition: $0 – Completely FREE. The state pays the receiving district choice aid equal to its adequacy budget local levy per pupil amount.
Availability: 119 approved choice districts for 2026-27, 118 for 2027-28. Seats are limited and the program has been effectively capped since 2012-13. Seat totals have been frozen for over a decade: about 5,000 students participate annually and more than 2,000 stay on waitlists. No Essex County districts, including Newark, participate.
Application Tiers: Applicants are sorted into two tiers, and Tier 1 is filled first.
- Tier 1: Students enrolled in their resident New Jersey public district for the full year before applying. Charter students, students at their choice school’s terminal grade, students who moved mid-year within New Jersey public schools, homeless students, and some kindergarten applicants also qualify.
- Tier 2: Everyone else, including students in nonpublic school or homeschooled. Districts are not required to admit Tier 2 applicants, and those seats fill only after Tier 1.
A district must run a public lottery if applications in either tier exceed available seats.
Application Process:
- Use the NJDOE Find a Choice District locator to review district profiles
- Submit the district’s application and file a Notice of Intent to Participate with your resident district by their deadlines
- If the district is oversubscribed, wait for the lottery and the acceptance or waitlist notice
- Submit a Notice of Intent to Enroll to a single choice district
Application Timing: For the 2027-28 cycle the initial deadline is November 24, 2026, with lotteries in December. Late applications may be considered on a space-available basis until October 14 of the enrollment year.
Staying Enrolled: A student may remain in the choice district through its terminal grade without reapplying.
Transportation: The resident district must provide transportation, or aid in lieu of it, for up to 20 miles from home to the choice school. Beyond 20 miles the family pays the excess, often a practical barrier for lower-income families.
Special Education: A choice district may reject a student with an IEP only if it cannot be implemented, would fundamentally alter the program, or impose an undue burden.
Important Limitations:
- Admission is not guaranteed. Seats are capped and oversubscribed districts run lotteries
- A sending district’s outflow can be limited to 10% per grade and 15% of resident enrollment
- A choice district may not reject an applicant because the cost of educating the student exceeds the state aid
- A district cannot be both a choice district and a tuition-receiving district under N.J.S.A. 18A:38-3 in the same grades
Where to Start: