Transfer FAQs

Students who move during the school year may finish the school year at the school in their old neighborhood (if space is available). They will also have first priority to attend the designated school for their new address. 

If you request a transfer to stay in the school at the student's old address, you will have third priority in processing their transfer request.

You must submit a separate application for each school, but students at the same school need to be on the same transfer to be considered together.  Failure to put siblings on one transfer way result in students attending different schools if only some are approved.

We can't guarantee that space will be available at the same school if you request multiple schools for multiple students. 

If you submit a request for multiple students and want them to be placed in the same school, then make sure all siblings at the school are on the same request.

Only one transfer per year

• Students will only be approved for one transfer per year.
• Transfer rollovers/renewals accepted at the beginning of the school year are considered "one transfer per year."

Early applicants random drawing

If you apply between January 1 and January 31, then you will be included in the first random drawing for schools. The first drawing occurs before the end of the school year.

Additional random drawings

There will be other random drawings later in the year as space becomes available.

1. Students who live within the established attendance boundaries for a school.
2. Students who have previously attended the school.
3. Other enrollment preferences, including:
   1. Students whose siblings attend the school and will attend simultaneously for the upcoming school year. When possible, we will place those students in the requested school.
   2. If space is still available, we will grant placement to students who:
   1. have other siblings requesting the same school but none currently attend the requested school 
   2. are children of an employee of the requested school 
   3. have at least one parent on active military duty
   3. Students who have a specific reason, e.g. childcare.
4. Transfer requests with no reason specified. 

Notification of approval

You will receive an email if your transfer has been approved or is on a waiting list. 

Parents may contact the Student Service Center by phone at (505) 855-9040 if:

• If you haven't received notification by June
• If you do not have an email address

Remember: Students should attend their neighborhood school until their transfer request is approved. 

Accepting the transfer

Families have ten (10) calendar days to accept or decline the approved transfer. 

If the family declines or doesn't respond, then the request will be deleted. The family will need to submit a new request.

School Registration Process

As soon as you receive a transfer approval, please contact your new school to find out when you can complete the registration process.

The registration process will vary depending on the time of year:

• Before Summer: Contact your new school to see if you need to pre-register for the Fall semester.
• During Summer: Contact the school to ensure your paperwork is processed by Fall registration. Note: you might not be able to reach anyone during summer break.
• During the School Year: Contact your new school immediately.
  Note: Watch out! If you wait too long to contact the school, you may lose your spot, and your transfer approval will be voided.

Withdrawal

Students currently enrolled in an APS school must get withdrawal papers from their current school.

When to renew a transfer

Usually, students who transfer to a new school are automatically re-enrolled each year at the transfer school. They do not need to reapply if their transfer is approved and need only apply if they want to change schools.

However, we can't guarantee automatic transfer re-enrollment. Transfer requests, including re-enrollments, are granted based on available programs and classroom size.

When to submit a new transfer request

You may need to submit a new transfer request if:

• The student is promoted to the next school level (e.g. elementary to middle school) and wants to attend a school outside of their neighborhood.
• The transfer student is dis-enrolled from their transfer school.

Waiting lists

If a transfer request cannot be approved for any of the requested schools, the student will be placed on a waiting list for that school year. Waiting lists do not carry over from one year to the next. You must complete a new application each year, even if it's the same request as last year.

• If space becomes available at a school, students on the waiting list will get transferred first.
• If a transfer request is approved and you requested other schools, all other school requests will be withdrawn and the student will be removed from other waiting lists.
• If a transfer request is approved, the student's requests for other schools will be withdrawn. The student will be removed from other waiting lists. If you only want to be considered for a specific school, then list that school in the first choice field. Leave the other fields blank.

Contact the Transfer Office at (505) 855-9050 to get information about available space.

Students who transfer to a school outside their neighborhood school will not be able to ride an APS bus to school. Parents/guardians are responsible for transportation.

Athletic programs may have restrictions for new transfer students. Ask your school athletic directors or the Athletic Department at (505) 884-9580.

There are a few factors that determine enrollment in special education programs.

• Educational program availability
• Physical site capacity
• Maintaining specified class sizes