Admission and Student Registration Requirements

A person, who is at least five years of age and less than 21 on September 1 of a school year, is entitled to admission in a school district. A school may admit a person who is at least 21 years of age and under 26 years of age on September 1 of a school year in order for the person to complete the requirements for a high school diploma.

All of the criteria for admission require that the student live in the district.

Documents

When enrolling a child, the parent, guardian or student must provide proof of address, birth certificate or other document suitable to verify identity and date of birth, immunization record, copy of records from school where child was previously enrolled. Documentation is not required at the time of enrollment if a child meets eligibility as a homeless student using criteria in the McKinney-Vento Act of 2001.

Parent and Student in District
A student is entitled to admission if the student and either parent reside in the district.

Parent Only in District
This provision entitles a student who resides in Texas but does not reside in the district to admission if a parent of the child resides in the district and the parent is a joint managing conservator, sole managing conservator, or possessory conservator of the child as established by the order of a court.

Student and Guardian or Person with Lawful Control in District

A student is entitled to admission if the student and the student’s “guardian or other person having lawful control of the [student] under a court order reside within the school district.” To determine a student’s entitlement a district must determine if a court order exists that identifies a guardian or other person with lawful control residing in the district.

Student Only in District
A student who is under 18 years of age may establish a residence for the purpose of attending the public schools. However, the student’s presence in the district may not be “for the primary purpose of participation in extracurricular activities.”

The district is not required to admit a student who has engaged in conduct within the preceding year that has resulted in removal to a disciplinary alternative education program or expulsion; has engaged in conduct in need of supervision and is on probation or other conditional release for that conduct; or has been convicted of a criminal offense and is on other conditional release.

Proof of Residency

The school district will determine if a student is a resident of the district. An acceptable proof of residence includes a completed lease to rent a house or apartment, a contract to purchase or build a house, or a utility bill for gas, electricity, or water that displays the service address on the utility bill. A parent or guardian who is unable to verify an address when they register at a campus may visit the Office to request an affidavit to verify an address. Identification that includes a photograph is required.

Foreign Exchange Student
A foreign exchange student may be admitted if the student is placed with a host family that resides in the school district by a nationally recognized foreign exchange program.

Student in Residential Facility

Students placed in residential facilities in the school district are entitled to admission. A “residential facility” is defined as a facility operated by a state agency or political subdivision, including a child placement agency, that provides 24-hour custody or care of a person 22 years of age or younger, if the person resides in the facility for detention, treatment, foster care, or any noneducational purpose; and any person or entity that contracts with or is funded, licensed, certified, or regulated by a state agency or political subdivision to provide custody or care for a person.

Grandparent in District
A student who resides in Texas but does not reside in the district is entitled to admission if a grandparent of the student resides in the district and the grandparent provides a substantial amount of after-school care for the student as determined by the local school board.

Foster Care
The law provides for tuition-free admission in the district in which the foster parents reside. A high school student placed in temporary foster care may be admitted with the option of continuing to attend, without payment of tuition, the school in which the student was enrolled at the time of placement, regardless of the residence of the foster parents.

Prekindergarten
A child of the appropriate age is eligible for a prekindergarten program if the child:

is economically disadvantaged; is unable to speak and comprehend the English language;
is a homeless child;
is the child or stepchild of an active duty member of the armed forces, including state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty;
is the child or stepchild of a member of the armed forces, including state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty ; or
is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing under §262.201 of the Texas Family Code.