The Olathe School District has approved 72 out-of-district transfer applications for the upcoming school year.
The move comes as all school districts in Kansas must now provide the opportunity for nonresident students to enroll in their schools, according to a state law that takes effect this year.
At the July 11 school board meeting, Dr. Jill Smith, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education at Olathe Public Schools, presented the board with its first open enrollment report.
Where are the transfer students coming from?
The district, Smith said, had 590 openings across elementary, middle and high schools. All eligible students wishing to transfer to schools with openings were accepted.
Any student applying to a school that was at capacity or who was subject to a disciplinary suspension in their current district was not accepted.
Smith shared that nearly half of all applicants were former Olathe Public School students who had moved out of the district and now wished to return.
Most transfer students come from the Gardner-Edgerton School District, followed by the Spring Hill and Shawnee Mission school districts.
What happens next?
Starting this week, out-of-district families with approved applications can begin the enrollment process at their assigned school in Olathe.
Additionally, in-district students and children of employees who want to transfer within the district are given a second transfer window, provided space is available at the school they want to move to.
The first such internal transfer window was from early January to the end of February.
Kansas state law now requires that every school district have a system in which out-of-district families can apply to transfer to a school in their desired district.
Which schools are full and will not take transfers?
Olathe School District schools at capacity, include:
Elementary schools
- Black Bob Elementary
- Cedar Creek Elementary
- Central Elementary
- Clear Water Creek Elementary
- Havencroft Elementary
- Manchester Park Elementary
- Washington Elementary
Middle schools
- Oregon Trail Middle
- Prairie Trail Middle
High schools
- Olathe North High School
- Olathe NorthWest High School
- Olathe West High School
