Adoption Date: 06/22/2021

History: 3/22/22 (reviewed), 2/14/23 (updated), 6/13/23 (updated), 2/13/24 (reviewed)

Students who are eligible to attend an Iowa public school but who are not legal residents of the school district may be admitted into the school district at the discretion of the superintendent or designee upon application and payment of tuition. The tuition rate is the current per-pupil cost of the school district as computed by the board secretary and as authorized by the Iowa Department of Education.

Resident students whose families move from the school district after the start of a semester and who wish to complete the semester in their former resident school district will be permitted to attend. Students who plan to open enroll to their former resident district for the next school year may do so without approval of the board.  

Students in grades eleven or twelve who are no longer residents of the school district, but were residents in the preceding school year, may continue to attend school until they graduate without the payment of tuition. These students may be required to identify an adult, who resides in the school district, identified for purposes of administration.

Nonresident students who are eligible to attend an Iowa public school and who have evidence they will become legal residents of the school district prior to October 1 may be allowed to attend without the payment of tuition.

Policy References:

Legal Reference:

Lakota Cons. Ind. School v. Buffalo Center-Rake Comm. School, 334 N.W.2d 704 (Iowa 1983).
Mt. Hope School Dist. v. Hendrickson, 197 N.W. 47 (Iowa 1924).
Oshel v. Creston Comm. School Dist., DPI Admin. Doc. 570 (1981).
Iowa Code §§ 257.6; 282.1, .2, .6, .7, 11, .24.