WHAT IS A "CHOICE TRANSFER"?

The "choice transfer" process is a protocol for allowing students in the state of Washington to attend public school outside of their resident school district boundaries. An agreement is required between the resident and nonresident districts which must be renewed annually for each student. If you live in Blaine School District but wish to attend a different public school (either in person or online), review the "Release of Resident Students" section. If you live outside of Blaine School District and wish to attend school in Blaine, review the "Nonresident Student Enrollment" section. If you are moving into Blaine School District and your student(s) will be transferring here from another school, visit our Enrollment web page or contact the school registrar directly for information on that process.

For requests to transfer within Blaine School District (intra-district transfers), please refer to Board Policy 3131 and its accompanying procedure. (Currently, this only applies to Point Roberts.)

RELEASE OF RESIDENT STUDENTS

Pursuant to Policy 3140, a student residing in Blaine School District may be released to attend school in another district. This includes other schools in the area as well as online school programs operated by other districts. There are two options for the student's parent or guardian to request release from Blaine School District:

  1. Submit request online using the Washington State Choice Transfer Request Portal; or

  2. Complete a Choice Transfer Request Form. Once completed and signed, this form must be returned to the Blaine School District Office for processing. 
    Hard Copy: 765 H Street; Blaine, WA 98230 
    Fax: 360-332-7568 
    Email in PDF format only: choice@blainesd.org (Electronic signatures are not accepted.)

NONRESIDENT STUDENT ENROLLMENT

Pursuant to Policy 3141, any Washington State student who resides outside the boundaries of Blaine School District, may apply to attend school in Blaine School District. 

  • Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from school for their nonresident student(s). 

  • Requests for nonresident admission are approved for one school year only and must be renewed annually.  Renewal requests for the next school year should be submitted prior to the end of the current school year.

There are two options to apply for nonresident admission or renewal:

  1. Preferred: Submit request online using the Washington State Choice Transfer Request Portal; or

  2. If you are unable to use the online request portal, you may complete a Choice Transfer Request Form. Once completed, this form must first be submitted to the student's resident district for release. Parents may contact their resident district directly to request release of their student. 

NEW REQUESTS: After submitting your request using one of the options above, the following information must be provided in order for a new nonresident student to be considered for admission to a Blaine school. The following documentation should be provided to the Blaine School District's Choice Coordinator:

  1. Attendance and discipline records from the student's current, or most recent, school

  2. The student's current, or most recent, report card or transcript

  3. If the student is currently receiving special education services: a current Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Special Education Addendum (SPA), as applicable

For assistance in this process, contact Blaine School District's Choice Coordinator at 360-332-0711 or choice@blainesd.org.

OSPI's Learning by Choice guide provides information and answers commonly asked questions about enrollment options in the state of Washington.