Campus Enrollment Type FAQ

1. Why are districts being asked to classify campuses by enrollment type?

The purpose of this data collection is to gather information so the agency can make informed decisions about the feasibility of incorporating campus enrollment types in future (2020 or later) accountability systems.

2. What are the campus classifications?

Each campus in your district or open-enrollment charter must be classified within one of the following categories:

• Open Enrollment Charter School –A charter school that prioritizes enrollment on the basis of geographic and residency considerations and may consider whether a student has documented history of a criminal offense, a juvenile court adjudication, or discipline problems under Subchapter A, Chapter 37. If an open-enrollment charter school specializing in performing arts, consideration may also be given to whether the student demonstrates artistic ability.
• Selective Enrollment School (Criteria-Based) – A school that uses some sort of selective criteria (e.g., student grades, audition, interview, portfolio) for enrollment determinations. Enrollment in these schools may or may not be based on the student’s home address.
• Selective Enrollment School (Special Program-Based) – A school that uses some sort of selective criteria for enrollment based on whether the student meets the requirements of a specific program (e.g., stand-alone prekindergarten, stand-alone special education programs, stand-alone bilingual programs). Enrollment in these schools may or may not be based on the student’s home address.
• Zoned School (no transfers accepted) – A school in which enrollment is based on the student's home address and transfers are not accepted.
• Zoned School (transfers accepted) – A school in which enrollment is based on the student’s home address but transfers of students from other schools or districts are accepted, including the children of district employees. The school may accept inter- and/or intra-district transfers.
• Combined Enrollment Type School­ – A school in which enrollment is based on two or more of the five enrollment types listed above (e.g., a school which houses both a selective enrollment program and a zoned school on the same campus).
• Special Assignment School – A school in which students are ordered to attend by a juvenile court, juvenile board, or any other governmental entity (e.g., residential treatment facility, Texas Juvenile Justice Department, juvenile justice alternative education program, disciplinary alternative education program). Enrollment in these schools may or may not be based on the student’s home address. This school may be operated by an open enrollment charter school or an independent school district. This enrollment type may not be included in the Combined Enrollment Type School.

3. It is the policy of our district to only accept the children of school district employees, children of active duty military or disabled veterans, or siblings of current students. Do we classify our campuses as “Zoned School (transfers accepted)”?

Yes. If a campus has an attendance boundary and accepts transfers of any kind, it would be considered a Zoned School (transfers accepted).

4. We are a single campus district, and all students live within the school district’s boundaries.  Are we required to establish attendance zones as well?

School district boundaries define the geographic limits of school districts established under Chapter 11 of the Texas Education Code. School districts must submit information about their boundaries to TEA under https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.13.htm#13.010.

School attendance zones are geographic areas that a district uses to assign children to schools and are not required to be reported to the agency.

5. Our district operates a campus with selective performance criteria for enrollment. Additionally, it is the district’s policy to allow parents who reside outside of the district to apply for enrollment, but selection is made through an interview process. Which enrollment type would the campus select?

A school in which enrollment is based on two or more of the five enrollment types listed above would select Combined Enrollment Type School.

6. Our current policy allows transfers, but based on increasing enrollment, our district may incorporate a no-transfer policy for the next school year. Do we select our enrollment type based on current or future policy?

The district must make an enrollment type selection based on the policies in place for the current school year.

7. It is the policy of our district for students to be zoned to a campus based on their home address; however, we also have a transfer window prior to the beginning of each school year to allow parents to transfer to another campus within the district. We do NOT; however, accept transfers from another district. Which enrollment type would the campus select?

If a campus has an attendance boundary and accepts transfers of any kind, it would be considered a “Zoned School (transfers accepted)”.

8. We have a campus that houses both a magnet program with selective entrance criteria and a traditional campus with an attendance zone. Which enrollment type should we select?

If a campus serves more than one enrollment type, it would be considered a Combined Enrollment Type School­.

9. We are an open-enrollment charter school and operate a campus that serves adjudicated students. Would we be considered a Combined Enrollment Type School?

No. This campus would be considered a Special Assignment School. This enrollment type cannot be combined with any other enrollment type.