Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the district’s open enrollment program?
Open enrollment is a state law that allows students to attend schools outside of their resident school if the receiving school has the capacity to accept them. Catalina Foothills School District (CFSD) residents who wish to attend a school other than their home area school must apply under the open enrollment program as well as non-resident families.
Q: Are students accepted on a first-come, first-served basis?
All applicants who apply between December 1 and February 29 are given equal consideration for placement per governing board policy on open enrollment procedures. If capacity is insufficient to enroll all students to a particular grade in a particular school, then they shall be selected through a random selection process. If there is additional capacity to accept students after February 29, we will respond to applicants on a first-come, first-served basis until we believe we cannot accept any others or the start of the new school year, whichever comes first.
Q: What are my student’s chances of being accepted to CFSD?
Last year we had 648 students apply district wide and we accepted 619 of them. Denials were primarily due to class size limitations at specific schools or in specific programs.
Q: If the student must re-apply every year, is there a chance s/he will not be accepted?
Continuing open enrollment students and their siblings have priority for acceptance under the open enrollment program. The district recognizes the importance of continuity in a child’s education. We have never denied admission of an eligible continuing open enrollment student.
Q: Are there any restrictions on an open enrollment student?
Transportation is the responsibility of the student’s family. This responsibility applies to both resident and out- of- district open enrollment students. Once a student is accepted under open enrollment, s/he is a district student in all other aspects of his or her education and extracurricular activities. There are some Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) restrictions on high school students participating in AIA activities who transfer to other schools. Contact Jody Brase, athletic director at Catalina Foothills High School, if you have questions related to this issue.
Q: Can my student be placed on a waiting list for a future school year enrollment?
CFSD does not maintain a “waiting list” from year to year. Open enrollment applications are accepted December through February preceding the next school year (applications for 2008-2009 are accepted from December 1, 2007, through February 29, 2008; applications for 2009-2010 are accepted from December 1, 2008, through February 28, 2009, etc.). When open enrollment closes for a school, no applications are taken until the following open enrollment period. We do not accept applications after the start of the school year for admittance in that same year. Current students who move out of CFSD or their home CFSD school during the school year are considered by the superintendent on a case-by-case basis.
Q: If my student applies for open enrollment and decides not to attend, is s/he eligible for future school years?
S/he may apply again in future years. Acceptance for the current application period is not transferable to future years. Also, the student must enroll for the accepted school year prior to the first day of school.
Q: Will you accept applications from Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) residents?
Yes. We are accepting applications from families who reside within the attendance area of a TUSD school. If that particular school is under a court order of desegregation and TUSD notifies CFSD by April 1 that admittance to a CFSD school under open enrollment will violate the court order, we will consider that information when making a decision.
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