Kansas launched its K-12 open enrollment program at the beginning of the 2024–25 school year, allowing students to transfer to public schools other than their residentially assigned ones. Before this reform, school districts had significant discretion over non-resident transfers, rejecting applicants even if space was available in their schools.
Kansas' reform isn't unusual—since 2020, nine states have strengthened their open enrollment laws so students can attend public schools other than their assigned ones when there are extra seats. Yet some public school officials in the state, such as the superintendent of Olathe Public Schools, opposed letting students who live outside their boundaries transfer to fill open seats.
The irony now is that the same district that opposed better open enrollment laws could benefit significantly from non-resident transfers as it faces a $28 million budget deficit after losing almost 1,900 students since the pandemic.
