WI DPI Press Release - Open Enrollment

OPEN ENROLLMENT SEATS FOR 2025-2026

The Board of Education is required to designate open enrollment spaces at the January 2025 board meeting. 

OPEN ENROLLMENT PROCESS

The regular open enrollment application period for the 2025-26 school year is February 3 - April 30, 2025. The best way to apply is online through the WI DPI Open Enrollment page.   A link to the online application is available on the WI DPI website. 

The school board must determine the number of regular education and special education spaces available within the school district at its January school board meeting.  The January board meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2025.  The number of seats available will be posted above.

If there are more applications than spaces available, approval and denial will be made on a random basis, not on a first-come, first-served basis. Thus, while it is better not to wait until the last day, the chances of approval are not dependent on when during the application period the form was submitted.  

Applications are first sorted into two groups.  Group A being currently attending students and their siblings who are entitled to a space-based preference.  Group B is all remaining applications.  If there is sufficient space to accept ALL applications in Group A, then each preference-eligible application shall be assigned to an available space, unless the application will be denied for a reason other than the application of space availability. 

If there is insufficient space for ALL applications in Group A and/or Group B, the applications will be subject to a random selection process.  The process will include the remaining applications that have not yet been assigned to an available space.  Each application will be assigned a number, and the numbers will be randomly drawn/selected.  Applications will be listed in the order in which they are randomly selected.  If no space is available in the relevant grade level for the drawn application, the application shall be denied due to lack of available space, but the student's application will be placed on the relevant waiting list.  

As any spaces become available, applications that have not been denied for any reason other than lack of space will be accepted from the waiting list(s).  The District may accept students from a waiting list until the third Thursday in September, but only if the student will be in attendance in the District on the third Friday in September.

A nonresident school district may deny open enrollment for the following reasons: Space is not available in the school, program, class or grade the pupil would attend. [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(5)(a)1.], The pupil is currently expelled and the expulsion will extend into the school year for which the application is submitted. [Wis. Stat. § 120.13(1)(f)], The pupil has been expelled during the current or preceding two school years for certain conduct specified in statute. [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(5)(a)2.], The pupil was habitually truant from the nonresident district during any semester in the current or previous school year. [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(5)(a)3.], The special education or related services required by the pupil’s individualized education program (IEP) are not available in the nonresident school district or there is no space in the special education or related services required by the pupil’s IEP. [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(5)(a)4.], The pupil has been referred for a special education evaluation but has not been evaluated. [Wis. Stat. § 118.51(5)(a)6.]

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

OPEN ENROLLMENT & SIBLINGS

Provided that the District has concluded that there is space available for the student whose application is under consideration and that such student’s application will not be denied pursuant to any of the other applicable acceptance/denial criteria, the District shall give immediate consideration to the application(s) of any remaining sibling-applicants in the same family who applied for open enrollment at the same time and whose application has not yet been considered. If there is a space available for the sibling (looking first at the student’s grade and then, if applicable, at special education spaces), then the sibling shall be assigned to the space(s) pending an analysis of all applicable remaining approval criteria. However, if there are no remaining spaces available to accommodate the sibling’s application, then the sibling’s application shall be denied due to lack of available space (and for any other reason(s) that may be applicable), but the sibling’s application will be placed next in line on the relevant waiting list(s).

TRANSPORTATION

Students who are open enrolled at Lake Country School may ride the school bus on a regular basis to and from Lake Country School provided the following:

1. There is a previously established route and space available on the bus.
2. There is a signed contract and payment has been to Lake Country School in the amount of $370.00 per child (per year).
3. Parent/guardian is responsible for getting the child to and from the bus stop, and supervising the child at the bus stop.

The transportation memo and contract links are below. The contract can only be approved if you have access to a bus stop that is already on a Lake Country School bus route. The bus company can not create a stop outside of our school district. If you are interested in signing a contract, please return the completed paperwork (2 documents) to: adkinsa@mylakecountryschool.org