The Department of Education considers other requests for transfers on a case-by-case basis. Be aware that all transfers can be difficult to come by and the more documentation you have to present your case, the better your chances of getting a transfer. The Office of Student Enrollment is the final authority when it comes to transfers.

On this page: General education | Students with disabilities

General education

The enrollment office may decide to grant a student a transfer for issues related to:

• Medical concerns, such as a child with asthma who does not have an IEP or Section 504 plan.
  
  
• Hardships, such as a parent's lack of child care and need for a school with after-school programming (elementary school only).
  
  
• Transportation difficulties when a student's school is particularly far away from home, usually a distance of 90 minutes or more.
  
  
• Sibling variances that would allow two siblings to attend the same school by transferring one of them (elementary school only).
  

• Sports for high school students who attend a school that is being phased out and who play a varsity sport that is no longer offered at the school. These students must be listed on the Public School Athletic League roster for the sport and may may apply for a transfer to another school that offers the varsity sport. If the transfer is granted, the student is not guaranteed a spot on the team at the new school but must try-out for a spot.

Elementary and middle school students who wish to attend a school other than their zoned school may apply for a "Placement Exception Request" (formerly called a "variance"). Pick up an application at a borough enrollment office.

For more information see Chancellor's Regulation A-101.

Transfers for students with disabilities

Children with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Children who are classified as needing special education services are entitled to a free appropriate public education, which includes an educational placement meeting their needs. Because some districts do not have programs that meet the needs of many of the children with disabilities in their district, children are entitled to attend schools in other districts. This is a right firmly established by a case called Jose P v. Mills.

Children with a Section 504 plan

Section 504 is part of a federal law that bans school districts from discriminating against students with physical or mental disabilities and requires school districts to provide accommodations for those students so that they can fully participate in school. If your child has a disability and you need a health transfer for reasons that relate to your child's disability, you can also request a transfer under Section 504. A possible accommodation for a child whose disability is affected by some aspect of the school (distance from home, air quality, etc.) would be transfer to another school.