About the Open Enrollment Act
With the Open Enrollment Act (SBX5 4, Chapter 3, 5th Extraordinary Session, 2010), the California State Legislature has taken the step of giving students from the 1,000 schools listed on the "Open Enrollment Schools" list the right to enroll in higher achieving schools.
The Open Enrollment Act, SBX5 4 (Romero), was signed into law on January 7, 2010, and became effective on April 14, 2010. The Open Enrollment Act provides students enrolled in one of the 1,000 “low-achieving” schools, hereinafter referred to as “Open Enrollment” schools, the option to enroll in a different school with a higher Academic Performance Index (API) than the pupil's school of residence.
Notification Letters
- Letter to County and District Superintendents (Dated 08-Oct-2010)
Notification of the status of county and district's Open Enrollment schools for the 2011-12 school year. - Letter to County and District Superintendents (Dated 12-Aug-2010)
Notification of the status of county and district's Open Enrollment schools for the 2010-11 school year.
Overview of Methodology
Overview of the methodology used to identify the 1,000 Open Enrollment schools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions and answers regarding the Open Enrollment Act.
Regulations & Legislation
Open Enrollment Emergency Regulations
Information regarding the emergency regulations and proposed rulemaking and comment period.
Open Enrollment Regulations
Title 5 California Code of Regulations (5 CCR), Section 4700 et seq., effective date January 1, 2011.
California Education Code sections 48350-48361 (Outside Source)
Data Reports
2011-12 School Year
Based on data available as of October 8, 2010.
- Open Enrollment Schools 2011-12
Search for an Open Enrollment school for the 2011-12 school year. - Open Enrollment Schools List 2011-12 (Posted 08-Oct-2010; XLS; 292KB; 26pp.)
All 1,000 Open Enrollment schools for the 2011-12 school year.
2010-11 School Year
Based on data available as of July 30, 2010. Please note that school information may have changed since July 30, and there may be schools on the list that are no longer enrolling students.
- Open Enrollment Schools 2010-11
Search for an Open Enrollment school for the 2010-11 school year. - Open Enrollment Schools List 2010-11 (Posted 12-Aug-2010; XLS; 179KB; 28pp.)
All 1,000 Open Enrollment schools for the 2010-11 school year.
Find a Higher Performing School
2010-11 School Year
To exercise your option to transfer under Open Enrollment for the 2010–11 school year, you will need to know your school of residence API score for the “2009 Base API”. You can find the “2009 Base API” on the CDE Open Enrollment Schools List 2010-11 (XLS; 179KB; 28pp.)
To find a school with a higher API score, go to API County List of Schools and select a county. Under “Select Report”, choose the "2009 Base API Report - List of Schools in the County." Review the second column, “2009 Base API” for the names of schools and API scores. Compare your current school of residence API score with the school you desire to attend. The score of the desired school must be higher than your school of residence in order for you to apply for transfer.
2011-12 School Year
To exercise your option to transfer under Open Enrollment for the 2011–12 school year, you will need to know your school of residence API score for the “2010 Growth API”. You can find the “2010 Growth API” on the CDE Open Enrollment Schools List 2011-12 (XLS; 292KB; 26pp.)
To find a school with a higher API score, go to API County List of Schools and select a county. Under “Select Report”, choose the "2010 Growth API Report - List of Schools in the County." Review the first column, “2010 Growth API” for the names of schools and API scores. Compare your current school of residence API score with the school you desire to attend. The score of the desired school must be higher than your school of residence in order for you to apply for transfer.
