2023-2024 Student Transfer Procedures & Guidelines

THE TRANSFER WINDOW IS CLOSED FOR THE 23-24 SCHOOL YEAR.  IF SPACE IS AVAILABLE, TRANSFERS WILL REOPEN ON SEPTEMBER 6th.

Transfer applications have been removed as the window is closed.  

DEFINITION: Transfer students are those who are wanting to attend a campus they are not zoned for. If you have moved into Hutto (currently living here, not waiting on a new build completion) or into a new Hutto campus zone and your child will attend the campus your home is zoned for, that child is not considered a transfer student. Proceed with either new student or returning student registration and update your address.

Hutto ISD will be open for transfer applications for the 2023-2024 school year beginning at 8:30am, Wednesday, March 1st until Friday, April 21, 2023. After April 21st, Hutto ISD will be closed to transfers until September 6th (with the exception of Hutto ISD employees hired after the close date.)  At that point, transfer forms will be accepted on a case by case basis as space is available.  

Transfer applications can not be accepted electronically.  All transfer applications must be filled out by a parent or legal guardian and should be submitted at the HISD Central Administration Building. (200 College Street, Hutto, TX 78634).  Hours are M-Th:8am-5pm, Fri: 8-4:30pm. No Applications will be accepted on the school campuses or without the required documentation and applicable fee listed below. The documentation requirement applies to students of Hutto ISD staff members as well.

• In District Transfer Applications must be accompanied by proof of residence, (most recent utility bill, mortgage statement or current lease), 22-23 Report Card/Grade Report showing full year to date grades (available in Family Access), attendance report for 22-23 (if not listed on the report card)(available in Family Access).
• Out of District Transfer Applications must provide the same documentation as an In District Transfer Applicant, PLUS a discipline report (if not currently on a transfer to a HISD school)(if the student did not have any discipline actions, a letter stating that fact from the school and signed by the registrar or school admin is needed). Students coming from a Homeschool situation need to provide a grade report from the curriculum/program they are using as well as the attendance, grade and discipline report from the last year in which they attended a brick and mortar school.
• Virtual Academy Transfer Applications (only available for 6th-12th grade) must provide 22-23 school year attendance report, discipline report, and full year-to-date report card (parent copies). 
  • Incoming 6-9th graders: must also include STAAR scores
  • Incoming 10th-11th graders: must include STAAR scores and transcript (unofficial, parent copy - found in Family Access for Hutto ISD Students under Report Cards). 
  • Current in-district Hutto ISD Virtual Academy students who attended HVA on approved transfers for the 22-23 school year do not need to reapply for a transfer to continue at HVA. 
  • Current out-of-district Hutto ISD Virtual Academy students will need to reapply for the 22-23 school year.
  • Need help filling out the transfer form for HVA? The HVA Admisssions page shows how to fill out the transfer form for HVA.
• Fees: A non-refundable administrative fee of $30 is assessed for transfer requests. Transfer applications will not be accepted without payment. Fee is waived for current full-time HISD employees, siblings of In District Special Programs transfers assigned to the same campus, (Dual Language, Bi-Lingual, Functional Academics, Solid Roots only) assigned to the same campus, and confirmed PEG applications.

NOTE 1: Do not withdraw your student from their current campus until you have received official, written approval of your transfer request.  Not all transfers are approved and withdrawing early could result in a truancy issue.

NOTE 2:  Transfers are only good for one academic year at a time and must be applied for, criteria met, and application fee paid annually. 

NOTE 3: District transportation (bussing) is not provided to transfer students.

Principals will evaluate space availability in each grade level/program and approve transfer requests based on this evaluation. Parents should be aware that the transfer request will not be approved if additional staff or classrooms are needed to accommodate the transfer student. Transfer requests must be submitted and approved each year and will be subject to space available. There are NO guarantees that children who transfer in will be able to continue at the requested campus in future school years. Please take this into consideration when applying for a transfer.

 The following grades/campuses are CLOSED to transfers (This list is subject to change due to enrollment/withdrawals)

• HUTTO MIDDLE SCHOOL - All grade levels CLOSED to NEW transfer applicants. Students who were on an approved transfer to HMS during the 22-23 school year may reapply.  Students of full time Hutto ISD staff may also apply. 

 STUDENT TRANSFER APPLICATION TIMELINE

• March 1, 8:30am – April 21, 2023: HISD will be accepting submissions for both In District and Out of District transfers.  Decisions will be communicated by mail on or about the first week of June.
• April 24 – Sept 5: HISD will be closed to transfer submissions. (Exceptions: HISD employees hired after due date)
• Sept 6, 2023-February 29, 2024: Transfer forms will be accepted and considered on a case by case basis as space is available

Schools will be open to accept student transfers on a SPACE- AND STAFFING-AVAILABLE basis. Space availability will be evaluated in each grade level/program and transfers approved based on this evaluation. Parents should be aware that the transfer request will not be approved if additional staff or classrooms are needed to accommodate the transfer student.  Projected enrollment for the campus must be below 95% of the capacity of the campus. Other criteria that may be used on campuses that are near 95% and in high growth areas include:

• Elementary Grades K-5: The principal may approve transfers in kindergarten through grade 4 if the projected enrollment is less than or equal to a 19:1 ratio, in grade 5 that ratio is 22:1.

There are NO guarantees that children who transfer in will be able to continue at the requested campus in future school years.

It is important to consider that your child may not be able to continue in the feeder pattern of a school he/she transfers into, since every school and grade level is evaluated every year.

Example: If you have two or more children, one may be accepted as a transfer student into an open school for this year because space is available in his/her grade level. However, a sibling’s transfer may be denied because space is not available in his/her grade level.

The parents and students requesting a transfer must agree to abide by the school’s standards for academic progress, attendance, discipline, and parental cooperation.

Transfers are granted for one year only and will be reviewed annually. A transfer student may not return to the home campus during that school year unless a written request to rescind the transfer is made by the parent AND both principals agree to an earlier return.

ESTABLISHED RESIDENCY PRIOR TO TRANSFER REQUEST
Elementary students new to Hutto ISD must attend their home campus for at least one grading period (5 weeks) before requesting a transfer, although extenuating circumstances will be considered on a case-by-case basis. HISD employees are exempt from this provision.

RESIDENT STUDENTS WHO BECOME NONRESIDENTS
A resident student, who becomes a nonresident during the course of a school year, shall be permitted to continue in attendance for the remainder of the current semester provided that attendance, behavior, and academic expectations are met. To remain until the end of the school year, a transfer form (fee waived), approved by the campus principal, will need to be submitted to HISD Central Administration with the student’s nonresident address for coding purposes. 

NONRESIDENT HISD EMPLOYEES
Children of nonresident HISD employees shall be eligible to attend district schools in accordance with DEB (LOCAL) and the provisions of the policy.  Non-resident employees may enroll their children in HISD schools with no tuition charge, according to the following stipulations:

1. HISD shall assign the student to the school of the employee’s choice annually based on space availability.
2. If space is not available at the campus preferred by the employee, HISD shall assign the student to a campus with space available nearest the preferred campus. This policy shall be reviewed annually to ensure it is economically feasible to continue this practice.
3. Transfers for employee staff children are contingent upon continued employment with Hutto ISD. Should an employee terminate their employment/contract with Hutto ISD the transfer is void.

Approval of transfer requests is subject to the student's good standing in attendance, behavior, grade and tardies, as well as program space availability.

Once the application and processing fee is received, the transfer application will be reviewed for approval/denial. The processing timeline is dependent on time of year, as well as priority of transfer. Priority levels are as follows:

• In District students with a Special Program sibling assigned to the same campus (Dual Language, Bi-Lingual, Functional Academics, Solid Roots)(Transfer fee waived upon verification for In District transfers only))
• Students of HISD employees
• Extenuating Circumstances*
• Other

NOTE:  Should there not be enough space to accept an otherwise approved transfer, HISD will use the lottery method for picking students. 

*Extenuating circumstances may include documented medical, psychological, or other special needs of students who seek to remain on a campus that they have attended for at least the previous year. The Board’s designee will investigate the petitions submitted on these grounds by consulting with the professional staff at the requested school. If campus professionals concur that there is risk of harm to the student by reassigning him/her, the request to remain will be given priority consideration.

Unfortunately, Hutto ISD will not be able to approve all student transfer requests, as noted above.  A student transfer request may be denied for the following reasons and/or for principal/superintendent designee discretion:

• No space available at the requested grade level/campus.
• The information provided on the Application form is erroneous.
• The student has a history of documented Student Code of Conduct infractions and/or commits a violation of the Student Code of Conduct, which results in an assignment to the District or Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program. These denials may not be appealed.
• Documented patterns of truancy, late arrivals, and/or late pick-ups requiring the supervision of the child by school staff. These denials may not be appealed.
• Poor academic performance.
• The principal has denied the previous year’s transfer request.
• The parent/guardian is no longer an employee of Hutto ISD.
• The educational needs of the student can be met at the zoned campus.  
• A parent does not cooperate with school staff or if they falsify information for the purpose of transfer approval.  Parent/Guardians may be punished under the Texas Penal Code, Chap. 37, Sec. 37.10 for falsified information. 

The legal residence of a student and his or her parent(s) or legal guardian establishes the high school in which the student is eligible for competition in school-sponsored athletic contests. The legal residence requires that the parent(s) or legal guardian and student(s) actually live in the attendance area, receive mail at the residence, and plan to continue to live there.

If a student’s residence is outside of the Hutto ISD attendance zone, the student would be ineligible for varsity competition according to UIL rules for one calendar year starting with the first day of enrollment.

Regardless if the student's residence is in or outside of the Hutto ISD attendance zone, students must complete a Previous Athletic Participation Form which then needs to be approved by the District Executive Committee.

For more information about athletic eligibility, please contact HISD Athletic Director, Bradley LaPlante, 737-327-5746 or email bradley.laplante@huttoisd.net.