Transferring to Another School

When available, targeted transfers are open to students residing in specific attendance zones or planning units*

Targeted Transfers for 2025-26: Rising K-5th grade students currently residing in specific planning units are eligible to apply.

Specific grade-level numbers of seats that will be offered will be shared by APS in January.

Elementary Targeted Transfers – Arlington Science Focus ES to Innovation ES

• Only certain planning units (PUs) are eligible.
• They are 23211, 24080, 24100, 24111, 24120. These PUs are walkable to Innovation.

• No transportation provided.

• Find your planning unit here.

Targeted Transfers

Example: “Superstar” Elementary School has the capacity for 20 additional students for the upcoming school year.  It shares a boundary with two other ESs (“Deep Creek ES” and “Turner ES”).

• All rising K-5 students currently residing in the the Deep Creek ES neighhorhood (with which Superstar shares a boundary) are eligible to apply to transfer to Superstar ES.

OR

• Any rising K-5 students who live in specific Planning Units (PUs) within the Deep Creek ES or Turner ES neighborhoods are eligible to apply for a transfer to Superstar ES.

*Planning units are defined neighborhood areas (see map). Every Arlington residential address is part of a planning unit. Find your planning unit using the Boundary (Attendance Area) Locator.This is just an example.  Participating schools and numbers vary year to year. An announcement regarding which schools, if any, will accept transfers for the following school year is made in early February after the January enrollment update to the Superintendent and the School Board.

Neighborhood Transfers

When available, neighborhood transfers are open to all APS students.

Neighborhood Transfers for 2025-26

Middle School Neighborhood Transfers – Williamsburg

Specific grade-level numbers of seats that will be offered will be shared by APS in January.

• Open to all students with priority to students whose elementary school attendance zones are Nottingham and Tuckahoe.

• No transportation provided.

Example: Awesome High School has the capacity for 40 additional students for the upcoming school year.

• ALL rising grades 9-12 students who attend an APS school are eligible to apply, but students from Happy High School have a priority in the lottery.

This is just an example.  Participating schools and numbers vary year to year. An announcement regarding which schools, if any, will accept transfers for the following school year is made in early February after the January enrollment update to the Superintendent and the School Board.

Neighborhood Transfers for 2025-26

No Neighborhood Transfers are planned for APS High Schools.

If more applications are received than there are seats available, APS will conduct a random, double-blind lottery to determine admission. Families DO NOT receive lottery results on the day of the automated lottery.

• Families will be notified of their acceptance or placement on the waitlist by email and/or text on the date specified in the Application Timeline.
• Families must confirm or decline attendance at the school or program within one week of notice.
• If families do not accept or decline their seat by the deadline, their seat will be given to the next student on the waitlist.
• If families apply to more than one school/program, their application will go into all lotteries simultaneously. 

Waitlists: Students who applied, but were not selected through the lottery process, will be placed in numerical order on a waitlist.

• Applications received after the deadline are placed at the bottom of the existing waitlist for the upcoming school year.
• When students on the waitlist are offered a seat, they have a one-week window to accept the slot. If the slot is not accepted within the one-week window, the offer will be rescinded and offered to the next student on the waitlist.
• Option seats are continuously filled throughout the school year as seats become available.

Parents and guardians are responsible for transportation when the student accepts a transfer to another neighborhood school that is accepting transfers unless otherwise directed by the School Board as part of another decision.

Families must submit a transfer application for each student. If a spot is received at the transfer school and the student enrolls at that school for the 2025-26 school year, the student is able to remain at that school until they are promoted to another school or graduate.

Neighborhood transfers are reevaluated annually.

There is no guarantee a space will be available for siblings at a school accepting transfers in future years.

In special situations, Arlington Public Schools may admit a student or place a student in an alternate school or program. Placements are based on aligning student needs with Arlington Public School’s services. The following special circumstances are considered for Administrative Placements:

Requests of Local Courts

The Superintendent or designee may, upon written request from a judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court of Arlington County, permit a student to transfer to an Arlington school other than the one serving his/her attendance area. Such a request shall be related to the student’s appearance before that judge or before a judge of a similar court in another jurisdiction and shall be based on the student’s court involvement.

Program Continuity

The Superintendent or their designee may place a student at a school to bridge short-term (typically one or two quarter) gaps in their instructional program.

Result of Disciplinary Actions

The Superintendent or their designee may place a student at a school as a result of a disciplinary incident.

Inability to Access Education

The Superintendent or their designee may place a student at a school if the student is unable to access the education at their assigned school due to repeated bullying or other similar documented situations.

Medical or Psychological Needs

The Superintendent or their designee may place a student at a school as a result of medical or psychological needs as certified by a medical professional.

         Additional documentation is required for a medical or psychological administrative placement request. Please read about the requirements below*.

Hardship

The Superintendent or their designee may place a student at a school as a result of hardships which make it difficult for the student or family to access APS services at their home school. The following are considered hardships:

1. 1. Death in the family
   2. Medical illness of the parent/legal guardian
   3. Financial difficulties

Requesting an Administrative Placement

If a student meets the aforementioned criteria, a family is able to request an administrative placement for a student(s) to be placed at a school other than their neighborhood school. Administrative placements are approved on a case-by-case basis and are based on the particular circumstances of a student’s situation pursuant to School Board Policy J-5.3.32 Administrative Placement. All administrative placement requests must be submitted for review by using the link to the Administrative Placement Request Form below.

You will have the opportunity to include details regarding the reason for your request and upload supporting documents.  The Administrative Placement committee only reviews supporting documentation submitted with the form to determine if the request meets criteria. Please note the following:

1. All requests require a written document explaining the reason for request.
2. Additional documentation is required for medical or psychological requests.
3. Additional documentation for all other requests is suggested.

2024-25 School Year Administrative Placement Request Form: English | Spanish | Монгол |  አማርኛ | العربية

• This form is ONLY for the 2024-25 School Year.  The Request Form for School Year 2025-26 placements will be available late April 2025.

For additional information or questions about Administrative Placement, please contact the Welcome Center at 703-228-8000 (option 1) or email adminplacements@apsva.us.

*Requirements for Medical or Psychological Cases:

Medical

In cases where medical reasons are involved, the following shall be submitted as an application:

(1) The parent or guardian must submit, in writing, the reason for the request. This is fulfilled by completing the request form and providing a narrative in the “additional information” section that details your reasons for a medical request.

(2) The parent shall submit permission for the Superintendent or designee to consult with the health care professional(s) that is treating the student by completing a Release of Information Form.

(3) A written recommendation for such transfer from a healthcare professional(s) (i.e., physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant), who is treating the student, including the reasons for the request and the probable length of such assignment.

(4) For students in grades 5 or above, a student narrative shall be included, unless circumstances are identified that justify omitting such a narrative.

When an application is complete (items 1-4 above), the Superintendent or designee, may consult with the principal, or their designee, of the sending and receiving schools, student services staff, a school health physician or nurse, a school psychologist, and additional APS staff may be consulted as needed to review the request and provide a response to the request within 60 school days.

Psychological

In cases where psychological reasons are involved, the following shall be submitted as an application:

(1) The parent or guardian must submit, in writing, the reason for the request. This is fulfilled by completing the request form and providing a narrative that details your reasons for a psychological request.

2) The parent shall submit permission for the Superintendent or designee to consult with any private mental health professional(s) that is working with the student by completing a Release of Information Form.

(3) A written recommendation for the transfer, from at least one mental health professional(s) (i.e. licensed clinical counselor, licensed clinical social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist), who is working with the student, stating the reasons for the request and the probable length of such assignment.

(4) For students in grades 5 or above, a student narrative shall be included, unless circumstances are identified that justify omitting such a narrative.

When an application is complete (items 1-4 above), the Superintendent or designee, may consult with the principals, or their designees, of the sending and receiving schools, student services staff, and a school psychologist, will review the request and provide a response. Additional APS staff may be consulted as needed.

APS will endeavor to process the completed request as soon as possible and within 60 school days. In the event the need for the transfer is urgent, APS will endeavor to provide a response more quickly.

When the packet is complete, send all documents to: adminplacements@apsva.us

The Options and Transfers Policy (J-5.3.31) and Policy Implementation Procedure (J-5.3.31 PIP-1) outline the process determined by the School Board that APS follows to ensure equitable access for all students to the available option school/programs and neighborhood transfers.

The Options and Transfers Policy (J-5.3.31) and Policy Implementation Procedure (J-5.3.31 PIP-1) outline the process determined by the School Board that APS follows to ensure equitable access for all students to the available option school/programs and neighborhood transfers.

View application data for option schools and programs.