Nonresident – Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bellevue School District accepting applications from new students who do not live in the BSD boundaries?

New nonresident students who are interested in enrolling in a Bellevue School District school for the 2023-2024 school year may submit their information to be added to the waitlist beginning December 11th at 9:00 am.  A link will be on the Transfer Into the Bellevue School District page at the BSD website. You may select one school. You will be able to indicate whether you are interested in other schools if space is available. If space becomes available at the requested school or at another school and we are able to place nonresident students, we will contact you with a placement offer. If you accept we will  respond with next steps requesting nonresident paperwork & provide enrollment information.

Because many of our schools are at or above capacity you should make plans to attend school in your home district. Placement offers are dependent on enrollment numbers and staffing (actual or projected), sometimes placement may not be offered until September. Interdistrict Transfer Applications and Choice Transfer Requests submitted without receiving a placement offer will be denied. 

If I am an employee of the Bellevue School District (BSD) but I live outside the District (nonresident), can my student attend a BSD school?

Yes.  If you are an eligible nonresident employee (.4 FTE or 16 hours/week) of the Bellevue School District and your child is not currently enrolled in a BSD school, you will need to submit an Open Transfer application requesting the school you wish your student to attend. If you missed the Open Transfer application period you may submit a Transfer Request waitlist application.

I am a nonresident employee of the Bellevue School District (BSD), can my student apply for a Choice School or Program?

Yes, as an eligible BSD employee your student will be considered the same as a resident student in the application process. They may apply to be included in the incoming lotteries or apply to be added to the waitlist.

• If your student’s grade is incoming kindergarten or 6th grade and you are interested in Choice Schools/Programs, please submit a Choice School/Program entry level application if you wish your student to be included in the entry level lotteries.
• If your student is not entry level or you missed the application period you may submit a waitlist application.

Refer to the email sent to your @bsd405.org email address for additional information.

I am an eligible BSD employee, what if my current BSD student is changing school levels to middle or high school?

Your student will be approved to continue in the feeder pattern as long as they remain in good standing. Student Placement will email the request to submit a Choice Transfer Request to your resident district in January.

My student currently attends a BSD school and will continue enrollment at the same school next year. I’ve already submitted a Choice Transfer Request for this year, do I need to submit another one for next year?

Yes. You must submit a Choice Transfer Request to your resident district each year. You can click on this link to access the Washington State Choice Transfer Request Parent Portal.

I live outside of the Bellevue School District (nonresident) and my student currently attends a Bellevue School District school.  Can my student return to BSD next year?

If your student is in good standing they will be approved to continue in the feeder pattern. You will receive an email in late January requesting that you renew your Choice Transfer Request. Please submit it by the requested deadline.

What if my current BSD student is changing school levels to middle or high school?

Your student will be approved to continue in their current feeder pattern as long as they are in good standing.

What if I miss the nonresident application period?

You may apply to the waitlist, a link will be available on the Transfer Into the Bellevue School District webpage of the BSD website. Applicants will be placed on the waitlist in the order the applications are received. The nonresident waitlist will be available until October 1st, it will not be carried over from year to year.

How many schools can we apply for?

You may apply for one school per student. You will be asked on the application if you are interested in other schools if space is available. If you submit applications to multiple schools for the same student, all your applications may be denied.

Can we apply multiple times to one school to improve our chances?

No.  Any student with multiple requests will be removed from consideration and all requests will be denied.