If the anticipated needs of all resident students and nonresident students of eligible Bellevue School District employees can be met, nonresident students may be allowed to attend school in the District if there is space available. See Procedure 3141P Nonresident Students for more information.

Note: A nonresident is anyone living outside of the Bellevue School District boundaries.

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, please wait until you receive the email before submitting it.


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.


What happens if we are placed on a waitlist?

If your student is placed on a waitlist, please plan on attending your resident school district.  Rest assured, if space becomes available Student Placement will contact families immediately with a placement offer, it is important to get students in their schools as soon as possible. There is no need to continually check with Student Placement to see if your student has changed their position on the waitlist.


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.




We do not live in the boundaries of the Bellevue School District; can my student attend your schools?

Most likely yes!  Many of our schools are accepting nonresident students. Nonresident students must be in good standing regarding grades, attendance and discipline in order to attend our schools.


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

Yes, new nonresident students who are interested in enrolling in a Bellevue School District school for the 2024-2025 school year need to first submit an application. Nonresident students cannot take the spot of a resident student so they will be placed on the lists after resident students. They will be placed on the waitlists in the order they apply (they are not placed in a lottery) so do not delay!


When can I apply?

New nonresident students who are interested in enrolling in a Bellevue School District school for the 2024-2025 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.


Can we apply for more than one school?

Applicants may apply for only one neighborhood (attendance area) school:

  • Elementary: Ardmore, Bennett, Cherry Crest, Clyde Hill, Enatai, Lake Hills, Medina, Newport Heights, Phantom Lake, Sherwood Forest, Somerset, Spiritridge, Stevenson, Woodridge
  • Middle: Chinook, Highland, Odle, Tillicum, Tyee
  • High: Bellevue, Interlake, Newport, Sammamish

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 and we are able to place nonresident students, we will contact you with a placement offer. If space is not available at the requested school in your students grade level we may contact you about other schools that have capacity.

Thank you for your patience as we go through this process.  We will contact you as quickly as possible but please know it may not be until around the start of school until we contact you.


Can my student apply for a Choice School or Program?

Nonresident students may apply for the following choice school/programs:

  • Kindergarten entry language programs – Arabic Bilingual Program (Ardmore), Hindi Bilingual Program (location to be determined), Korean Bilingual Program (location to be determined), Puesta del Sol (Spanish Immersion), Spanish Dual Language Program (Lake Hills, Sherwood Forest, or Stevenson)
  • 1st , 2nd or 3rd grade entry – Arabic Bilingual Program (Ardmore)
  • 6th grade entry – Big Picture

What if my student only wants to take a few classes?

Nonresident students will not be accepted for less than full-time enrollment.


When will I know if my student is accepted?

Although we hope to be able to offer a spot to nonresident students who apply to attend a BSD school, placement offers are dependent on enrollment numbers and staffing (actual or projected) at our schools.  Sometimes placement may not be offered until just before or just after the start of school in September so please make plans to attend school in your home district in the event we cannot offer your student a spot.  Your chances of being accepted into the Bellevue School District increase if you have flexibility regarding which school you would like your student to attend.


If my student is accepted, what is the process for enrollment?

If BSD can place your student, you will receive an email offer from Student Placement with next steps requesting nonresident paperwork & with enrollment instructions.


Will I need to provide residency documents?

Nonresident students who have been accepted to the Bellevue School District do not need to provide residency documents.

Instead, follow these directions during the enrollment process:

  • Select the “I will deliver a copy…” option when asked to upload residency documents.
  • Then, upload a copy of the confirmation email you receive after you submit the choice transfer request in the field titled “Choice Transfer Confirmation”.

Choice Transfer Request (CTR)

All nonresident students, including the children of eligible nonresident employees, who are attending the Bellevue School District, must submit a Choice Transfer to their resident school district (the one associated to their address) requesting to be released to the Bellevue School District.


We are a nonresident family. My student is currently enrolled at a BSD school.  We submitted a CTR at the time of enrollment do we need to submit another one?

Yes this is required each year, you must submit a Choice Transfer Request to the school district where you live, even if your student has never attended school in your resident school district.

Student Placement will email a reminder in January to renew your CTR for the upcoming school year. Please wait to submit the Choice Transfer until Student Placement asks for it as this helps create efficiencies.  And thank you in advance for submitting it as soon as you are asked.  Students who do not submit the Choice Transfer each year will be withdrawn.



The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.