Open Enrollment

Child's Birth Certificate or Passport

• Kindergarten students must be a minimum age 5 before Oct. 1.
• First grade students must be a minimum age 6 before Oct. 1.
• If applicable, also provide proof of guardianship of the child if your name is not listed on the child's Birth Certificate.  This may be a signed (by all parties) Power of Attorney or signed legal documentation granted by the court system.
• If applicable, provide proof of a legal name change if your name is different now than what is listed on the child's Birth Certificate.

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If you own your home, provide ONE of the following:

• Signed Warranty Deed (provided at closing)
• Current or last month's utility bill (i.e. gas, electric, home landline telephone, water, trash, cable or internet).  The utility bill MUST show parent/legal guardian's name and service address (and mailing address).  The complete bill and remittance portion still attached may be required.

If you rent/lease your home, provide ONE of the following:

• Current signed lease or rental agreement that has been signed by all parties.  Landlord's contact information must be provided.
• Current or last month's utility bill (i.e. gas, electric, home landline telephone, water, trash, cable or internet).  The utility bill MUST show parent/legal guardian's name and service address (and mailing address).  The complete bill and remittance portion still attached may be required.

If your family is living with another family, provide BOTH of the following:

• Current or last month's utility bill (i.e. gas, electric, home landline telephone, water, trash, cable or internet).  The utility bill MUST show the owner/renter's name of whom your family lives with and service address (and mailing address).  The complete bill and remittance portion still attached may be required.
• Current letter from the owner/renter of the residence with whom your family lives with stating the length of time you will be staying, the address, your names and contact information.

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What is Open Enrollment?

Open Enrollment is a process that families may use to acquire permission for their student(s) to attend a school other than their designated household neighborhood school.

Which BVSD schools do not have an attendance area and how can I enroll into one of them? 

​The following schools do not have an attendance area:  Peak to Peak K-12 Charter School, University Hill Elementary School, Community Montessori School, High Peaks Elementary School, Boulder Community School of Integrated Studies (BCSIS), Pioneer Elementary School, Horizons K-8 Charter School, Summit Middle Charter School, New Vista High School, Arapahoe Ridge High School, Nevin Platt Middle School CHOICE, and Boulder Universal Online School are charter or focus schools and do not have attendance areas.  An Open Enrollment application must be submitted to pursue enrollment into one of these schools.

Is the Open Enrollment application different than Online Registration?

Yes.  Open Enrollment applications and the neighborhood enrollment application are two separate processes.  An Open Enrollment application is used to request a seat to a school of choice.  The neighborhood enrollment application system is used when enrolling into a BVSD school for the first time or returning after having left a BVSD school.

How many school choices can I select on the application?

One school choice is the minimum and up to three school choices is the maximum allowed to be selected for each applicant.

What documentation will I need when I apply?

Please refer to the Required Documentation section on this site.

My family lives outside the boundaries of Boulder Valley School District, can we apply to attend through Open Enrollment?

Yes.  All families are welcome to apply for Open Enrollment.  You are not required to reside within the BVSD boundaries to apply - even if your household is in another state/country.

May I submit an application for my child for the same grade they are currently attending?

No.  Families are unable to retain or advance their students through the Open Enrollment process.  If there are concerns regarding the student's currently enrolled grade, reference the retention/advancement procedure in the BVSD Board Policy IKE for grades KG-08.

May I submit more than one application per student?

No.  Per BVSD School Board Policy, only one application per student, per school year may be submitted.  Multiple applications will be deleted without notice.  The application is designed to apply for all students in the family to apply at once and up to 3 school choices can be selected for each applicant.  Be prepared to fill out choices for all students (if interested) as you will not be allowed to go back into the application once it has been submitted.

When I complete the Open Enrollment application, which address should I use?

Families must use the household address where the student currently lives at the time of application (even if the address is out of district/state) and where they sleep the majority of the time in the case of dual households.  A proof of residence for the household address is required for an Open Enrollment application.  For more information please see the Required Documentation section below.

If all of the students in my household attend BVSD schools and all are listed on the application, but only I only want to open enroll one student , do I need to fill something out for the rest of the students in my household?

Yes.  The application will not allow families to submit/finalize the application without checking the box stating "I do not wish to open enroll this student" under each student's profile of which you do not desire to apply for open enrollment.

How will I be notified if my child is accepted through Open Enrollment?

BVSD will send notifications via email.  Only one email address is allowed per our software system and cannot be edited after the application has been submitted.  Providing a current and valid email address for contact ensures families receive communication about their application.  Families are recommended to add bvsd.campus.messenger@bvsd.org to their list of safe senders.  We will only make telephone seat offers when there is not an email address on file.

Is my student’s neighborhood school’s seat being forfeited when accepting another elementary, middle, K-8 or multi-level program?

Yes.  The selected school becomes the school of attendance through the highest grade at that school.

Where can I find historical data regarding schools and open enrollment?

You may view our Open Enrollment Matrices for more information.

Can I submit the application before November 1, 2020?

No.  The online open enrollment application will not be available before November 1, 2020 at 8:00am.

Does it matter when I submit my application?

The on time Open Enrollment application window is from November 1, 2020 (8:00a.m. MST) through January 6, 2021 (4:00p.m. MST).  Open Enrollment applications submitted on time before the deadline are processed through a lottery, not "first come, first served."  Any application submitted during this time will be entered into the lottery; special preference is not given to those that apply on the first day.

Any applications submitted after the on-time deadline (beginning on January 6, 2021 at 4:01p.m. MST) through August 31, 2021 (4:00p.m. MST) are considered late applications where no preferences are applied (such as previously attended a school, sibling attends or child of a BVSD employee) and applicants are added to any existing wait list(s) at the selected school(s)/grade based on the date/time submitted.

When and where can I submit an Open Enrollment application?

The on-time Open Enrollment application window is from November 1, 2020 (8:00a.m. MST) through January 6, 2021 (4:00p.m. MST).  The online application for families with students currently enrolled in BVSD is found in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal.  After logging in to the Portal, the application can be found by selecting "More" then "Open Enrollment Application".  Applicants who do not currently attend BVSD schools can apply by clicking on the red buttons above on this website.

**NOTE: An application is not complete until a big red "SUBMIT" button is clicked at the very end of the application.  A confirmation email is automatically emailed to the email address entered on the application.**

I missed the January 6, 2021 4:00p.m. deadline.  Am I still able to apply for Open Enrollment?

Yes.  If the January 6, 2021 4:00p.m. MST on-time application deadline was missed, a family may submit a late Open Enrollment application and be added to the bottom of any existing wait list(s) for the school(s)/grade requested.

How can I apply if I do not have online access?

Families with limited or no online access are encouraged to use computers available for this purpose at their closest BVSD school or the Open Enrollment Office between November 1, 2020 - August 31, 2021.  The Open Enrollment application can also be accessed by many mobile telephones. 

When will I be notified of an acceptance?

Notifications of Acceptance and/or Wait list Position(s) (from the original pool of on-time applicants) will be sent on or about the end of January via email to the email address originally entered at the beginning of the online application.

If your application is submitted after the on-time application window, see the Open Enrollment  Waitlist Information Page to see when you will be notified of an acceptance.

What if my student is placed on a wait list?

Information regarding how an offer is made from a wait list can be found on the Open Enrollment  Wait list Information Page.

What should I do if I do not receive a notification about Open Enrollment?

Parents/guardians that have not received an email regarding acceptance/wait list positions (from the original pool of on-time applicants) to the email address submitted on the application by February 8, 2021 are responsible for contacting the Open Enrollment Office for an update.  Please check your email's SPAM/junk folder before contacting our office.

*Note:  Late applicants will not automatically receive an email listing their wait list positions.  It is the parent/guardian's responsibility to contact our department at least 2 business days after submitting the application to receive the applicant's wait list position(s) at their selected school(s)/grade.

Are preferences given to on-time open enrollment applicants AND late applicants?

No.  Preferences can only be applied to on-time applicants that submit their open enrollment applications between the November - January dates listed in the Important Dates section above.  Late applicants cannot receive any preferences listed below.

General Preferences:

Preference is given to open enrollment applicants as follows:

1. Sibling preferences are tiered accordingly:

a.  A new student, whether they reside inside or outside of the district, whose sibling has been in attendance and will be attending the requested school the following year.

b. A sibling of a student accepting placement during the same open enrollment period.

i. When multiple siblings apply for open enrollment at the same school, they will be linked as siblings in the lottery process.

2.  A student of an eligible employee, whether they reside inside or outside of the district.  Eligible employees are those who are at the benefit level for each of their respective employee groups, i.e. 20 hours per week or more for classified and .50 FTE for licensed and professional/technical employees.

3. BVSD students wishing to return to their designated neighborhood school.

4. Students who reside within the boundaries of BVSD.

5. Students who reside outside the boundaries of BVSD.

In the case of siblings applying to the same school, if one child receives a Notification of Acceptance, does this mean the others will automatically also be accepted to the same school?

No.  If one applicant is offered a seat at the requested school, their sibling(s) applying for the same school (with the intention to attend together in the same school year) will receive a higher preference when placed on the wait list.  Acceptance is not guaranteed.

I am a current BVSD employee, does my applicant receive an employee preference to attend BVSD charter schools? 

​No.  Parents/guardians of the applicant must be employed at the charter school of interest at the time of the open enrollment application to receive the employee preference.  See the specific charter school's preference section on this website for more details.

*Note:  Parent/guardian employment is verified through Human Resources before the open enrollment preference is given to the applicant; substitute teachers/staff are not eligible for any employee preferences for their applicants.

I am a current employee at one of BVSD's charter schools, does my applicant receive an employee preference when applying to other schools in BVSD?

No.  Applicants only receive an employee preference to the charter school where their parent/guardian is currently working at the time of the open enrollment application.  Applicants will not receive employee preference to open enroll at any other school in BVSD.  

*Note:  Parent/guardian employment is verified through Human Resources before the open enrollment preference is given to the applicant; substitute teachers/staff are not eligible for any employee preferences for their applicants.

Do students who have special needs or are gifted receive preference in the open enrollment process? 

No.  Seat offers are based on space availability at the requested school(s)/grade.  Students are selected by random lottery without special consideration for needs or ability.  Once an offer is made to the applicant, the seat is held until an IEP review is completed by the school.

Does my applicant receive preference in their current school's feeder system?  For example, after open enrolling/attending to Louisville Elementary School, I would like my applicant to now attend to Louisville Middle School.

No.  Students do not receive preference for open enrollment to the next feeder school.

*Note:  After completing elementary or middle levels, students are automatically enrolled to their household's designated neighborhood school at the next level unless they are accepted via open enrollment to an alternate middle or high school.  BVSD enrollments for students living out of district will end at the end of the school year at the current level unless they are accepted via open enrollment back into a BVSD school at the next level.

Peak to Peak K-12 Charter School Preferences: 

1. Children of current or past members of Peak to Peak’s Board of Directors. 

2. Children of original subscribers.

3. Children of staff who are employed at Peak to Peak for an average of 10 hours or more per week and children of teachers who are employed by Peak to Peak.

4. Siblings of students attending Peak to Peak during the Open Enrollment application period and will be attending Peak to Peak the next school year.

5. Siblings of students who are currently seniors during the open enrollment period.

6. Siblings of students who have been selected for admission into Peak to Peak.

7. A resident student, who applies during the open-enrollment period, is placed on the waiting list, is not offered admission before the next lottery period, and re-applies for admission in the immediately successive open enrollment period.

8. Students who live within the BVSD boundaries.

9. Students who live outside of BVSD boundaries who have previously applied to Peak to Peak, is not offered admission before the next lottery period, and re-applies for admission in the immediately successive open enrollment period.

10. Students who live outside the BVSD boundaries.

Horizons K-8 Charter School Preferences: 

1. Children of Faculty (licensed, non-temporary employee) employed in a licensed Faculty position of 0.25 F.T.E. or greater, whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries.
2. Sibling of a student who is attending and will be attending Horizons the following year. EQUAL preference with children of faculty employed in a licensed temporary full-time, temporary part-time or temporary job-share Faculty position, with a one year contract of 0.25 F.T.E or greater (whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries).
3. Sibling of a student who is assigned in the current year.
4. Children of non-licensed Staff in their 2^nd consecutive year, or subsequent, of employment at 25% or greater (i.e., 10+ hours/week), whether they reside inside or outside the BVSD boundaries.
5. Other community preferences as already stated in BVSD Policy JECC-R.

 2.  Family Income: This preference applies to in district applicants who submit an optional current year Family Economic Data Survey (submitting the survey is optional) as part of their online open enrollment application and qualify as low-income and who reside within a 1 ½ mile walking distance of the Aurora 7 school site (refer to map BCSIS/High Peaks) until 20% of the qualifying entering Kindergarten-aged children are enrolled.

3.  Geographic Area: If 20% of the seats reserved for low-income students are not filled, then an additional preference is applied before the regular selection process. In this case, the next tiered preference would be for students eligible for low-income status who reside south of Colorado and west of Cherryvale Rd and east of 4th Ave. (refer to map BCSIS/High Peaks) until 20% of the low-income qualifying entering Kindergarten-aged students are enrolled; transportation would be provided.

4.  After these preferences are met, the regular selection process will apply.

Lafayette Area Elementary School Preferences: 

Pioneer Elementary School is a Focus School and follows focus school procedures with the addition of the geographic preference below.  Lafayette Elementary School, Ryan Elementary School, and Alicia Sanchez Elementary School are Neighborhood Focus Schools.  This means that the neighborhood preference applies before the geographic preference for these three schools:

1. Sibling preferences as per the regular selection process.
2. Geographic Area: This preference applies to applicants who reside inside the boundaries of any of the Lafayette/Erie schools of BVSD; i.e. the attendance boundaries of each school in Lafayette.
3. After these preferences are met, the regular selection process will apply.

Are there any special requirements if I am applying to University Hill Elementary School or Pioneer Elementary School? 

Yes.  Native English speaking students in grades 1st through 5th should have an educational background in a bilingual program and will be assessed by the school to determine program appropriateness prior to final acceptance.  Detailed instructions on how to complete the assessment are outlined in the Notification of Acceptance once an applicant is offered a seat.

Does it matter in what order I select my schools? 

Yes.  All higher choice (on-time) applicants will receive an offer before lower choice applicants at the requested school(s)/grade, regardless of preference.  For example, all 1st choice applicants are offered a seat before 2nd choice applicants are offered a seat and so on.

Does selecting only one school increase chances of acceptance in open enrollment? 

No.  Selecting one school does NOT increase or reduce chances of being accepted to the requested school.

If my applicant receives a Notification of Acceptance for a lower school choice, will they still be considered for higher choices, including the first school choice?

Yes, regardless of whether you accept or decline a lower school choice,  your student will still be considered for any higher choices as space becomes available during the wait list period (through the first day of school or September if charter school). 

If your applicant prefers to be removed from the higher school's waitlist(s), you may request that applicant be removed by emailing the request to open.enrollment@bvsd.org so no further offers can be made. 

Is it possible to be considered for a lower choice once my applicant has been offered their first choice school?

Is it possible to add more school choices to my application once it has been submitted?

No.  Applications are final once they have been submitted to better serve our large volume of applicants.  Applicants may not edit their applications after submitting them as they will be locked.  We ask that you be sure of your school choices before submitting.  

Alternatively, applicants may send a request to add/change school choices to open.enrollment@bvsd.org.  Our department staff may make manual changes to your school choices in some cases with the exception that our software requires all school choice waitlist positions must be reset to the requested date of the change as if the application was submitted on the date of the request.  For example, if your applicant's waitlist position was #5 at the requested school/grade on the original date of application submission, the applicant's new waitlist position will be moved to today's date (if requested today) and the prior waitlist position is lost at all requested schools.

Common Scenarios:  Moved within district boundaries and wish to remain enrolled

Scenario:  My children have attended our neighborhood school(s) in the city of Boulder schools for years, but we recently moved to the city of Louisville and I would like for them to continue attending their current schools where they are comfortable, what can I do?

Action:  Families may complete an on-time Open Enrollment application and provide their new in-district proof of address (see the Required Documentation below for a list of acceptable proof).  The student will receive one of the higher preferences to remain attending their current school.  Acceptance is not guaranteed.  A seat must be available at that school/grade for your student to receive an offer.  If there are families that have also moved within district boundaries and would also like to remain enrolled at the current school (such as your family), then they too will share this preference and would be in competition for a seat.   *Late applicants cannot receive this preference, see Preferences section above.

Common Scenarios:  Moved out of district boundaries and wish to remain enrolled

Scenario:  My child has been enrolled in BVSD for years but we recently moved to a new home outside of BVSD boundaries.  I would like my student to remain enrolled at their current school, what can I do?

Action:  When families move to another Colorado school district, the student would be enrolled in the new district belonging to their new address.  However, families may submit on-time Open Enrollment applications in attempts to remain enrolled at their current BVSD school of attendance.  There is a preference given to applicants that have moved out of district, however, it is lower than that of students that reside within BVSD boundaries.  Given that there are enough seats available, the student may receive a seat offer.  *Late applicants cannot receive this preference, see Preferences section above.

My family's household will be moving in the future, can I apply for open enrollment now if I wish to have my child remain attending their current school?

No.  Families cannot apply to remain at their current school until the move (out of neighborhood boundaries and/or out of district boundaries) has taken place.  The open enrollment application is based on the current household address of the student at the time of application.

When I try to apply from my Infinite Campus Parent Portal, I get a blank screen? (current BVSD students only)

1. You may be listed as a secondary household guardian for the child in our student data system.  Our software allows only primary household guardians to submit open enrollment applications through their Infinite Campus Parent Portal.  Secondary household guardians may still apply for their child to open enroll but need to bypass this software requirement by submitting an open enrollment application as if the applicant is new to the district, see the red button option above on this website.
2. You may not be linked as a parent/guardian to the child in our student data system.  Please see your child's school's Registrar to correct this error.  Our department may also assist in the event the schools are closed.  Once you are linked,  you can proceed with applying.
3. You may have your own profile linked to an employee account (if current/prior BVSD employee) or the profile may be linked to your own student profile if you previously attended schools in BVSD.  Please see your child's school's Registrar to correct this.  Our department may also assist in the event the schools are closed.  Once corrected, you can proceed with applying.

The open enrollment application does not allow me to select any schools, how can I choose my schools?

The open enrollment application allows selection of up to three different schools per applicant.  If you were not allowed to select any schools, it is possible that you may have used the wrong application and/or selected box indicating you do not wish to open enroll.

I have already submitted an open enrollment application for one of my children, now I need to submit one for my other children but the application will not allow me to go back into my first application?

Applications are final once they are submitted and cannot be edited.  Our software is recognizing your previous application via your email address.  You may submit another open enrollment application for your other children using an alternate email address.  You will not be able to apply through the Infinite Campus Parent Portal, you will need to instead submit an open enrollment application as if the applicant is new to BVSD.  Refer to the red buttons above on this website.

If all of the students in my household attend BVSD schools and all are listed on the application, but only I only want to open enroll one student , do I need to fill something out for the rest of the students in my household?

Yes.  The application will not allow families to submit/finalize the application without checking the box stating "I do not wish to open enroll this student" under each student's profile of which you do not desire to apply for open enrollment.

**NOTE: An application is not complete until a big red "SUBMIT" button is clicked at the very end of the application.  A confirmation email is automatically emailed to the email address entered on the application.**

My household is within BVSD boundaries but the application says my address is "out of district".  How can I fix this?

Our system needs to see each address exactly as it asks for it in order for it to be recognized and assign schools.  Be sure that under the Home Address section you have only entered numbers into the "Street Number" section with no spaces; used the drop down in "Direction" if your address includes South, West, North, etc; only entered the street name under "Street Name" with no spaces or street type typed out (Avenue, Street, Court, etc.); used the drop down under "Street Type" to select the type of street your address has.

If all of the above is correct and you have not entered extra spaces, symbols or numbers then your address may be new to our software and will therefore not recognize it.  The default language it will display will be "out of district" if it is not recognized.  Our department examines each individual application before processing and the address section is top priority.  Our team will "fix" your address for you before it goes on to the next step.

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How do I accept the seat offer?

Current BVSD student applicants (presently attends a BVSD school):

The student will be automatically enrolled by our department to the offered school for the following school year.  No further action is necessary on your part.

New or returning BVSD student applicants (does not presently attend a BVSD school):

Parents/Guardians must complete the Online Registration (OLR) process to enroll.  Please refer to your Notification of Acceptance for more information.  The student cannot be enrolled until this process is complete.

If my student received a Notification of Acceptance and I no longer want the seat, what steps do I need to take to decline?

Parents/guardians requesting to decline a seat must contact the Open Enrollment office via email at open.enrollment@bvsd.org within 10 days (or what deadline the notification states) of emailed notice.  Unless the seat is promptly declined, the student forfeits their seat at their current BVSD school even if it is the student's designated neighborhood school.  The new school of choice becomes the school of attendance through the highest grade offered at the school.

What happens if I do not decline the seat on time?

Our department will transfer an existing enrollment to the school that the student was accepted into via Open Enrollment.  Without actively declining a seat within the deadline outlined on the Notification of Acceptance, the student automatically forfeits their seat at their current BVSD school for the following school year, even if it is the student's designated neighborhood school.  No appeals can be made after the deadline.

Will an enrollment transfer be completed if I received a Notification of Acceptance for New Vista High School and/or Arapahoe Ridge High School? 

You must call New Vista High School or Arapahoe Ridge High School as instructed on the offer to schedule a family interview with a staff member.

Do I need to fill out an open enrollment application every year for my child?

No.  The approval is valid through the highest grade at the selected school (8th grade if K-8, etc.) unless the household address changes to an address outside of district boundaries.  

I received a Notification of Acceptance and I want to defer it, can I can do that?

Open enrollment does not defer seat offers into a different year. If you are not planning on your child attending the school of choice beginning the immediate Fall, please decline the seat promptly to avoid forfeiting your seat at your current BVSD school.

If my applicant received a Notification of Acceptance for a lower school choice, will they still be considered for higher choices, including the first school choice?

Yes, regardless of whether you accept or decline a lower school choice,  your student will still be considered for any higher choices as space becomes available during the wait list period (through the first day of school or September if charter school). 

If your applicant prefers to be removed from the higher school's waitlist(s), you may request that applicant be removed by emailing the request to open.enrollment@bvsd.org so no further offers can be made. 

What if my applicant received multiple offers for schools on the same day?

Your next step is to contact our department at open.enrollment@bvsd.org to indicate which school you wish to accept.  If you do not do so promptly, our department will enroll to the highest school choice offer assuming your lower interest in the lower choice school.