Controlled Open Enrollment Choice Options
In addition to the established attendance zone, career academies and programs of choice, the St. Johns County School District will provide additional options for school assignment based on Controlled Open Enrollment in accordance with Florida Statute 1002.31. The following controlled choice options are permitted pursuant to School Board Rule 5.03 and will provide additional opportunities for students to attend a school other than their zoned school and will provide parents greater choice options. The Controlled Open Enrollment process and procedures are set forth in this Section IV.
Determination of Capacity
A determination of the schools with available capacity is updated every 12 weeks, and will be posted on the School District’s website at the following link: www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/choice. Specifications, plans, elements and commitments contained in the School District’s Educational Plant Survey, Five Year District Facilities Work Plan and long-range student projections are incorporated into the District’s capacity determinations for Controlled Open Enrollment.
For the 2023-2024 school year, a school will be subject to Controlled Open Enrollment when it has been determined that the school’s enrollment is less than 80% of permanent Florida Inventory of School House (FISH) capacity. This determination takes into account the rapid enrollment growth in St. Johns County School District, which exceeds 20% over the past five years. In fact, the DOE Capital Outlay Full-Time Equivalent (COFTE) Projections show the District enrollment growing by an additional 21% over the next five years. Schools with enrollment less than 80% will be evaluated for available capacity by grade. This analysis will occur every 12 weeks with student transfers/enrollment occurring at the start of a new grading period. The most recent Twenty-Day Count will be used to measure enrollment for purpose of making the capacity determination. The most recent Twenty-Day Enrollment will be compared with the school’s permanent capacity based on the current FISH database at the time of the enrollment count. Available capacity will be the difference between the number of then-currently enrolled students and 80% of FISH capacity. In deference to continued growth experienced throughout the school year, schools with less than 10 available seats will not be subject to Controlled Open Enrollment for the open application window. In order to allow the District to plan for future growth and establish efficient attendance zones, a new school will not be subject to Controlled Open Enrollment until it has been in operation for three (3) years. Upon completion of the school’s third full year of operation, it will be included in the annual calculation of available school capacity. For schools whose enrollment has not reached 80% of their permanent capacity, a per grade capacity will be calculated based on the number of general education teachers in the grade as compared to the enrollment by grade. Please note that no grade will be allowed to exceed the total number of seats available by grade, even if the total 80% COE capacity has not yet been utilized.
Each charter school governing board shall determine capacity based upon its charter contract. A charter school may provide preferential treatment in its Controlled Open Enrollment participation process in accordance with Florida Statute 1002.33(10), if such special purposes are identified in the charter contract.
Since Pre-Kindergarten (PK) programs are not mandatory, Controlled Open Enrollment options are not available for PK students.
ESE students are eligible to apply to all programs and eligible schools including Controlled Open Enrollment. If accepted to the school, an IEP team will convene to determine whether the student’s needs can be adequately addressed and to ensure the IEP can be implemented at the chosen school. If not, the student will not be enrolled, but placed at the appropriate school based on attendance zone or appropriate placement for services if they are a resident of St. Johns County. Students residing in another county, whom the District is not able to serve, will be expected to enroll in their home county.
For the 2023-2024 school year, the following schools have available capacity for the specified number of seats. No K-8 Schools or High Schools currently meet the Controlled Open Enrollment criteria.
Application Process and Lottery Selection
Applications are available on the School District’s website during an open enrollment period as listed in the updated schedule for each year, attached hereto as Exhibit A. Multiple application windows will occur in concert with the twelve-week capacity reviews. Paper copies of the application are also available for those without access to a computer. One application is required for each school to which the student would request consideration. (For example, if the student would be willing to attend two Controlled Open Enrollment elementary schools, two separate applications would be required.)
Students subject to a current expulsion or suspension will not be permitted to take advantage of a Controlled Open Enrollment choice.
For purposes of continuity of educational choice, a student who enrolls or transfers under Controlled Open Enrollment may remain at the Controlled Open Enrollment school until the student completes the highest grade level at the school. After completion of the terminal grade of that school, the student must return to their zoned school or apply for and be granted another lottery selection through Controlled Open Enrollment. Students residing in another county must return to their school district in the absence of another lottery selection entitling them to enroll in another District school.
Applications for Controlled Open Enrollment will only be accepted during an open application window. Once the window has closed, all applications will be randomly numbered with the assistance of a computer program. Available seats will then be assigned to the applicants for that school starting at 1 and ending at the total number of seats available.
The application window will run simultaneously for both St. Johns County residents and out-of-county residents. There will be two separate lotteries, with in-county and out-of-county students being numbered separately. The out-of-county applications will only be considered if there are still remaining open seats after the completion of the in-county lottery.
Once notified of a lottery selection of an available seat, the parent/guardian must accept and enroll the student in the specified school for the designated start date as listed on Exhibit A. If a student happens to receive a lottery selection for more than one school, the parent/guardian must select one and decline the other. If seats re-open due to a declined selection, the student with the next number in the lottery will be notified and offered the seat. Once notified, the parent/guardian will have ten working days to respond. No response will be considered a decline of the selection. A waitlist will be maintained between application windows, however a new application must be filed with the start of each new window.
There is no appeal process for Controlled Open Enrollment as it is based strictly on a lottery procedure.
Preferential Placement
Preferential placement will be provided to the following through the Controlled Open Enrollment process:
- Students residing in the School District.
- Dependent children of active-duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders.
- Children who have been relocated due to a foster care placement in a different school zone.
- Children who have been moved due to a court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent.
- Siblings: A parent may declare their school preference of an Applicant with respect to the placement of sibling students within the same school. There are two forms of sibling preference for an Applicant:
- The Sibling of the applicant is a currently enrolled COE student in the school requested.
- The applicant has a sibling in the current COE cycle making simultaneous application.
Applicants who are the sibling of a currently enrolled COE student will receive priority preference for placement appropriate to their lottery group (in-county and out-of-county). Sibling preference only applies if the school of enrollment is designated for COE for the school year of application.
Applications with a verified sibling applicant shall be noted and maintained in a separate sibling list. These applications will be given a lottery number along with all other applications. However, when one sibling is selected, the remaining sibling(s) will be given a priority to attend the same school by allowing them to take the next number or to be placed on the waitlist only behind other siblings. If siblings cannot be placed at the same school, a hardship request may be submitted for in-county residents only.
Siblings are defined as a brother, sister, half-brother, half-sister, stepbrother or stepsister, living in the same household. Verification will be required.
Availability of Transportation
District transportation options are not available to any choice option in St. Johns County. Transportation must be arranged and provided by the parent/guardian.
The school district is responsible for providing transportation to another public school under the Opportunity Scholarship and Family Empowerment Scholarship programs.
Family Empowerment and Florida Tax Credit Scholarship funds may be used for transportation to a public school in which a student is enrolled and that is different from the student’s assigned school.
Student-Athlete Transfers
Student-Athletes who transfer to another school must comply with the FHSAA Rules of Athletic Eligibility in order to be eligible to participate in interscholastic athletics and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.
- A student participating in Controlled Open Enrollment or a choice program is immediately eligible upon enrollment to participate in interscholastic athletics and intrascholastic extracurricular activities.
- A student who has not started a sport may seek to immediately join an existing team if the roster for the specific interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activity has not reached that activity’s identified maximum size, provided the coach for the activity determines that the student has the requisite skill and ability to participate.
- A student may not participate in a sport if the student participated in that same sport at another school during that school year, unless the student meets one of the following criteria:
- Dependent children of active-duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders.
- Children who have been relocated due to a foster care placement in a different school zone.
- Children who have been moved due to a court-ordered change in custody due to separation or divorce, or the serious illness or death of a custodial parent.
- Good cause for participation exists under District or charter school policy.
Voluntary Return to Assigned School or District
Upon request, a student shall be permitted to return to the student’s zoned school; however, it is recommended that the student return at the end of the marking period or semester, unless extenuating circumstances are present.
Rescinding of Placement
Controlled Open Enrollment placement may be rescinded if:
- Incorrect or false information was provided in the application;
- Attendance, tardiness or discipline/behavior problems develop at the receiving school.
Class Size Compliance
Availability of seats at a school designated as having capacity under the Controlled Open Enrollment process is subject to the maximum class size pursuant to Florida Statute 1003.03 and Section 1, Article IX of the State Constitution.
Extension of Application Window for Military
Applications for dependent children of active-duty military personnel whose move resulted from military orders may continue to be filed after the application deadline if seats remain unfilled for the school year.
