Jude Schwalbach:
An analysis of 27 states and Washington, D.C. shows open enrollment is increasingly an attractive public school choice
K–12 open enrollment is a form of public-school choice that allows students to transfer from their residentially assigned district school to other public schools. Since open enrollment policies launched in the 1990s, they’ve been overshadowed by growth in charter schools, vouchers, scholarships funded through tax credits, and education savings accounts.
Most open enrollment programs, which now operate in 43 states, were initially weak, letting districts reject transfer applicants even when space was available. However, the post-Covid surge in school choice options created a renaissance in open enrollment policies. During state legislative sessions in 2025, three states—Arkansas, Nevada, and New Hampshire—enacted open enrollment laws, bringing the total to 17 states that have strengthened their open enrollment statutes since 2021.
Despite these improvements, most state laws remain lackluster. Just 16 states have universal cross-districtopen enrollment laws, which let students transfer to schools in other districts when extra seats are open, while only 17 states have universal within-district open enrollment laws that let students transfer to non-assigned schools inside their district when space allows.