How do we change schools in the USA?

Families change schools after a move, for a better fit or for a new job in another city. Your address usually decides your local public school, which takes new students all year. Many big cities also run choice systems with yearly application windows, so timing matters.

Zones and moving house

Each public school district draws boundaries. Living inside one usually gives your child a right to a place at that school. Before you sign a lease or buy, check the exact address on the district’s school finder, not the agent’s description.

• New York City: most students in kindergarten to grade 8 go to their zoned school if they have one. Enter your address on the school search site or call 311, then register directly with the school. If you have no zoned school, book a Family Welcome Center appointment
• Washington DC: no application is needed for your in-boundary DCPS school from kindergarten to grade 12. You do need the lottery for pre-K, for schools outside your boundary and for charter schools
• Boston: there are no simple zones. A “home-based” plan gives you a personal list of schools you’re eligible for, based on your address. All high schools for grades 7 to 12 and 9 to 12 are open citywide
• Chicago: each address has a neighbourhood (attendance-area) school. Find it with the CPS School Locator

Enrolling mid-year

You can usually join a zoned school at any point in the year. Contact the school or the district’s welcome centre. Expect to provide:

• Proof of address: often two documents, such as a lease and a utility bill, in the name of the parent enrolling the child (Chicago asks for two)
• Proof of age and guardianship, such as a birth certificate or passport. Chicago wants an original birth certificate, not a photocopy
• Immunisation records. Each state sets its own list. New York City requires certain vaccines for children aged 2 months to 18 years, and can exclude children who aren’t up to date by the deadline the school gives you
• A recent physical exam where required. Chicago also requires a dental exam in kindergarten and grades 2, 6 and 9, and has Illinois eye exam forms
• Recent school reports and any special educational needs plans. Bring UK reports and a note explaining UK year groups and grades

Public schools ask for proof that you live in the district. In DC, for example, residents can attend tuition-free whatever their immigration status, but residency must be proved every year.

School choice: windows and lotteries

If you arrive after the window, you can usually still join waiting lists. In DC, offers from waiting lists are rare after 7 October. In Chicago, rolling waiting lists for the current year make offers twice a week.

Transferring between public schools

• New York City: if you move within the city, you can register at your new zoned school. Other transfers, for safety, medical or academic reasons, go through a Family Welcome Center
• Boston: transfers go through a Welcome Center. For 2026–27 the period ends on 30 November 2026 for grades 1 to 12 and 31 January 2027 for K0 to K2. A granted transfer replaces your current place
• Records: US privacy law (FERPA) lets the old school send education records to a school where your child wants to enrol without your consent. You can ask to see them

High school credits

Each state sets its own graduation rules. In New York, students need course credits and passes in Regents exams for a diploma. Moving in grades 10 to 12 can leave gaps, so ask the new school’s guidance counsellor to review the transcript before you fix a move date.

Leaving a private school

Private schools ask parents to sign an enrolment contract each year. Many say you owe the full year’s tuition even if your child leaves part-way through. Some allow partial refunds, for example for a family relocation, but only if the contract says so. Many schools offer tuition refund insurance, which pays part of the tuition for covered reasons such as a medically necessary withdrawal. Read the withdrawal deadline before you sign, and give notice in writing.

For how schools work in the first place, see US schools, and for term dates, holidays and school calendars.