The USD 259 special transfer form, officially the Special Assignment Request Form, is an online Microsoft Forms application that lets Wichita Public Schools families ask for their child to attend a school other than the one assigned by their home address. You submit it through a link on the district’s website, and the Office of Choice Enrollment and Programs reviews it based on seat capacity and good-standing criteria. The form does not cover magnet school enrollment or Pre-K placement — those run through separate processes.
Who Can Apply
You have to live inside USD 259 boundaries. Beyond that, Board Policy P5511 recognizes four reasons a family can request a special assignment:1Wichita Public Schools. P5511 Special Assignment of Students
- Childcare convenience, elementary only, when your before- or after-school childcare provider sits outside your attendance boundary but within the district.
- A sibling already attends the requested school and lives in the same household.
- A parent or legal custodian is employed by USD 259.
- Your child qualifies for a specialized district program offered only at certain schools, such as a Career and Technical Education pathway or AVID at the middle or high school level. Magnet programs are excluded from this category.
If your child is already attending a school on special assignment and remains in good standing, you don’t need to reapply to continue there the following year.2Wichita Public Schools. In-District Opportunities
Good-Standing Criteria Checked Before the Lottery
Before any seats are offered, the district screens each applicant against its good-standing rules. Fail any one and your application is pulled from the selection process:1Wichita Public Schools. P5511 Special Assignment of Students
- Attendance below 90 percent in the current or prior school year, counting both excused and unexcused absences. The Superintendent or a designee can grant an exception for documented chronic illness, hospitalization, or disability-related absences.
- More than one out-of-school suspension in the current or prior school year, unless the suspension was a manifestation of a disability or resulted from a failure to implement an IEP, Section 504 Plan, or Behavior Intervention Plan.
- A long-term suspension or expulsion during the current school year.
- False or fraudulent information submitted during the application process.
- For high schoolers, not being on track for on-time graduation — meaning required coursework for the grade level isn’t complete.
The district also lists behavior challenges, low grades, attendance problems, and transferring for athletic purposes as grounds for denial, and flags athletic transfers in particular.3Wichita Public Schools. Enroll in WPS – Find Your School
How and Where to Submit
The form is online only — current district materials don’t reference a paper version. You’ll find the link on the “In-District Opportunities” page or the “Find Your School” page under the school choice section.2Wichita Public Schools. In-District Opportunities Expect to provide your child’s full legal name, current school, the school you’re requesting, and the reason behind the request.3Wichita Public Schools. Enroll in WPS – Find Your School
There is no application fee.
When the Window Opens and Closes
Applications open January 1 each year. The dates for the rest of the cycle appear differently on two district pages: the In-District Opportunities page lists a May 29 close, notifications by June 15, and an acceptance deadline of June 22,2Wichita Public Schools. In-District Opportunities while the Find Your School page shows the window running through June 30 with notifications by July 15.3Wichita Public Schools. Enroll in WPS – Find Your School Check the district site for the exact dates posted the year you apply.
Late applications are still accepted, but placement isn’t guaranteed and depends on what’s left after the first round. Submitting early in the window doesn’t improve your lottery odds — all on-time applications are treated equally — but it does keep you in the initial draw instead of chasing leftover seats.
How Decisions Get Made
The Office of Choice Enrollment and Programs has final approval authority over every request.1Wichita Public Schools. P5511 Special Assignment of Students Capacity comes first. No student is assigned to a school, grade, or classroom that’s already at its limit, unless the placement is legally required.
If eligible applications for a grade don’t exceed open seats, the district can approve them without a lottery. When demand exceeds supply, a randomized selection runs, with sibling and staff priorities applied before the random draw.4Wichita Public Schools. FAQ Students not selected go on an ordered waitlist by school, program, and grade. When an offered family declines or misses the acceptance deadline, the next student on the waitlist gets the seat.
Families are notified by email, and the district also mails a letter confirming whether a seat was offered or the student was waitlisted.4Wichita Public Schools. FAQ
What to Weigh Before You Accept
Transportation Is On You
The district does not provide busing for students on special assignment. Getting your child to and from the new school is your responsibility unless transportation is required by an IEP or another legal mandate.1Wichita Public Schools. P5511 Special Assignment of Students This is one of the most common reasons families decline an offer after the fact.
High School Athletics
A transfer can cost a varsity athlete up to a full calendar year of eligibility. Under Kansas State High School Activities Association rules, a student who transfers for non-residential reasons may have to sit out a year from varsity competition, and the district flags this directly on its enrollment page.3Wichita Public Schools. Enroll in WPS – Find Your School Talk to both athletic directors before you submit.
How Long the Assignment Lasts
A special assignment is presumed to continue through the grade span at the assigned school. A third grader placed in an elementary school would normally stay through fifth grade without reapplying, unless the assignment was designated as temporary, the student falls out of good standing, or the qualifying program ends.1Wichita Public Schools. P5511 Special Assignment of Students The district reviews assignments annually and can revoke one for the following year if behavior, attendance, or grades slip. Discuss continued attendance with the school principal before each new year. IEP-directed placements are not subject to revocation.3Wichita Public Schools. Enroll in WPS – Find Your School
Who to Call With Questions
Student Records and Enrollment Services answers application questions and provides status updates at 316-973-4491 or dmccurry@usd259.net.5Wichita Public Schools. Student Records and Enrollment Services Final decisions still come from the Office of Choice Enrollment and Programs.