Texas aims to be in the top five states with the best K-12 open enrollment policies

A Texas proposal, Senate Bill (SB) 686, could vastly improve the schooling options for K-12 students. It would let them attend any school with open sheets regardless of where they live–also known as open enrollment. If codified, Texas would join its neighbors–Oklahoma and Arkansas–as states with robust open enrollment laws.

A 2025 EdChoice-Morning Consult poll found that 73% of parents with school-aged children support open enrollment. Moreover, support is bipartisan, with 71% of Republicans, 81% of Democrats, and 74% of independents favoring the policy.

Open enrollment is popular in Texas. During the 2018-19 school year, about 3% of Texas students attended schools other than their assigned one. However, Texas’ existing law has shortcomings that limit students’ transfer opportunities. For example, if Texas strengthened its open enrollment policy, more students could use open enrollment to attend schools that work for them. During the 2023-24 school year, 28% of Colorado public school students used open enrollment. Similarly, 9% and 14% of public school students used open enrollment in Florida and Arizona during the 2022-23 school year.

Students use open enrollment to escape bullying, shorten their commutes, access specialized courses such as Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) classes, or access smaller class sizes. Moreover, data from Texas, Arizona, and Florida show that students tend to transfer schools to more highly rated school districts per state tests.

If codified, SB 686 would significantly improve schooling options for Texas students, establishing statewide cross- and within-district open enrollment programs. These policies would let students transfer to any public school with open seats regardless of their residence.

Moreover, the bill would allow students to transfer for free. Unfortunately, Texas is one of the 22 states that let school districts charge tuition to transfer students. For example, Lovejoy Independent School District charged $9,000 per transfer during the 2023-24 school year.

SB 686 would establish excellent transparency provisions at the state and local levels. For instance, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) would publish an annual report on its website showcasing key open enrollment data, such as the number of transfers, the number of rejected applicants, and why transfers were denied. Reports like this help policymakers, taxpayers, and families hold school districts accountable for their open enrollment practices. 

Plus, school districts would be required to post their open enrollment policies, procedures, and available capacity by grade level on their websites. This guarantees a family-friendly open enrollment process so applicants know when, where, and how to apply for transfers. School districts must also inform rejected applicants in writing why they were denied.

However, SB 686 can still be strengthened. Rejected applicants should be able to appeal their denial to a neutral entity, such as TEA. This would help maintain a transparent and fair open enrollment process.

Finally, the proposal should clearly state that school districts cannot discriminate against applicants based on their abilities or disabilities. Even in states with strong open enrollment laws, such as Arizona and Wisconsin, students with disabilities are rejected at higher rates than their non-disabled peers. 

If Texas policymakers adopted all these provisions into law, it would have the best open enrollment policy in the nation, making true the adage that “everything’s bigger in Texas.” 
However, SB 686, in its current state, is still a win for Texas students. Per Reason Foundation’s open enrollment scoresheet, if this bill is codified, Texas’ open enrollment policy would score 94 points–an A–and improve its ranking from 24th place to fourth best nationwide. Most importantly, this proposal would help many students attend schools that are the right fit for them.

The post Texas aims to be in the top five states with the best K-12 open enrollment policies appeared first on Reason Foundation.