Requesting a Transfer to Another Neighborhood High School

Neighborhood Schools

Neighborhood schools have attendance areas established by the School Board. Every student is guaranteed admission to the elementary, middle and high school serving the attendance area in which the student lives.  Use the Boundary (Attendance Area) Locator to determine the neighborhood school your children will attend.

APS assesses the ability to provide neighborhood and targeted transfers for the upcoming school year annually.

Neighborhood Transfers

The Options and Transfer Policy J-5.3.31 allows for neighborhood transfers to the extent possible given financial constraints and capacity limits. Parents and guardians are responsible for transportation when the student accepts a transfer to another neighborhood school that is accepting transfers unless otherwise directed by the School Board as part of another decision.

Targeted Transfers

  • Targeted transfers are an alternative to boundary adjustments and allow students from specific school attendance zones or planning units to apply to transfer to a nearby school that has capacity for additional students. Targeted transfers are offered under the following conditions:
    • Schools offering targeted transfer share boundaries;
    • The number of transfers will be set based on projections for all schools involved;
    • Lotteries will be conducted if the number of applicants exceeds the number of seats available

Neighborhood Transfers for School Year 2023-24

The following high schools are accepting neighborhood transfers for the 2023-24 school year:

  • Washington-Liberty:
    • 50 Transfer Slots Available.
    • Wakefield students accepting a transfer to Washington-Liberty will be eligible to use Transportation from an existing Washington-Liberty hub stop.
    • Preference for Wakefield students.
  • Yorktown:
    • 30 Transfer Slots Available.
    • Transportation is not provided.
    • Preference for Wakefield students.

Applying for a Neighborhood Transfer

In order to be considered for a neighborhood transfer, families must submit an application online.The following is the neighborhood transfer application process timeline:

  • March 10, 2023: The online application closes at 4 p.m.
  • March 17, 2023: If needed, a virtual lottery for the neighborhood transfer applications will be held by the APS Welcome Center.
  • March 24, 2023: Families will be notified of their acceptance or placement on the waitlist.
  • March 31, 2023: Families must confirm or decline attendance offer.

Lottery and Waitlists

If the number of applications exceeds the available seats at any of the schools, APS will conduct an automated lottery to determine admission. Students who do not receive a slot through the lottery will be placed on the waitlist for that school.

Siblings

For siblings, families must submit a transfer application for each student. If a spot is received at the transfer school and the student enrolls at that school for the 2023-24 school year, the student is able to remain at that school until they graduate.

Neighborhood transfers are reevaluated annually, there is no guarantee space will be available for siblings at a school accepting transfers in future years. Enrollment is projected to continue to grow at Washington-Liberty, so seats offered are limited to ensure the school’s expanded capacity is not exceeded.

For additional information or questions, please contact the APS Welcome Center at 703-228-8000 (option 3) or schooloptions@apsva.us.