Boundary Exception Transfers

Intra-district transfers occur when a student enrolls in a school other than the school designated by the location of his or her residence. Per Education Code 35160.5, the parents/guardians of any student who resides within district boundaries may apply to enroll their child in any district school, regardless of the location of residence within the district.

Due to limited capacity at schools within the district, it may not be possible to accommodate every intra-district transfer request. To ensure that the approval of transfer requests is made through a random, unbiased process that prohibits an evaluation of whether a student should be enrolled based upon the student’s academic or athletic performance, the district has implemented an open enrollment period.

1. Open Enrollment Windows:

   • The primary open enrollment window for the 2026/2027 school year is from May 15, 2026, to June 15, 2026. Requests received during this period will be processed starting on June 17, 2026.
   • A secondary open enrollment window occurs from August 1, 2026, to August 31, 2026. Requests received during this period will be processed starting on September 3, 2026.

2. Notification Timeline:

   • Initial notifications for applicants from the first open enrollment window will be sent out by August 4, 2026.
   • Applicants not approved by August 4, 2026, and those from the second open enrollment window, will be notified of their status no later than September 30, 2026. Applications that cannot be approved by this date will be denied.
   • Every effort will be made to process transfer requests before the school year starts. However, due to the need to ensure available capacity for students within school boundaries, this may not always be possible.

3. Selection Process:

   • If the number of requests exceeds available spots, students will be selected through a random lottery, except for those with priority placement.
   • Placements for the 2026/2027 school year will be finalized by September 30, 2026.

4. Late Applications:

   • Late applicants will not be added to the waiting list for the current year. Instead, they must submit a transfer application during the next open enrollment window.

Applicants have 7 calendar days from notification of an approved boundary exception to confirm their enrollment.  Failure to do so shall be deemed an abandonment of the request.

Students who elect to begin a given academic year at a school other than their assigned school may not be able to transfer back to their school of residence for the balance of the same academic year due to limited space availability.

Inter-district transfers occur when a student enrolls in a school outside of the district he or she resides in (known as the district of residence). If a student resides within the boundaries of the Santa Maria-Bonita school district but would like to attend a school in a nearby district (district of attendance), an inter-district transfer request must be submitted. These outbound requests are processed as they are received and transmitted to the district the student wishes to attend.

If a student resides outside of the district, but would like to attend a school within the Santa Maria-Bonita school district, a transfer request must be submitted to the student’s local district to first obtain permission to transfer to the Santa Maria-Bonita school district. The student’s local district will transmit the request to SMBSD for processing.  The primary open enrollment window for the 2026/2027 school year begins on May 15, 2026 and runs through June 15, 2026. Processing of these requests will begin on June 17 with placement decisions occurring no later than August 28. Every effort will be made to process transfer requests prior to the start of the school year, however it is not always possible due to the need to ensure that there is available capacity for students living within the school boundaries.  A secondary open enrollment window for the 2026/2027 school year begins on August 1, 2026 and runs through August 21, 2026.  Applicants will be notified of the status of their request no later than August 28.

Applicants have 7 calendar days from notification of an approved boundary exception to confirm their enrollment.  Failure to do so shall be deemed an abandonment of the request.

The Superintendent or designee may deny initial requests for inter-district attendance permits due to limited district resources, overcrowding of school facilities at the relevant grade level, or other considerations that are not arbitrary.  Other considerations include, but are not limited to, a negative impact on District finances or a student's negative behavioral history, which includes attendance.  However, once a student is admitted, the district may not deny him/her continued attendance because of overcrowded facilities at the relevant grade level.

Please note that inter-district attendance agreements are good for one year only and must be renewed on an annual basis.  Transfers may be revoked at any time during the school year for unacceptable attendance, including excessive tardiness or supplying falsified information to the school or district.

Inter-District Transfer Acceptance Criteria

Due to a lack of available space, inbound Inter-District Boundary Exception Transfers are not being accepted except for students who meet one or more of the following criteria:

1.  Students who are children of district employees.
2. To allow the students to complete a school year when their family has moved out of the district
   during that school year.
3. When the parent/guardian provides written evidence that the family will be moving into the district
   within the first 30 days of the school year.
4. To allow the student to remain in the district until they have completed the final grade offered in
   their current grade span (i.e., TK-6, 7-8, or 9-12). (EC 46600(a)(4)).
5. To allow a student with an existing Inter-District boundary exception to remain in the district.
6. A student who will suffer or whose immediate family member(s) will suffer an extraordinary
   hardship due to a denial of their inter-district transfer request may apply for an exemption.
   Extraordinary hardship is defined as a documented severe and exceptional financial, educational,
   safety, or health impact on the student or an immediate family member of the student. An exemption
   for extraordinary hardship will be granted only in very rare and unique situations where there is a
   profound negative impact upon a student or immediate family member that cannot be reasonably
   mitigated by other means. The Superintendent or designee may require evidence that he or she
   deems necessary to verify a claim of extraordinary hardship. Absent such dire
   circumstances, inter-district transfers will not be granted (1) because of special characteristics of a
   particular school, (2) due to child care considerations, (3) because of employment within the
   district, (4) as a result of parental separation or divorce, or (5) on account of transportation issues.
   An extraordinary hardship exemption shall not be granted if permitting the attendance will
   adversely impact district class size or otherwise result in unacceptable cost to the district.

• Inter-District Boundary Agreement (Use this form only if you live within SMBSD boundaries and want your student to attend a school in another district)
  • Submit Online (QR Code) or Print and Submit
• Acuerdo Sobre Los Linderos Entre Distritos (Para los residentes del SMBSD que deseen inscribirse en otro distrito)
  • Submit Online (QR Code) or Print and Submit

Inter-District Attendance Board Policy
Inter-District Attendance Administrative Regulation

Inter-District Transfer Appeals Process

All denied inter-district transfer requests are subject to an appeals process:

1. The family first appeals in writing to the Santa Maria-Bonita School District Chief Business Official or designee within 15 calendar days of the transfer denial.  The appeal must state in detail the grounds for appeal.  No new information shall be considered outside of that which was considered by the Superintendent or designee in initially denying the inter-district transfer request.  A response to the family is given in writing within 30 calendar days of receiving the appeal.
   
   The appeal may be sent to the Chief Business Official via email at boundary-exceptions@smbsd.net or mailed to:
   
   Attn: CBO Inter-District Transfer Appeal
   Santa Maria-Bonita School District
   708 S Miller St
   Santa Maria, CA 93454
2. Upon denial of appeal the family has the right to appeal to the Santa Barbara County Board of Education.  The Santa Barbara County Education Office can be reached at 805-964-4711.

• You may appeal this decision, within 30 calendar days of the school district’s final denial. Failure to appeal within the required time is good cause for denial of an appeal. An appeal shall be accepted only upon verification by the county board's designee that appeals within the district have been exhausted.
• The county board of education shall, within 30 calendar days after the appeal is filed, determine whether the pupil should be permitted to attend in the district in which the pupil desires to attend and the applicable period of attendance.
   

For questions, please contact Student Housing Technician Matt Cameron at 805-361-8278 or email boundary-exceptions@smbsd.net