Open Enrollment

For the 2022-23 school year and beyond, the State of Tennessee adopted legislation Public Law 479 stating how school districts must consider zone exemption requests. Following the guidelines of this law, Bedford County Schools will conduct the open enrollment process from May 1 – May 31, 2024. During this time, a parent or guardian of a student may seek to transfer their child to an open zoned school for the 2024-25 school year if there is availability.

Open Enrollment Applications submitted during this open enrollment process time frame are subject to approval through a lottery system, if more students apply than available seats, as directed by this new state law. To ensure your application is considered, it is important to submit your application between May 1 – May 31, 2024. The open enrollment application will be approved based on the open seats listed below. Please note: An application must be completed for EACH student in the household.

24-25 BEDFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS OPEN ENROLLMENT - SEATS AVAILABLE

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL GRADES	K	1	2	3	4	5
CARTWRIGHT ES	0	10	10	0	1	3
CASCADE ES	10	6	9	3	6	6
COMMUNITY ES	3	2	3	3	0	7
EAKIN ES	4	1	1	4	8	3
EAST SIDE ES	2	2	3	0	9	0
LEARNING WAY ES	0	2	2	0	8	0
LIBERTY ES	1	0	2	2	2	2
SOUTHSIDE ES	6	0	3	1	0	0
THOMAS MAGNET	0	0	0	0	0	0

MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES	6	7	8
CASCADE MS	14	28	20
COMMUNITY MS	14	21	30
HARRIS MS	0	16	17
LIBERTY MS	0	3	0
THOMAS MAGNET	0	0	0

HIGH SCHOOL GRADES	9	10	11	12
CASCADE HS	18	23	32	25
COMMUNITY HS	21	15	28	30
SCHS	52	39	44	46

The following schools have been designated as closed schools with no open enrollment option for 2024-25: Thomas Magnet.

Beginning May 1, 2024, and ending May 31, 2024, parents may apply for the open enrollment process here when it opens on May 1, 2024. It is important to fill out the application completely. Incomplete applications will not be considered. For current students, The Online Student Data Verification form is required to be completed before your Open Enrollment application will be considered. Please note: An application must be completed for EACH student in the household. After reviewing these documents, please feel free to call BCS central office with any questions at 931-684-3284 and ask for Attendance.

Once your Open Enrollment application is completed and submitted, you will receive an e-mail notification; please be sure your e-mail address is entered correctly. Notification of acceptance or denial will be sent by July 1 also via e-mail.

What is open enrollment?

Open enrollment is the process in which parents/guardians who live within Bedford County may elect to enroll their children in a BCS school in which they are not zoned for as long as space is available in the requested school/grade-level. As well as transportation is provided by Parents/Guardians.

Parents/Guardians who live outside of Bedford County may also apply provided seats are available and transportation provided. Parents/Guardians will be required to pay a $600 tuition per semester for a total of $1,200 per year. These payments are to be made at Bedford County Board of Education at 500 Madison St. Shelbyville, TN.

As a reminder Bedford County residents have priority over seat availability in the open enrollment process.

Following the open enrollment application window, if there are more requests than open seats, a lottery must be conducted to determine which applicants are approved for the available seats; this is required by state law. TN Annotate Tennessee Code 49-2-128.

Who is eligible for open enrollment?

Any resident of Tennessee may elect to have their child(ren) attend a school other than the one in which they are zoned.

How do I apply for open enrollment?

Parents/Guardians may apply for open enrollment on our Bedford County website from May 1, 2024, through May 31, 2024, on the Bedford County schools website.

What if I have already applied for open enrollment from previous school years, do I have to apply again?

If your student is moving to a different non-zoned school, then you must submit an application for Open Enrollment if seats are available at the next school.

Students that are continuing within the same school will not need to reapply. (i.e. A student who was granted an open enrollment transfer in the 1^st grade at Learning Way will NOT be required to submit another transfer application until the student exits 5^th grade)

If I apply for open enrollment, am I guaranteed to attend my requested school?

No, open enrollment availability is based on seats available within the requested grade level per school.

How will I be informed if my application for open enrollment is approved?

It is anticipated that Parents/Guardians will be informed by BCS after July 1, 2024, as to their students(s) enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. This notification will come via email to the account indicated during the application process.

I am applying for open enrollment, and I already have another child/sibling enrolled at that school. Does my application receive priority in the open enrollment process?

No, open enrollment availability is based on seats available within the requested grade level per school.

It is required by law that a lottery must be held if more students apply than seats available.

Do I have to complete an Open enrollment application for each of my children?

Yes. One application is required for each child.

Does BCS accept students who live outside of Bedford County?

Out-of-county open enrollment applications are accepted. Bedford County residents receive open enrollment priority over non Bedford County residents. Approval is based on space available in the applicable grade level at the requested school. Non-refundable tuition in the amount of $1,200 per year ($600.00 per semester) is applicable if their open enrollment application is approved. Tuition is per student.

If I am an employee of Bedford County Schools, do I have to apply for Open Enrollment for my student(s)?

Bedford County Schools employees do not have to apply for Open Enrollment for their students.