The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) Office of Enrollment and Residency is tasked with conducting the yearly enrollment audit, investigating issues of non-residency, and facilitating the collection of tuition from non-resident students. The information below is directed at LEAs/schools, for more detailed information about enrollment and residency policies please refer to the OER handbook. For student and family information, please visit our Student and Families Enrollment and Residency webpage.

Choose an icon below to find more information about the Enrollment Audit process:

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Enrollment Audit

More than 90,000 students are enrolled in public schools in the District of Columbia. OSSE is required to annually collect enrollment counts of resident students, non-resident students, students with disabilities, all students attending all public and public charter schools in the District, children in pre-K3 and pre-K4 programs in community-based organizations receiving Pre-K Enhancement funds, and students whose tuition or education in schools or programs is paid for with District funds. This count must be completed on Oct. 5, or the following business day, of each school year. OSSE is then required to conduct an audit to verify the accuracy of the enrollment counts including DC residency status. OSSE works collaboratively with local education agencies to ensure that LEAs/schools understand and follow the requirements for student enrollment and residency.

Resources for LEAs and CBOs: 2024-25 School Year

• 2024-25 Enrollment Audit and Child Count (EACC) Training
• Student Enrollment Audit Handbook (LEAs)
• Student Enrollment Audit Handbook (CBOs)
• Office of Enrollment and Residency Handbook 
• Residency Verification Forms
• Residency Verification Webinar
• Guidance Related to Foreign Exchange Students: 2023-24 School Year Residency Requirements

Additional Information

• Enrollment Audit Reports
• 2024-25 School Year Duplicative Enrollment Periods - Addendum A
• Duplicative Enrollment Resolution Policy
• Upcoming Trainings
  • 2024-25 School Year Enrollment Audit Handbook Training Aug. 16, 2024, at 10 a.m. (Register here.)

Duplicative Enrollment Resolution
Duplicative enrollments must be resolved for accurate funding based on the Uniform per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF), federal and local reporting and accountability metrics. The Duplicative Enrollment Resolution Policy outlines the process for resolving any duplicative enrollment issues. The resolution for the duplicative enrollment determines the student’s authoritative enrollment for the identified period.

Non-resident Students

District public schools are not required to enroll non-resident students but may choose to do so in limited situations as defined by District regulations. In order for a non-resident student to attend a public school in the District, the following criteria must be met:

• A school’s waitlist must be cleared of all DC resident students;
• The nonresident student must receive an offer to enroll at the school;
• The nonresident student must have a tuition agreement signed and filed with OSSE; and
• The nonresident student must have an initial payment processed with OSSE before attending the school.

Tuition for Non-resident Students

Non-resident Tuition FAQs

For more information about enrolling a non-resident student, please see Non-resident Tuition FAQs (Español) (as of March 2024).

Please refer to the OER Handbook for general questions for more detailed information for enrolling non-resident students. For questions about enrolling non-resident students, please contact us at [email protected].

Newly Enrolling Non-resident Students

The enrolling parent, guardian, caregiver, or adult student must:

1. Notify OSSE to inform they are non-residents who intend to enroll in a public or public charter school in the District.
2. Complete and return to OSSE the non-resident tuition agreement.
3. Submit an initial payment for the school year.
4. Maintain on-time payments throughout the school year.
5. Pay all outstanding tuition for the school year no later than July 15 of the school year the non-resident student has been in attendance.

The enrolling LEA/school must:

1. Notify OSSE of any nonresident students they intend to enroll.
2. Receive a confirmation from OSSE that an agreement has been completed and initial tuition payment made, prior to providing educational services for the student.
3. Notify OSSE of any changes to residency status.

Returning (re-enrolling) Non-resident Students

The enrolling parent, guardian, caregiver, or adult student must:

1. Pay tuition for the previous school year in full no later than July 15.
2. Complete and return to OSSE the non-resident tuition agreement.
3. Submit an initial payment for the school year.
4. Maintain on-time payments throughout the school year.
5. Pay all outstanding tuition for the school year no later than July 15 of the school year the non-resident student has been in attendance.

The enrolling LEA/school must:

1. Notify OSSE of any non-resident students they intend to re-enroll.
2. Receive a confirmation from OSSE that all tuition from the previous year has been paid in full.
3. Receive a confirmation from OSSE that an agreement has been completed for the new school year and tuition payment has been made, prior to providing education services for the student.
4. Notify OSSE of any changes to residency status.
5. Upon confirmation from OSSE, allow out of District students to attend classes.

Tuition Paying Non-resident Students Transitioning from Out-of-District to DC

Non-resident tuition paying students who were not District residents but now reside in the District should complete the following steps for removal from tuition paying status.

The enrolling parent, guardian, caregiver, or adult student must:

1. Complete the DC Residency Verification Form at the enrolled school and submit supporting documentation.
2. Receive confirmation from OSSE that the student can now attend the school as a DC resident.

The enrolling LEA/school must:

1. Provide the submitted residency documentation from the person enrolling the student.
2. Confirm with OSSE that the documentation is sufficient and update student residency status in student information system.

Tuition Paying Non-resident Students Transitioning from DC to Out-of-District

LEAs are required to notify OSSE of any change of residency for any student who move from the district. In order for a resident student to continue enrollment at a District public school as a non-resident, the following must occur:

• The student must be enrolled in the final grade of the school, or the summer prior to the final grade, or attending during the school year prior to the final grade; or
• The school must be open to non-resident students, which requires:
• The non-resident applies for enrollment to the District of Columbia public school via the traditional enrollment process.
• The non-resident is accepted to the school after all District residents on the waitlist are accepted for the same grade at the relevant school location; and
• The non-resident has a fully executed tuition agreement for the school year with OSSE and made an initial tuition payment.

Non-resident withdraws from District public school

In the event that a tuition paying non-resident student withdraws from the District public school, they are eligible for a reassessment of tuition based on the actual days of enrollment at the calculated daily rate, as determined by OSSE. The date the non-resident student completes the withdrawal forms will be the date used to reassess the owed tuition amount.

Tuition Payment

Tuition payments are only conducted electronically. If families need more information about the payment process, please contact the Enrollment and Residency team at [email protected] or visit the OER Students and Families webpage.

Suspicion of Non-residency

If an LEA/school suspects someone of attending a public school in the District and is not residing in the District, OSSE can be notified through the online tip form.

Note: Only one parent with custody of the student, has to be a DC resident in order for the student to attend a public school as a resident. Also, an LEA/school can ask for additional residency documentation from the person enrolling the student. When a tip is submitted, please include the following:

• All enrollment and residency verification documentation, including enrollment forms, home visitation forms, and/student contact forms for the current and previous school year.
• Any documentation submitted to the school regarding legal guardianship, parentage, and/or custodial arrangements, and birth certificates.
• Any other documents supporting residency or non-residency, such as copies of returned mail envelopes, and/or completed returned mail forms.
• McKinney Vento Forms