Alaska aims to be the 10th state to improve K-12 open enrollment in five years

Since 2020, nine states have significantly improved their K-12 open enrollment laws, letting students transfer to public schools other than their assigned ones with open seats. Twin proposals–House Bill (HB) 76 and Senate Bill (SB) 82–introduced in the Alaska legislature with the support of Gov. Mike Dunleavy, could make the state the 10th state since 2020 to open public schools to students regardless of where they live. 

Strong open enrollment laws are popular, especially with families. National polling conducted by Morning-Consult and EdChoice in Dec. 2024 showed that 79% of Democrats, 75% of Republicans, and 73% of independents with school-aged children supported open enrollment.

Many students use open enrollment when strong policies are in place. For example, about one in 10 students used it in Wisconsin, Florida, and Arizona. Similarly, in Colorado and Delaware, 28% and 22% of students enrolled in traditional public schools used open enrollment to attend schools that were the right fit.

Strong open enrollment laws help students in varying ways, such as escaping bullying, accessing Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, shortening commutes, and smaller class sizes. In fact, most open enrollment participants in Florida, Arizona, and Texas used it to attend school districts rated A or B by the state.

If codified, HB 76 and SB 82 would make these options available to Alaska students across the state. Most importantly, they would establish statewide cross- and within-district open enrollment laws. These policies would let students transfer to any public school with available capacity, prioritizing applicants on a first-come-first-serve basis or who already have siblings enrolled at the school.

They would also guarantee that transfer students aren’t charged tuition. This is important since it ensures that students aren’t excluded from public schools because of their families’ income.

These proposals would be a massive improvement if codified, launching Alaska from last place to 5th place nationwide per Reason Foundation’s open enrollment best practices. 

However, these proposals can still be strengthened, especially regarding transparency. For instance, school districts should be required to post their open enrollment policies and procedures on their websites so families know when, where, and how to apply for transfers. 

Additionally, the Alaska Department of Education should publish the detailed open enrollment data that both proposals would require it to collect in an annual report. This would ensure policymakers, taxpayers, and families could hold districts accountable for their open enrollment practices. 

The bills would establish an appeals process for rejected applicants, but they should clarify that a neutral entity, such as the Alaska Department of Education, would conduct the appeal. Districts should also be required to inform rejected applicants in writing why they were denied. These provisions ensure that the open enrollment process is transparent and fair. 

Lastly, policymakers should clarify that school districts cannot discriminate against transfer applicants based on their abilities or disabilities. Reports from Wisconsin and Arizona show that even in states with strong open enrollment laws, students with disabilities are often rejected at higher rates than their counterparts. 

Despite these shortcomings, HB 76 and SB 82 would significantly improve Alaska’s students’ educational options. Currently, Alaska is one of only four states nationwide that doesn’t have an open enrollment law established in state law, scoring 0 points on Reason Foundation’s 2024 open enrollment study. If signed into law, these proposals would make Alaska’s open enrollment policies one of the best in the nation. But most importantly, they would expand educational opportunities for students, helping more children attend schools that are the right fit.

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