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School district boundaries are established at the State level. Unfortunately, prior attempts to change school district boundaries in La Palma have not been successful. Please contact your local State representative to inquire about new legislation to change school district boundaries.
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School districts are independent public agencies regulated by the State of California and not directly affiliated with cities. School contact information and a district boundary map are available on our City website to help residents. Additional information about specific schools or school districts can be obtained from their respective websites: •Buena Park School District •Centralia School District •Cypress School District •Anaheim Union High School District •Fullerton Joint Union High School District
Three of the school districts teach elementary education and two of the districts teach high school education. The school district boundaries were decided almost a century ago, long before La Palma was incorporated in 1955. School districts set their boundaries based on their logical service area and do not take City/County boundaries into account.
No. In 2008, legislation was proposed at the State level that would have allowed residents to choose any school in the City regardless of district boundaries. However, this legislation was not approved; therefore, students must attend schools within their “home” district unless released through a Transfer Agreement (see below).
Maybe. Students must be released by their “home” school district and meet the eligibility criteria set forth by the desired school district. This process is called an Interdistrict/Intradistrict Attendance/Transfer Agreement. La Palma schools have agreed to a general policy of allowing transfers, but this is not a requirement. If either the “home” school district or the desired school district does not approve the transfer request, the student must attend the “home” school. State law allows (but does not require) school districts to use a parent’s place of employment for determining residency requirements for school attendance. Usually, transfer requests are denied if it will significantly affect average daily attendance figures.
Average daily attendance is a term that refers to the total number of days of student attendance divided by the total number of days in the regular school year. A student attending every school day would have an average daily attendance equal to one. Generally, average daily attendance is lower than enrollment due to such factors as transience, dropouts, and illness. Average daily attendance is one of the primary factors used by the State of California to determine a school district’s funding.
Please contact your “home” school district and request an Interdistrict/Intradistrict Attendance/Transfer Agreement. The school district will provide you with detailed information on the steps required to complete the agreement.
You have the right to appeal the decision. Begin by appealing the decision with the School District Superintendent or the respective School Board. If not satisfied, you may also appeal the decision to the Orange County Board of Education.