In this section

A student residing in the City of Williamsburg or James City County may be considered to attend a school outside of their assigned attendance zone under one of these two conditions (Policy JC – School Attendance Areas):

Childcare 

  • Elementary school students residing in a school attendance zone within Williamsburg-James City County and receiving childcare in another school attendance zone may be permitted to attend the school in the attendance zone in which care is received.
  • This childcare provision does not apply to middle or high school students.
  • For requests due to childcare, please complete the form using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/Dc4vtUXmxh

 Employees of the WJCC School Division

    • A full-time employee may request the school closest to their place of employment for their child according to the mileage chart published by the finance department.
    • Work locations for other relatives will not be considered.
    • Children of employees cannot be in the parent workspace while the parent is fulfilling contract work requirements.
    • Full-time employment must remain in effect for out-of-zone attendance to continue.
    • For requests for children of full time WJCC school employees, please complete the form using this link: https://forms.office.com/r/tLkuhTmpbr 

The following procedure is used to determine student eligibility for an out-of-zone school placement:

  1. The current school will verify the student’s good standing with regards to discipline and attendance.
  2. The requested school’s principal will review the request.
  3. The Student Services coordinator will make the final determination based on meeting criteria established by policy.
  4. The Student Services coordinator will notify the family via US mail.
  5. If the parent/guardian is dissatisfied with the decision, the parent/guardian may appeal the decision in writing to the superintendent/designee, who will decide the matter within 30 days of receipt of the written appeal.

Additional considerations:

  1. Only students who are in good standing in their current school of attendance will be considered for an out-of-zone school placement.
  2. Enrollment in the requested school may be determined by space availability in a grade level, in certain programs or in the school.
  3. Transportation to the requested school is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Transportation will not be provided except where there is a childcare placement and then it must be from an existing bus stop without creating an overcrowding condition.
  4. Specialized transportation services are designated to support the specific needs, as identified through individualized education programs (IEPs), of students with disabilities. We are unable to extend these services to siblings who do not require specialized transportation.
  5. Except for rising freshmen, any high school student who chooses an initial out-of-zone school placement will be ineligible to compete in Virginia High School League-sponsored athletic or scholastic activities for 365 consecutive calendar days after being enrolled in the new school (VHSL Regulation 28-6-1).
  6. It is understood that the student is to abide by school board attendance policies and the conduct code as provided in the student code of conduct handbook. The privilege of enrollment may be revoked if these guidelines are not followed.
  7. The parent/guardian must notify the school of any change in address or guardianship of the student.
  8. Due to space consideration, requests submitted after July 1st may not be considered until after the first ten days of school. The student will need to attend their zoned school until the request is processed.
  9. Out-of-zone requests will not be considered after September 15th.
  10. Enrollment, if approved, will be for the duration of one year. Continued enrollment is dependent upon an annual review of space available, program availability and the student remaining in good standing.
  11. WJCC reserves the right to revoke student eligibility at any time.

For Renewal Requests:

  1. Students currently approved for an out-of-zone placement may reapply annually during the renewal window of March 1st-March 31st. Requests will be reviewed for continued attendance at the requested school.
  2. For renewal requests received during the renewal window (March 1st to March 31st) a letter of final determination will be mailed by April 30th.
  3. For all other requests received before July 1st, a letter of final determination will be mailed the last week of July.

For New Requests:

  1. Students new to WJCC must first register to attend their zoned school before the request can be processed (except in the case of a non-resident employee).
  2. New requests include all initial requests and current out-of-zone students transitioning to a new school level (5th to 6th grade and 8th to 9th grade).
  3. Approval of new requests will be granted based on eligibility on one of the established criteria and space availability.
  4. For all requests received before July 1st, a letter of final determination will be mailed the last week of July.

If you need additional help, please contact the Student Services department at (757) 603-6533.