Internal Transfer Requests
The internal transfer process provides an opportunity for students to attend an MMSD school that is outside of their regular MMSD attendance area. Please note that MMSD does not provide transportation for students attending under an internal transfer.
Apply online starting May 1, 2025. Round 1 application closes at 4pm on May 16, 2025.
- Internal transfer applications are processed through a lottery and not in the order they are received; first-come, first-serve does not apply.
- Applicants will know if their request has been approved or placed on a waitlist on or before July 1.
- Students on the wait list will know if their application has been approved or denied on the Thursday before the first day of school.
- Requests on the wait list are processed before second round requests.
Second round application opens May 16, 2025 at 4pm., application closing August 15, 2025 at 6pm..
- Applicants will know if their request has been approved or denied on the Thursday before the first day of school.
Schools at Capacity
The District has finished the process for determining which schools will be accepting applications for new internal transfers beginning next school year. For a school to be closed, they must be over 95% of its current capacity and over 80% of its maximum capacity. Based on these factors, the following schools will not be accepting Internal Transfer applications for the 2025-26 school year:
Elementary (Grades KG-4th)
- Anana Elementary
- Elvehjem Elementary
- Gompers Elementary
- Kennedy Elementary
- Lake View Elementary
Middle (Grades 6-7)
- Hamilton Middle
All conventional high schools will accept internal transfer applications.
Summer Moves
If your student was enrolled in an MMSD school during the 2024-25 school year and your family moves within the district over the summer (between June 12, 2025 and September 1, 2025), your student can continue attending their current school or feeder school for the next school year without needing a formal internal transfer application.
Please note:
- You will need to provide your student’s transportation.
- To keep your student at their current/feeder school for the 2026-27 school year, you'll need to apply for an internal transfer during the application period for that year.
High School Students (Current Grades 9-12)
If your student is currently enrolled in grades 9th through 12th grade, they can continue attending their current school for the rest of their high school years.
- You do not need to submit an internal transfer application; they will automatically be approved to stay.
- You will need to provide your student’s transportation.
- Students must follow the internal transfer rules, or their transfer approval could be revoked.
- If your student decides to attend their assigned neighborhood high school for the next school year, their automatic transfer to the current school will end. If they later wish to return to their previous high school, you will need to apply for a new internal transfer.
Elementary to Middle School, Middle to High School
Like most districts, MMSD’s schools are set up in what are called feeder patterns. These patterns group certain elementary schools together and students from those schools go to the same middle school. The same is true for grouping middle schools together for going on to high school. When a student progresses from 5th to 6th grade, they have to reapply if they want to follow along with their school's feeder pattern, unless they already live in that middle school's attendance boundary. The same is true for students moving from middle to high school (8th to 9th grade).
More Information
- Transportation is not provided to students attending under an internal transfer.
- You can review the revised Board Policy 4023 – Internal Transfers by clicking here
- Click here to view the internal transfer procedure and how the district decides an internal transfer request
- Please email enrollment@madison.k12.wi.us or call the enrollment office at (608) 663-4957 if you have any questions regarding an existing or future internal transfer.