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. Transportation is not provided to students attending under an internal transfer.
Apply online starting May 1, 2024. Round 1 application closes at 4pm on May 17, 2024.
- 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 17, 2024 at 4pm., application closing August 16th 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 an elementary school to be closed to new internal transfer requests, it must be over 95% of its current capacity and over 80% of its maximum capacity.
Based on these factors, the following elementary schools will not be accepting new requests for K-Grade 4 Internal Transfers for 2024-25:
- Franklin Elementary
- Hawthorne Elementary
- Huegel Elementary
- Kennedy Elementary
- Lapham Elementary
- Midvale Elementary
- Orchard Ridge Elementary
- Randall Elementary
- Thoreau Elementary
- Van Hise Elementary
Because we will attempt to grandfather students in Grade 5, we allow families to apply to these schools if their student currently attends that school in Grade 4.
All conventional middle and high schools will accept internal transfer applications.
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). 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.
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