The plan has several qualifying factors , according to the district, which announced the “Choose McKinney ISD” initiative.

Photo Courtesy of AP

MCKINNEY, Texas — The McKinney Independent School District (MISD) is launching an open enrollment program for students who either live outside the district or wish to transfer to another school within the district.

The “Choose McKinney ISD” initiative, announced on Tuesday, comes with several eligibility requirements, and not all transfer requests will be approved. The program will be available for Kindergarten through 8th Grade students for the 2025-2026 school year.

Starting February 3, families can apply for transfers, and the district will notify applicants once their applications have been reviewed and either approved or waitlisted. Transfer approvals will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis, with students placed on a waitlist if a particular campus reaches full capacity.

For students who live outside the district and wish to transfer into McKinney ISD, the following criteria must be met:

• Texas residency
• Attendance of at least 90% in the previous academic year
• No expulsions or alternative education placements in the prior academic year
• Passing grades in all subjects and satisfactory standardized test scores
• No additional staffing or resources required at the requested campus

At this time, the open enrollment program is limited to Kindergarten-8th Grade students. A list of eligible campuses will be available for review. The district plans to extend the transfer option to high school students ahead of the 2026-2027 school year.

In November, the Frisco Independent School District also announced a similar open enrollment plan for its schools.