General Residency Requirements

Students enrolled in the Los Altos School District (LASD) must reside within District boundaries unless they have been admitted through an approved interdistrict transfer or another exception permitted by law.

A student’s residence is generally the student’s primary, established home where the student regularly lives and sleeps with a parent or legal guardian. Owning or renting property within LASD boundaries does not, by itself, establish residency. A family must actually reside at the address provided to the District.

Families must provide current and accurate residency information during registration and throughout the student’s enrollment. LASD may request additional or updated documentation at any time to confirm continued residency.

Additionally, once a student is enrolled in a public school, the student can only remain enrolled if the student resides continually within that district's boundaries (California law: Ed Code 48201. 

Examples include:

• If the family moves OUT of district boundaries for any reason, the student must be dis-enrolled from the LASD school and enrolled in the new district of residency.
• If the family and student move to a different address within district boundaries, parents must notify their school's front office within two weeks of moving to a new address.
• Temporary housing, for any reason including home renovation, must be within district boundaries in order for the student to remain enrolled in LASD schools.

Joint Custody and Separate Households

When parents or guardians live at different addresses, the student must reside with a parent or guardian whose home is within LASD boundaries for at least 50% of the regular school year.

If one household is outside LASD boundaries, the District may request a custody agreement, parenting schedule, court order, or other documentation showing where the student primarily resides during the school year. The address used for enrollment must reflect the student’s actual living arrangement and may not be selected solely for the purpose of attending an LASD school.

Families must notify the District if a custody arrangement or the student’s primary residence changes.

LASD reserves the right to verify a student’s residency before enrollment and at any time while the student is enrolled.

If the District reasonably believes that residency information may be false, unreliable, outdated, or incomplete, LASD may take reasonable steps to determine whether the student meets District residency requirements. Verification may include:

• Requesting additional or updated residency documents
• Contacting a landlord, property owner, or other person identified in residency documentation
• Reviewing publicly available information
• Conducting an in-person residency verification
• Using a District employee or qualified residency investigator
• Following up on returned mail, conflicting records, or residency tips received by the District

Any investigation will be conducted in accordance with California law and LASD Board Policy and Administrative Regulation 5111.1.

False or Misleading Residency Information

Submitting a false address, altered or falsified documents, a misleading residency declaration, or other inaccurate information for the purpose of enrolling or keeping a student in LASD may result in:

• Denial or revocation of enrollment
• Immediate disenrollment from LASD
• Enrollment of the student in the district where the student actually resides
• Referral to the appropriate authorities or other action permitted by law

A student’s enrollment may also be revoked if a parent or guardian fails to disclose that the student has moved outside District boundaries.

Community members who have a good-faith concern that a student may be attending LASD based on a false or outdated address may submit an anonymous residency tip.

Submit an Anonymous Residency Tip

Please provide as much specific information as possible, including:

• The student’s or family’s name
• The LASD school the student attends
• The address being used for enrollment
• The address where the student may actually reside
• The basis for the concern
• Any other information that may assist the District in reviewing the report

The person submitting a tip is not required to provide their name. Information received will be reviewed confidentially and used only as appropriate to evaluate the student’s residency. A tip does not, by itself, establish that a violation has occurred; LASD will independently review the information before taking action.