School Assignment & Permissive Transfer Update

Dear District 65 Families,

We are truly grateful to the many families who completed the school assignment form by the March 1 deadline and to the broader D65 community for helping encourage participation. This effort was supported by a dedicated team of staff who connected with parents and caregivers through in-person weekend events, conversations during parent-teacher conferences, text messages, phone calls, and other outreach.

Thanks to this collective effort, we received an 87% response rate! This strong level of participation is incredibly helpful as our team works to thoughtfully plan for the upcoming school year and support the transitions ahead.

Next Steps: Permissive Transfer Requests

Based on our initial review, we are encouraged that we will be able to approve the vast majority of permissive transfer requests. Our goal is to provide families with as much flexibility as possible while still ensuring responsible enrollment planning across the district.

First Round of Permissive Transfer Notifications

March 23: Families who requested a permissive transfer will receive an initial determination via email. Determinations will indicate whether the request has been accepted, declined, or placed on a waitlist.
April 1: Parents/guardians must accept or decline the permissive transfer placement in PowerSchool via the Permissive Transfer Confirmation Form. Directions will be provided in the notification email.

Second Round of Permissive Transfer Notifications

April 2: To support as many families as possible with planning, a second round of permissive transfer approval notifications will be sent via email.
April 11: Parents/guardians must accept or decline the permissive transfer placement.

As a reminder, permissive transfer requests are considered alongside a few important planning factors. The District reserves seats for families who move into their neighborhood attendance areas, ensures space remains available in programs that provide required academic services, and works to maintain appropriate class sizes.

Please view our School Transition Hub for FAQs on Permissive Transfers.

School Assignments and Transportation

Using the information submitted through the school assignment forms and permissive transfer process, the District will confirm each student’s school assignment for the 2026–2027 school year. All families will receive this confirmation via email on April 24. No action will be required.

To ensure the most accurate information, families will receive information about transportation eligibility in early summer. In the meantime, families can use this interactive map to determine transportation eligibility based on IDOT and Board-approved hazards.

Timeline: Important Dates

Please see this visual timeline for upcoming deadlines and notification dates for permissive transfers, lottery applications, student registration, and more.

Your partnership makes a tremendous difference in helping us plan thoughtfully for our students and schools. We will continue to share updates as additional information becomes available. Thank you for your continued engagement and support.

With appreciation,

Dr. Angel Turner

Superintendent

Most significantly, we recognize the impact this has on our children and recognize that these could be challenging conversations to navigate. Our team has curated several resources for helping students to process this change, if it may be helpful to you in the classroom or at home.

View Resources