• Across several states, there are several one-stop-shop platforms that make open enrollment data and navigation easy for parents. Utah should consider how this might look in or across our state.
• Utah policymakers ought to consider ways to elevate open enrollment information by ensuring that required data is already available and looking for ways to consolidate open enrollment data or make the process more user-friendly.

​Happy National School Choice Week! We’re in the middle of an annual celebration of the growing number of education opportunities provided to families.  

So much good has been done in Utah regarding increasing education choice, and it’s worth commending the good work of state policymakers over the years. Utah boasts a strong network of charter schools, a new universal education scholarship program, and a nationally recognized robust open enrollment law that facilitates students transferring between public schools regardless of ZIP code. 

Furthermore, Americans are currently living in an era focused on parent-driven education: parental rights, parent choice, and parent empowerment in choosing an education for their children.  

How can Utah take its strong education choice framework and elevate it further by keeping parents top of mind in upcoming education reforms? 

One opportunity might be in making open enrollment data easier to access by utilizing a one-stop-shop platform of open enrollment information. Other states implement similar opportunities. Maybe Utah leaders could find value in it too. 

How can Utah make open enrollment information easier to find and digest?  

First, Utah leaders should ensure district-level information is as complete and user-friendly as possible. Utah’s open enrollment law requires local school boards to create policies around open enrollment, provide an application, follow certain guidelines, and post specific data/information about capacity and enrollment on their website. The good news is every district has some form of information on open enrollment. Yet, the user experience is likely to vary depending on the school district because all districts offer such different information on open enrollment.  

Further, in Sutherland Institute’s review (publication pending) searching for the enrollment capacity data that is required to be posted on the 41 local school districts’ websites, a large chunk of districts did not post enrollment capacity data as required by statute. Thus, a simple first step would be to ensure districts are providing all they need to offer online.  

Secondly, policymakers should evaluate the merits of consolidating open enrollment information at the state level or multi-county level in ways that make it easier to find and use. 

Consolidating could start by being as simple as having open enrollment data reported to the State Board of Education, which could post the data for parents across the state. Though open enrollment data is required to be shared at the district level, this state-level approach could help parents or policymakers looking for a central location for this type of information.   

In addition, consolidating open enrollment information could be enhanced by a user-friendly, one-stop-shop platform that helps parents navigate more seamlessly the open enrollment process for districts (even including the enrollment process for charter schools when relevant). If a state-level platform doesn’t make sense for logistical reasons, there may still be value in using such a platform at the regional level within the state.  

Examples of user-friendly open enrollment platforms in other states 

Enroll Indy 

One example of an open enrollment platform is Enroll Indy. Enroll Indy is a nonprofit that offers a one-stop-shop enrollment website where families in the Indianapolis area can enroll and learn about their school options in the area.  

Specifically, it aims to help students enroll in the Indianapolis Public Schools or the surrounding charter schools to find the best school options for them. It’s seen as an effort to increase “equitable access to high quality schools by supporting and educating parents as consumers of Indianapolis school options.” 

More specifically, Enroll Indy offers assistance like a School Finder search tool; provides a common application for families to use; includes a Late Enrollment Portal where open seats can be claimed even after the initial deadlines; offers phone and email support for families; and shares data reporting that can help schools and leaders understand where the demand is.  

Parents of students have a one-step enrollment process where they rank their top 10 schools and get matched through a lottery system. In the 2023-24 academic year, 83% of applicants received their top match and 87% received a match in their top three schools. They also have a highly diverse applicant pool, a win for the goal of equity they had set for themselves. 

Though Enroll Indy is not a statewide approach to open enrollment offerings, it provides an example to be studied of how the open enrollment process and information could possibly be consolidated and enhanced through a common platform. 

SchoolChoice 

In Colorado, on the Denver Public Schools website, is a webpage called SchoolChoice that helps families in the Denver area find enrollment options among a variety of district-managed schools, charter schools and pathway schools (these offer “intensive academic” opportunities and often allow students to earn more credits per year than other schools).  

Families can use the SchoolChoice “Find” tool to learn more about schools they might attend. They can then create an online account on the platform and submit only one application where they rank their top 12 schools. Once they are notified that they have a match, they can enroll at that school. 

In the 2020-21 school year, 23,500 families applied and 89% received their first-choice match. The year prior (pre-pandemic), 26,300 families applied and 84% got their first-choice school.  

The SchoolChoice homepage also states that “equity is at the heart” of what they do, saying “DPS believes all families should have equitable access to the schools they feel are the best fit for their students, regardless of their background or address.” 

Unlike Enroll Indy, which is a nonprofit, this platform is hosted by the school district. Thus, platforms can be run by state or local government as well as nonpublic entities. Ultimately, they could have the support of legislation or not. 

Across the country there are several similar examples of platforms that offer this type of tool, usually based at a regional or district level (or state level where the state population is small, as in Delaware), but it’s clear that such an approach is possible. 

Recommendation 

Utah policymakers ought to consider ways to elevate open enrollment information by ensuring that required data is already available and looking for ways to consolidate data or make it more user-friendly through one-stop-shop platforms. As policymakers consider the needs of parents and the value of local control of districts, they can find the right opportunities for Utah.

Sutherland Institute policy intern Alexis Morgan contributed research to this article.