Residency Information & Laws
It is important for parents/guardians to know that the laws of the State of California require parent(s)/guardian(s) be current residents within the boundaries of the public school district they want their children to attend.
Residency for Public School Districts - California Laws
A student whose parent/guardian currently lives within the Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) boundaries is qualified to attend CUSD schools.
A current resident is defined by California law in Gov Code 244 and Ed Code 48200. In plain language, these laws, along with subsequent case law, state that the public school responsible for a student's education is the one in which the parent/guardian primary residence is located. There can only be one primary residence; families with multiple homes must provide documentation that demonstrates they are actually living in the home. Owning or renting a home within the CUSD boundaries does not qualify a student to attend school in CUSD, unless it can be shown that the student is also living (sleeping) full-time in that home.
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 CUSD school and enrolled in the new district of residency.
- If the family and student move to a different address within district boundaries, parents must complete a Change of Address form 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 CUSD schools.
Residency Investigations
By California law, CUSD must annually verify that a student is a current resident, which is achieved when a parent completes the Annual Intent to Attend in the spring of each school year. If a parent fails to complete the Intent to Attend, or if there is reason to believe a student's CUSD residency may be in question, investigations may be conducted by the CUSD Student Assignment Office, allowed under California Law Ed Code 48204.2 and Board Policy 5111.1, to determine authenticity of the home address. When it is determined that a student lives outside the CUSD boundaries, or that residency documents or declarations have been falsified, the student will be immediately removed from the CUSD school and the parent/guardian must enroll the student in the district of residence.
Report a Residency Violation
Complete our Suspected Address Violation Form for any suspected residency violations. Names will be kept anonymous, and all tips will be treated as confidential.
Address Check
Use the School Locator Tool below to see if an address is within our district boundaries and/or to see which of our schools a student would attend if living at this address.
Have a Question?
For questions/inquiries with Student Assignment, please CLICK HERE to submit an inquiry. A Student Assignment staff member will reach out to you as soon as we get to your question/inquiry in the queue.