The Open Choice program was established by state legislation to reduce racial, ethnic, and economic isolation among students by allowing residents in urban centers to attend schools in neighboring suburban districts. The Open Choice program that CES has successfully administered for many years provides Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk students to enroll in seven participating suburban school districts.
 
How Open Choice works
Each Open Choice program accepts applications from students and conducts a selection process to fill a predetermined number of available “seats” that suburban school districts are providing for each grade. Unfortunately, not every student who applies is guaranteed a placement. For example, if 85 students apply for a seat in Grade 4 and only five seats are open, only five applicants can be selected from that city. 
 
Parents may not select the district they want to have their child attend.  Rather, parents submit an application for their child or children for the program.  If upon acceptance to the program a parent decides to decline placement of their child to a particular district, another student is offered the position and the declining student goes to the bottom of the queue. Only students who are chosen through the selection process will receive notification of placement.

 
Although there are openings in higher grades, the majority of open seats usually come in kindergarten or first grade because districts seek to bring students in during their early years. Once enrolled in a district, students are guaranteed spots in the district through high school graduation, with all of the rights and privileges of a student who resides in the receiving town.  
 
Transportation is provided by the state and coordinated by Open Choice. Bus rides can be long because students are picked up all over each city and then driven to neighboring district schools during morning traffic.  
 
If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me. 
 
Eric B. Nyquist
Open Choice Coordinator, CES
203-365-8857 / nyquiste@cestrumbull.org

Applications are open Jan. 15 through March 15 for the upcoming school year. 

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be made live from January 15, 2026 through March 15, 2026:

ENGLISH APPLICATION

SPANISH APPLICATION

The Bridgeport region has participated in Open Choice for more than 20 years. Each year, hundreds of Bridgeport students attend school in neighboring districts such as Easton, Fairfield, Trumbull, Weston, and Westport.  Students are picked up near their home and transported by bus to their new school district.  

• In 2022-2023, the program served almost 300 students.  An average of 800 families apply each year for new spots available.  

• Transportation is coordinated by Karen Barnes at CES and buses are provided by Dattco.  

• Applications for 2025-2026 will be open Jan. 15 through March 15, 2025.  Only families accepted through the lottery/selection process will be notified of placement.  

For more information, contact Karen Barnes at 203-365-8930.  

Applications are open Jan. 15 through March 15 for the upcoming school year. 

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be made live from January 15, 2026 through March 15, 2026:

ENGLISH APPLICATION

SPANISH APPLICATION

Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, Danbury residents were given the opportunity to apply to have their school-aged children attend neighboring school districts through the Open Choice program.  

• Transportation will be provided to and from school for students who are accepted into the program.  
• Applications for the 2025-2026 program will be open Jan. 15 through March 15, 2025.
• Only families accepted through the lottery and selection process will be notified of placement.  

For more information, contact Karen Barnes at 203-365-8930

Applications are open from January 15 through March 15 each year.

Applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be made live from January 15, 2026 through March 15, 2026:

ENGLISH APPLICATION

SPANISH APPLICATION

Beginning in the 2022-23 school year, the opportunity for Norwalk residents to apply for the chance to have their school-aged children attend neighboring school districts opened through the Open Choice program.  

• Transportation will be provided to and from school for students who are accepted into the program.  
• Applications for the 2025-2026 program will be open Jan. 15 through March 15, 2025.
• Only families accepted through the lottery and selection process will be notified of placement.  

For more information, contact Karen Barnes at 203-365-8930.  

Special Application for Norwalk Magnet Schools

This is a special application to request that your child attend one of Norwalk's three intra-district magnet schools.  Parents from any district EXCEPT Norwalk may apply to send their child to Norwalk Magnet Schools via this application.  If you are a Norwalk parent trying to apply to the traditional Open Choice program, please click on the Norwalk Residents tab above.  

The link for applications for the 2026-2027 school year will be active on December 1, 2025.  It will be found below.  

Norwalk Magnet Application via Open Choice

The Norwalk Public Schools have opened their three magnet schools to students who reside outside of norwalk.  Use this application if you do not live in norwalk but would like your child to attend:  

1.  P-TECH Norwalk high school

2.  ponus ridge steam academy middle school

3.  kendall college and career elementary school

INFORMATION ABOUT KINDERGARTEN APPLICATIONS:
The Connecticut General Statute Public Act 23-208 now requires that children turn five years old on or before September 1st to be admitted into kindergarten. The law does specify that school districts are required to implement an exemption process for families that request one. You are welcome to apply for Open Choice for a student entering kindergarten who is born between September 2nd and December 31st.  However, should your child be selected in the process, you will then need to apply for an exemption through the district to which you are assigned.   Each district will have its own evaluation process to determine if your child is eligible to begin kindergarten early.  If your child is deemed eligible, they will be enrolled for the fall of 2025.  If your child is deemed ineligible, they will be removed from Open Choice for this year.  You may re-apply for the Open Choice Lottery next year, or request an exemption for your child from the district in which you reside.  

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Can I choose which receiving district my child attends?  No.  If your child is accepted into the program, you will be offered a spot in a district.  You are applying to OPEN CHOICE - not for a particular school or district.  
• What happens if my child is accepted but we choose not to enroll? Nothing!  You do not have to accept a placement.  If you choose not to accept you will be moved to the bottom of the lottery list.  
• Can I request a transfer to another receiving district once enrolled? No. Once your child is enrolled in their new district, they are permanently enrolled in that new district unless you move or choose not to be in Open Choice anymore.  We are not able to make changes in placement.  
• What about siblings?  Siblings are granted priority status in the lottery process.  If you have a child in Open Choice and apply for another one, should a seat become available for their grade level, that sibling gets priority.  There is NO GUARANTEE that a sibling will definitely be offered a spot.  
• What happens if I move out of the city (Bridgeport, Norwalk, Danbury) while my child is enrolled?  If you move out of the city you resided in at the start of the Open Choice process, you will need to withdraw your child from the school system and place them in the district where you now reside.  Example:  If you move out of Bridgeport into Stratford and your child was attending school in Fairfield through Open Choice, you will need to register your child in the Stratford Public School system.  
• How will my child get to and from school? Transportation is provided by the state and coordinated by Cooperative Educational Services.  Your child will receive transportation to and from school.  
• When will I hear if my child is accepted? We will only notify you if your child is accepted into Open Choice and offered a placement.  We must wait to hear what seats are available from each district.  We usually begin making calls in early June to let parents know of a placement for the following year.  
• Do I have to apply each year to keep my child in the program? No.   Once your child is enrolled in their new school system, they are guaranteed a seat through graduation unless you move out of district.  
• What happens if I miss the March 15 deadline? Can I apply late?  No.  If you miss the March 15 deadline, you will need to wait to apply to the following year between January 15 and March 15.  

If you have any further questions, please contact our office.