Open Enrollment is the process by which parents or guardians residing in an Iowa district may enroll their children into another Iowa school district under the terms and conditions of Iowa Code section 282.18 and 281—Iowa Administrative Code chapter 17.

Please refer to the menu items at right for additional information about open enrollment procedures, as well as the limitations and stipulations.

Parents interested in participating in open enrollment should call the Welcome Center at 515-242-7371 or email openenrollment@dmschools.org for additional information.

The deadline to apply for the 2025-26 school year is March 3, 2025. Applications submitted after that date will likely be denied in accordance with state law. 

A note about Open Enrollment for the school year 2026-27:
Open Enrollment applications are released by the state around July 1.  Once the state releases the new application, it will be made available to submit online and will be found on this webpage:  https://www.dmschools.org/enrollment-registration/information-forms/. The deadline to apply for that school year is March 2, 2026. All late applications will likely be denied in accordance with state law.

If you are unable to submit the application online, please contact the Welcome Center to have an application mailed to you.  The Welcome Center can be reached by emailing welcomecenter@dmschools.org or by calling 515-242-7371.  Please include your name and full street address in your email or voicemail.  Applications must be received or postmarked on July 1, 2025, or later to be accepted.  No early applications will be accepted.