Family & Safety
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Is guardianship required to enroll a child in school?
Schools can't require that you have legal guardianship of a child before enrolling them in school. You just have to prove that you have legal responsibility for the child.
You can prove that you have legal responsibility of the child if you:
- Have a court order that says so (such as guardianship),
- Get public assistance for the child, or
- Live with the child.
If you have legal responsibility of the child, you can enroll them in school. The child has to be a resident of the school district. If the child is not, then you might have to pay nonresident tuition, which can be expensive.
Last full review by a subject matter expert
January 29, 2023
Last revised by staff
May 24, 2020
Legal Comment
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