A transfer student is one who changes schools after he/she participates at a school each year.
Participation includes any involvement in school-sponsored activities on or after the official start date for any sport season. This includes, but is not limited to, tryouts, conditioning, practices, and interscholastic contests. Please visit the individual sport page to determine the official start date.
Florida statutes and FHSAA Bylaws establish eligibility of transfer students.
A transfer student who has not participated in school-sponsored activities on or after the official start date of any sport season may seek to immediately join a team, provided the roster has not reached the identified maximum size and the coach determines that the student has the requisite skill and ability to participate.
A student who has participated in tryouts and/or practices on or after the official start date is considered to have participated in the sport, even if he/she has not competed in any contests.
A transfer student who has participated in school-sponsored activities on or after the official start date for any sport may participate, provided he/she qualifies under one of the following criteria:
- Active-Duty Military Personnel: A student shall qualify under this provision when the student is the dependent or a parent or legal guardian serving on active military duty and relocates to a new residence as a direct result of official military orders.
- Foster Care Placement: A student shall qualify under this provision when the student is under the care, custody, or supervision of the court or state and relocates to a new residence as a result of a foster care placement.
- Court-Ordered Change in Custody: A student shall qualify under this provision when a court orders a change in legal custody that results in the student's relocation to a new residence. Such changes may occur as a result of parental separation, divorce, serious illness, incapacity, or death of a custodial parent.
- Full and Complete Move: A student shall qualify under this provision when the student and at least one parent, guardian, or other individual with whom the student has been living permanently relocate to a new primary residence.
- Reassignment by District School Board: A student shall qualify under this provision when the district school board involuntarily reassigns the student to a different school during the academic year for administrative reasons. The reassignment must be initiated by the district, must not be related to disciplinary action, and cannot be requested by the student, parent, or guardian.
- Transfer Within the First Twenty Days: A student shall qualify under this provision when the student was placed on an official wait list for admission to the school or program and is subsequently offered and accepts enrollment within the first twenty (20) school days of the academic year. Eligibility under this provision is limited to students who applied for admission to the school through the established enrollment process prior to the official start date for fall sports, were placed on a wait list due to lack of available space and were subsequently admitted from that wait list and enrolled within the first twenty (20) school days.