Published: February 12, 2016 at 1:03 p.m. 

KINGSPORT, Tenn. – Kingsport City Schools will begin accepting Zoning and Tuition Applications for students in grades K–12 for the 2016-2017 school year beginning Friday, February 12, 2016.

Parents who would like to request their child attend a different city school instead of one for which their child is zoned, must apply for a zoning exception. Parents of students who are not legal residents of the City of Kingsport must submit a tuition application to attend Kingsport City Schools. Parents or legal guardians must apply annually for their child’s tuition and zoning status, even if they attended Kingsport City Schools during the preceding school year.

Applications are available in-person at the KCS Administrative Support Center, 400 Clinchfield Street, second floor, downtown Kingsport or online at k12k.com or by clicking here. Application deadline is April 30, 2016.

The following are excerpts from the Kingsport Board of Education’s policies and procedures for zoning and tuition:

• Parents or legal guardians must apply annually for their child’s tuition and zoning status.
• Students who are not legal residents of the City of Kingsport shall pay tuition charges as approved annually by the Board of Education.
• Failure to pay tuition will disqualify a student’s application for the next year.
• Tuition students are accepted and zoning exceptions are granted only if current enrollment permits.
• The system does not provide bus transportation for tuition or zoning exception students, except in specific circumstances.

Criteria for zoning exceptions are as follows:

• Documented medical reasons
• Child care availability
• An expected move to a different zone
• Specialized school programs
• A fifth or an eighth grade student with a previous zoning exception
• A student whose family has moved to a different zone after November 1
• Documented justifications related to the child’s specific educational experience

The school system utilizes the following order when placing students:

• Zoning exception reapplications
• Tuition reapplications for school employees working at the requested school
• New zoning exception applications
• Tuition reapplications
• New tuition applications for school employees working at the requested school
• New tuition applications for system and city employees
• New tuition applications for out-of-district residents

To learn the school for which your child is zoned, please refer to the Kingsport Street Directory listed under the “School Zones and Street Directory” link under “Parents” at k12k.com, or call KCS Administrative Support Center at (423) 378.2100.

For more information please contact Jim Nash at (423) 378.2169 or visit k12k.com.

Kingsport City Schools (KCS) is a public school district located in Kingsport, Tenn., serving students in Sullivan and Hawkins county. The district is comprised of 13 schools, including a Pre-K, eight elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school and a non-traditional school; with total enrollment over 7,100 students. The vision of Kingsport City Schools is to be, Student Focused … World Class.

KCS has been named the top school district in Tennessee as winner of the 2014 SCORE Prize District Award by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education (SCORE) and has earned the 2014 Achievement Award in the annual Excellence in Tennessee Recognition Program by the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence (TNPCE).

For more information on KCS, visit k12k.com, listen live on WCSK 90.3 FM, The Voice of KCS, read our blog, We Are KCS, or call (423) 378.2100. We’re social too; follow us on Facebook (Kingsport City Schools), Twitter (@KCS_District) and check out our YouTube Channel (KPTSchools).

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