- Indian Prairie School District #204
- Residency
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Residency and the Residency Verification Process
When a child is registering in District 204 for the first time, a parent or guardian must provide proof of identity and age by providing one of the following documents:
- original or certified copy of a birth certificate (which will be copied and original returned to parent or guardian),
- valid passport, or
- other record recognized by a court of law.
In addition, the parent or guardian must provide disease immunization records as required by state law, the required physical examination signed by the student’s physician, vision examination, and dental examination.
Proof of residency is required for all new students and whenever a change of address occurs.
Additionally, residency verification is conducted on a yearly basis for all District 204 students. For the yearly verification, the district utilizes a 3rd party vendor to verify residency. If a family’s residency cannot be verified by the 3rd party vendor, then the family is required to provide the required number of documents from each of the following categories.
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Category I (One document required)
Property tax bill and/or proof of payment, e.g., canceled check or Form 1098 (homeowners)
Mortgage papers (homeowners)
Signed and dated lease and/or proof of last month’s payment, e.g., canceled check or receipts (renters)
Letter from manager and/or proof of last month’s payment, e.g., canceled check or receipt (trailer park residents)
Letter of residence from landlord in lieu of lease (7:60-AP2, E1)
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Category II (Two documents showing proper address are required)
Driver’s license
Vehicle registration
Voter registration
Most recent cable television and/or credit card bill
Current bank statement
Current public aid card
Current homeowners/renters insurance policy and premium payment receipt
Most recent gas, electric, and/or water bill
Current library card (must include resident’s address)
Receipt for moving van rental
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If you are unable to provide the documents listed above, you may propose and provide other documents for the School District’s consideration. Please note that the School District reserves the right to evaluate the documents presented; merely providing the documents does not guarantee admission.
The building principal or designee is responsible for collecting this information before enrollment. If you have questions about these documents or other registration and enrollment procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the school office or the IPSD 204 Crouse Education Center at residency@ipsd.org.
Updated for '24-'25
Residency Frequently Asked Questions
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What are possible reasons that my address could not be verified by the 3rd party vendor?
The 3rd party vendor utilizes electronic databases to cross check the names and address that the district has on file. Therefore, there are several reasons that could result with an inability to verify your residency:
- A current copy of title evidence, current mortgage statement, a signed and dated lease agreement, or current property tax bill were not used the last time you proved residency.
- If you rent, the lease that you have on file expires prior to the first day of school for the upcoming school year.
- An affidavit was used to enroll in school. Affidavits will be required to be redone every year.
- Name and address in Synergy or the electronic databases are inconsistent.
- There are multiple addresses to which a family is linked.
- There has been a recent change in your address that has not been processed by the electronic databases.
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What does it mean to be a resident of Indian Prairie School District #204?
In general, residency is defined as having a “physical presence with an intention to remain on a permanent basis.” (Braun, 2010)
Typically, “a child is presumed to be a resident of the school district wherein the persons who have legal custody of him reside.” (Braun, 2010)
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Can a non-resident pay tuition for their child to attend Indian Prairie School District #204 schools?
Indian Prairie School District #204 does not accept students from outside of the district on a tuition basis.
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What happens if the school district determines that a student is a non-resident of the district?
According to Board Policy 7:60, “If the Superintendent or designee determines that a non-resident student is attending a District school, he or she on behalf of the Board shall notify the person who enrolled the student of the tuition amount that is due and immediately begin proceedings to ban the student from future attendance. The notice shall be given by certified mail, return receipt requested. The person who enrolled the student may challenge this determination and request a hearing as provided by the School Code, 105 ILCS 5/10-20.12b.”
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What is the penalty for providing false information regarding the residency of a pupil?
“A person who knowingly or willfully provides false information to a school district regarding the residency of a pupil for the purpose of enabling the pupil to attend any school in the district without the payment of a nonresident tuition charge commits a Class C misdemeanor (not more than 30 days in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $1,500).” (Braun, 2010)
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If a family is a legal resident of the district at the beginning of the school year and moves out of the district during the school year, can the student finish out the current school year in his or her original district?
“If a student becomes nonresident during a school term, the child must be permitted to attend school in the school district in which the child was originally enrolled and cannot be charged tuition for the remainder of the school term in which the child became non-resident.” (Braun, 2010)
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Can a family transfer temporary custody of a child for the purpose of attending a specific school?
“The facts surrounding any temporary transfer of custody will determine whether or not residency has been established. The mere creation of a guardianship, transfer of custody, or change of address is not sufficient to establish residence for school attendance purposes.” (Braun, 2010)
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My extended family lives in the district and they provide before and after school care for my children, but we live in a different district. Can my child attend schools in the district?
“A child is entitled to tuition-free enrollment in the school district wherein he resides…A child is presumed to be a resident of the school district wherein the persons who have legal custody of him reside.” (Braun, 2010)
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How often do I have to prove residency?
The district is verifying residency for all families every year. Residency will either be verified by a 3rd party vendor or by families providing acceptable forms of residency verification.
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What are acceptable forms of proof of residency?
A copy of title evidence, current mortgage statement, a signed and dated lease agreement, current property tax bill, current utility bill such as an electric bill, gas bill, or home phone bill (Cell phone bills will not be accepted as proof as residency), photo identification card, Illinois Driver’s License, Illinois State Identification Card, voter’s registration card, home loan payment book, home/renter’s insurance policy, or bank account information. Please note that title evidence, current mortgage statement, lease agreement, and property tax bill are preferred and allow for greater certainty for verification.
Three of the above forms are required if proving residency without 3rd party verification.
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Why have I received one letter indicating I was verified for one child but a different letter indicating I was not verified for my other child?
The 3rd party vendor utilized parent names as reflected in Synergy. It is possible that a parent’s name is listed in a different fashion for each child. For example, Jon versus Jonathan. Additionally for one of the children, the father may be listed as Guardian 1 and the mother listed as Guardian 1 for the other child. When this happens, a different parent was searched and came back with different results based on database information under the different names.
