PCS Move School Transfer: Credits, the Military Compact and a Checklist

Quick answer: A PCS move school transfer is covered by the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children, which sets shared rules for records, class placement and graduation when children of active-duty families change public schools between member states. The Compact applies to public schools and Department of Defense schools. A private school, including a private online school, sets its own policies. Families choose among public school at each station, DoDEA, or one private online school that stays the same through the move.

A PCS is a permanent change of station, the military term for a move to a new duty assignment. For a high school student, a PCS can arrive in the middle of a semester, with new graduation requirements waiting at the other end. This guide explains the protections that exist, who is covered, what the School Liaison Program offers, how DoDEA and its virtual high school work, and where a private online school fits. It ends with a timeline checklist and a comparison table.

What a PCS move means for a student’s credits and graduation

The Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3) writes in its guide for parents and school officials that most military children attend six to nine schools between kindergarten and grade 12. It names the areas where a move can affect a student: records that arrive after the student does, course sequences that differ by state, graduation requirements that vary by state, and state tests that another state does not recognize.

Those are the areas the Compact addresses. They matter most in grades 10 through 12, when each credit counts toward a diploma and a state’s exit exams may apply.

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

The Compact is an agreement among states. According to MIC3, all 50 states and the District of Columbia are members, and it covers four areas: eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation. The Department of Defense is a non-voting member. Each state adopted the Compact through its own law, so the wording in your state can differ slightly from the model text. MIC3’s parent guide says so directly.

Which students it covers

The MIC3 guide lists these as covered:

• Children of active-duty members of the uniformed services, including National Guard and Reserve members on active-duty orders (Title 10)
• Children of members or veterans who are medically discharged or retired, for one year
• Children of members who die on active duty, for one year after the death
• Children of uniformed members of the Commissioned Corps of NOAA and the U.S. Public Health Service

The same guide lists these as not covered: children of inactive National Guard and Reserve members, of retired members not listed above, of veterans not listed above, and of Department of Defense civilians and contractors who are not on active duty. It also states: “The Compact only applies to public schools and the Department of Defense schools.”

What it says about records

• The sending school’s custodian of records sends unofficial records to the parents, who may carry them to the new school.
• The new school enrolls and places the student while it waits for the official records to be validated.
• The receiving school requests the official records, and the sending school sends them within the time set by the Commission’s rules. The guide lists the time frame.

Military OneSource describes the same idea in its page on the Interstate Compact for military children: you can obtain a copy of the school records from the old school to bring to the new one and use them until the official records arrive.

What it says about course placement

The receiving school honors placement based on the student’s previous enrollment and current educational assessments. It may still run its own later evaluations to confirm the placement fits. School officials also have flexibility to waive course or program prerequisites, which helps students moving into honors or AP sequences.

What it says about graduation

• Waivers. Specific required courses are waived if similar coursework was satisfactorily completed. If a waiver is denied, the district provides another way to earn the required coursework so the student can graduate on time.
• Exit and end-of-course exams. Receiving states accept exit or end-of-course exams required for graduation in the sending state, national norm-referenced achievement tests and alternative testing.
• If those options cannot be arranged, the sending and receiving districts ensure the student receives a diploma from the sending district, provided the student meets the sending district’s graduation requirements.
• Senior year. A student who transfers at the start of or during senior year and cannot graduate from the receiving school after all options have been considered also receives a diploma from the sending district under the same conditions.

What it does not cover

The Compact applies to public schools in member states and to Department of Defense schools. Private schools, including private online schools, set their own admissions, credit and graduation policies. If your child moves from a public school into a private school, or the reverse, the receiving school decides how it counts the credits.

The School Liaison Program

Every installation has a school liaison. According to Military OneSource, school liaisons are the main contact for military families, local school systems and installation command, and they help with transitions before and after a PCS, including transfer of credits, class registration and referrals. Their program page describes the service as support for geographically dispersed families.

To find a liaison, use the installation search tool and select School Liaison Program, or call Military OneSource at 800-342-9647. Contact the liaison at your current installation and at your gaining installation. They know the local district’s enrollment steps and can explain how the Compact works in that state.

DoDEA schools and the DoDEA Virtual High School

DoDEA, the Department of Defense Education Activity, runs schools for children of military families. A Congressional Research Service overview describes DoDEA as primarily for the children of active duty servicemembers living on military installations. Stateside, dependent children of military members who live on an installation served by a DoDEA domestic school are eligible for tuition-free enrollment. DoDEA states that eligibility to attend its schools is set by DoDEA Administrative Instruction 1344.01 and describes registration on its registration page. Check it for the installation you are moving to.

DoDEA Virtual High School (DVHS)

DVHS offers online high school courses. The DVHS eligibility page says:

• Eligibility follows the same rules as attending a DoDEA school in person. A student must be located in the area served by the assigned DoDEA school, and must enroll in the local DoDEA school first, because DVHS cannot enroll students directly.
• Once a student leaves the area of the DoDEA school, the student is no longer eligible for DVHS. The page states that this is a matter of law, not policy, so no exceptions are available.
• The Expanded Eligibility Participation Program (E2P2) is open to military-connected high school students in the United States. The student must be a school-aged dependent of an active-duty member stationed in the U.S., in grades 9 through 12, and not eligible for a DoDEA school, and must either need supplementary courses to graduate in the current state or show a clear need. Students in this program may take up to two non-core credits per year.
• The Non-DoD Schools Program (NDSP) serves students who live overseas where DoDEA schools are not available. Those students may enroll in DVHS full time if needed to complete graduation requirements and receive a DoDEA diploma.

If you PCS to an area where your child is eligible for a DoDEA school, the child’s current school arranges a school-to-school transfer, and the child’s DVHS courses can continue through the new school.

Public virtual school during a PCS

Public online schools are tied to a state, and their rules for military families vary. The Defense-State Liaison Office summarizes the idea in a best-practices paper on virtual school enrollment: a family that expects a midterm move can register for virtual classes in the sending or receiving state for the transition semester. It gives two examples. Alabama treats dependents of service members as residents for its virtual school once the member receives orders to relocate to Alabama. The Texas Education Code lets a military dependent who has been transferred to Texas and was enrolled in a publicly funded school outside Texas enroll full time in the Texas Virtual School Network. Rules vary by state, so ask the gaining installation’s school liaison.

Where a private online school fits

A private online school is a different kind of option. The student enrolls in one school and stays enrolled when the address changes, in the United States or overseas. Because the school is not part of any state’s public system, it does not depend on residency in a particular state or district. The Compact does not apply to it, so the school’s own policies decide how it counts credits. Families who are on station overseas where DoDEA is not available also have the NDSP route described above, and can ask the school liaison what applies locally.

Forest Trail Academy is a private, accredited, secular online school in West Palm Beach, Florida. It has served more than 10,000 students since 2007. Courses are self-paced, certified teachers support each student, and families can enroll any week of the year.

Its military families page states: “Enrollment stays active through every PCS.” It also states: “Transcripts are maintained by one accredited institution from K through 12th grade,” and “One consistent curriculum from K-12, regardless of duty station.” The page names both CONUS (inside the continental United States) and OCONUS (outside it) installations. A second guide, how online school works for military families, covers daily life in more detail, and transferring credits to an online US diploma program explains the credit review.

Forest Trail Academy lists a discount for military families on its sibling and military discount page, with the qualifications. For tuition, see the tuition page. If your child is mid-semester, our guides on switching schools mid-year and switching to online school mid-semester cover enrollment timing, and how to switch schools lists the general steps.

PCS school transfer checklist: from orders to enrollment

This timeline puts the steps above in order. Not every item applies to every family.

When orders arrive

• Contact the school liaison at your current installation and at the gaining installation.
• Look up the receiving state’s graduation requirements and state tests for your child’s grade, using the state department of education site.
• Decide which school type fits: public school at the new station, DoDEA if your child is eligible, or one private online school.
• Ask the gaining district how it handles enrollment before you arrive and which documents it expects.
• If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, gather the current plan and the latest evaluation.
• For a senior: ask the sending school whether it can issue the diploma if your child meets its requirements, as the Compact provides in some cases.

Before leaving

• Request an unofficial transcript with every course, grade and credit.
• Request withdrawal grades in writing for each course in progress.
• Ask the sending school to send the official transcript to the new school, and note whom to contact if it is late.
• Collect course descriptions or syllabi, especially for honors, AP and dual enrollment.
• Collect state test and end-of-course score reports.
• Carry copies of the PCS orders, proof of date of birth and immunization records. The MIC3 guide lists orders, evidence of date of birth, a transcript (official or unofficial) and immunization evidence as the documents a receiving school may expect. A family care plan or proof of guardianship applies if the student lives with a guardian.
• Keep a digital copy of everything.

At the new duty station

• Enroll with the orders and the unofficial records.
• Ask for placement that honors the previous school’s courses, and ask about prerequisite flexibility for honors and AP.
• Ask for a credit review against the school’s graduation list and, if a required course is missing, request a waiver or another way to earn the credit.
• Check that the official transcript arrives.
• Ask which state tests apply to your child, and whether tests from the old state are accepted.
• Ask about activities. The MIC3 guide says incoming military children have the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities if they are qualified.
• Tell the school liaison how enrollment went.

Comparing the three paths

The table sets out how each path works at a typical PCS. Details depend on the installation, the state and your child’s grade, so confirm each point with the school or the liaison.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children?

It is an agreement among all 50 states and the District of Columbia that sets common rules for eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation for children of eligible military families when they move between public schools. MIC3 administers it.

Does the Compact cover private or online schools?

The MIC3 parent guide states that the Compact applies to public schools and Department of Defense schools. A private school sets its own policies.

Can my child still graduate on time if we PCS during senior year?

The Compact addresses this directly. If a senior cannot graduate from the receiving school after all options have been considered, the sending and receiving districts ensure the student receives a diploma from the sending district, provided the student meets that district’s graduation requirements. Ask the school liaison how it works in your states.

What does a school liaison do?

The school liaison is the main contact for military families, local school systems and installation command. They help with transitions around a PCS, including credit transfer and class registration. Find yours on the Military OneSource installation search.

Can my child use the DoDEA Virtual High School?

DVHS follows DoDEA eligibility. Students enroll through the local DoDEA school, with the Expanded Eligibility Participation Program for some stateside high school students and the Non-DoD Schools Program for some overseas students. See the DVHS eligibility page.

Can my child stay in the same online school through a PCS?

A private online school is not tied to a duty station, so a student can usually stay enrolled across moves. Confirm the school’s policies and the attendance rules of the state or country where you will live.

What records should I carry on a PCS?

Carry the PCS orders, an unofficial transcript, withdrawal grades in writing, course descriptions, test score reports, proof of date of birth and immunization records. IEP and 504 plans and guardianship papers apply where they are relevant.

Related guides: moving during the school year, moving abroad with school-age children, online school across time zones, and the main page for our American online school.

Planning a PCS and weighing school options? Book a call with admissions.