Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program
The Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program brings students from Ravenswood City School District to Menlo Park City School District. The program was created in 1986 as part of a Settlement Order in San Mateo County Court in response to a petition filed by Margaret Tinsley and other parents of the Ravenswood City School District.
The program aims to accomplish the following:
- Reduce the racial isolation of students of color in the Palo Alto, Ravenswood, and other San Mateo County School Districts (Menlo Park, Las Lomitas, Portola Valley, Woodside, San Carlos and Palo Alto)
- Improve educational achievement of Ravenswood students
- Enhance interdistrict cooperation
Each year, 24 students from Ravenswood City School District are assigned to transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, first, or second grade classrooms in MPCSD. Once granted, the transfers are permanent and students may remain until they graduate, provided they do not move out of their attendance area. Terms of the settlement specify that only new students entering transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, first, or second grade are eligible to enter the program. If a voluntary transfer student transfers out of the district, MPCSD may be assigned more students each year to fill those slots. Students assigned to replace students who have transferred out are still only assigned to TK-2 (not the grade level in which the previous student matriculated).
The San Mateo County Office of Education administers the voluntary transfer application process. Currently, there are about 190 voluntary transfer students from transitional kindergarten through 8th grade enrolled in MPCSD. As MPCSD students, they receive full district services and are provided with bus transportation to and from school.
Parent Involvement
All voluntary transfer families are encouraged to be actively involved at the school site level in either the Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) or The Foundation (MPAEF).
Eligibility
Minority students in the Ravenswood City School District entering transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, first, or second grade.
Menlo Park City School District residents have the opportunity to request a transfer into the Ravenswood City School District under the Tinsley Voluntary Transfer Program. For more information, please see the attached letter from Executive Director, Joy Dardenelle.
Applying to the Voluntary Transfer Program
2025-26 Application for Tinsley Voluntary Student Transfer
Program information and applications are available on the San Mateo County Office of Education website. For further details, contact Jessica Ochoa at (650) 802-5312 or tinsley@smcoe.org.
Submit completed applications to:
San Mateo County Office of Education
Attn: Jessica Ochoa
101 Twin Dolphin Drive
Redwood City, CA 94065-1064
DO NOT SUBMIT your application to Menlo Park City School District.
On February 1, 2023, MPCSD held a Tinsley Family Welcome event on ZOOM. Please see below to access the recording:
https://mpcsd.zoom.us/rec/
Passcode: E+2KD5^E