Editor's note: This story has been updated throughout with comments from Magnolia ISD. Magnolia ISD began accepting applications for its inaugural open enrollment program in May with plans to accept a limited number of out-of-district students for the 2018-19 school year. The application period closes July 16. Through open enrollment, students in kindergarten through 12th grade in school districts other than MISD can enroll in MISD this fall. MISD high schools are the first public school campuses in Montgomery County to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, which launched in fall 2016 and allows junior and senior high school students to receive college credit-hours. Accepted out-of-district students will be charged $2,000 for annual August-May tuition, according to MISD. Applications for open enrollment are available weekdays from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Celeste Graves Education Support Center, 31141 Nichols Sawmill Road, Magnolia. "That's what an average home would pay in property taxes [to the district]," MISD Director of Communications Denise Meyers said. MISD launched its open enrollment program to increase enrollment and revenue, according to the district. Since state funding is based on the average daily attendance of students, increased enrollment means more funding for a district. Additionally, increased enrollment in 2018-19 could allow MISD to keep more property tax revenue for use within the district instead of sending that money to the state through the recapture system—set by Chapter 41 of the Texas Education Code and colloquially known as the “Robin Hood” plan, according to MISD. "We are on that cusp of the Chapter 41, so by doing the open enrollment, that allows us to get more state aid, to get more money from the state in order to reduce the recapture rate," Meyers said. Tomball ISD has also launched its limited open enrollment initiative for the 2017-18 school year and accepted out-of-district applications to increase enrollment and retain more local tax dollars. Students accepted into MISD’s open enrollment program will not be provided district transportation. The district will determine which campuses students will attend, Meyers said. "We will place [students] where we have seats available and where we have teaching staff available," she said. "It also depends on what side [of the district] that they live on, too. We want to make it easy for parents as well." Although Meyers said there is no definitive cap on the number of seats available, acceptance to the program is first-come, first-served and based on students' attendance and discipline history as well as the number of available seats, teacher capacity and completed application status. "I think what we have here is something special, and it's something that the culture here—yes, we are 13,000 students—is a culture that everyone feels like they do know each other," Meyers said. "It is kind of that small-town community feel, and that's what people are looking for. That along with a really good education." Read more about the MISD's open enrollment program here, as well as information about out-of-district tuition.