Boundaries – Avela

Boundaries in Avela define geographic areas that can be associated with schools, grades, or automated rules (coming soon). They are managed at the organization level and can be reused across multiple enrollment periods.

In this article, we'll cover how to create boundaries, how to associate them with school and grades, and later on, how to use them for automation (coming soon).

How to create boundaries

Boundaries are imported using GeoJSON files. Avela supports single features (one polygon) or feature collections (multiple polygons).
Each feature becomes a separate boundary that can later be linked to schools and used in automation.

1. Open the Boundaries Page

*Note: If you don't see the option to go to the Organization, you may not have permission to access it. Check with your organization administrator if that is the case.*

Navigate to Organization → Boundaries.
If no boundaries exist, you’ll see an empty state with an option to Import boundaries.

2. Upload a GeoJSON File

Click Import boundaries → Upload file and select a .geojson file from your computer.
You can upload a:

Single feature → creates one boundary
FeatureCollection → creates multiple boundaries once imported (each feature becomes one)

Supported format: geoJSON
Unsupported types: LineString, Point (polygons only).

If your shape file is in a different format you can use simple online tools to transform them to .geojson, such as:

mapshaper.org - Excellent web interface
ogre.adc4gis.com - Simple converter
mygeodata.cloud - Handles many formats

Coordinate System: GeoJSON files must use the WGS84 coordinate system (EPSG:4326), which represents locations as latitude and longitude in decimal degrees. This is the standard GPS coordinate system.

✓ Accepted: [-122.4194, 37.7749]
✗ Not Accepted: Web Mercator, UTM zones, State Plane, or local coordinate systems

If you received a GeoJSON file from someone else: Most GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS) automatically converts to WGS84 when exporting to GeoJSON. However, if your imported data appears in the wrong location or not at all, the file likely uses a different coordinate system.

3. Name the boundary, and optionally choose an Identifying Property (for FeatureCollections)

If your file contains multiple features, you’ll be asked to select a property from the file to be used as the boundary name (e.g. boundary_tag, zone_name, etc.). Avela will automatically detect the identified boundaries and show a preview with how many items and the values for that property.

4. Import

Click Import boundary to complete the upload.
Once imported, you’ll see a confirmation message — “Boundaries imported” — and the list will refresh.

5. Viewing and Managing Boundaries

After import, all boundaries appear in a searchable list.
Each item includes:

Boundary name
Unique ID (internal reference)
Preview option (shows map geometry)

You can also:

Export boundaries as .geoJSON for reuse or backup. You can do this in bulk on the top right, or per single boundary:

Search by name or ID
Edit boundaries
Delete boundaries (only if it’s not used in an enrollment)

Associating Boundaries with Schools and Grades

Once boundaries have been imported, they can be linked to specific schools and grades within an enrollment period. This connection allows Avela to automatically:

Restrict eligibility by boundary location - for example, to only show neighbourhood schools.
Display family- and staff-facing labels - for designating schools or transportation zones, for example.
Power location-based automations and tagging rules

Note that you can add and edit schools one by one, or you can also take a look at Importing Enrollment periods to rollover

Go to Enrollment schools, and edit a school

When editing a school, you can configure boundaries for it and optionally for specific grades. A side panel opens with configuration options.

2. Choose a Boundary

Select an existing boundary from the dropdown. Only polygons that have been successfully imported appear in the list. When associating a boundary, the result is only what is within it will be considered eligible. Later, in the form questions, an address question can be configured to limit or sort based on this criteria.

3. Assign Grades (Optional)

You can target boundaries to specific grades — for example, if zoning rules differ between elementary and middle school. You can add more boundaries if you want to apply multiple boundaries by grade for the same school.

4. Configure Boundary Behavior

Each boundary–grade pair can include a key behavior:

Setting	Description
Label	Adds a family- and staff-facing label on the school selection screen when a student’s address matches this boundary. Useful for marking “Zoned,” “Priority,” or “Transportation zone” schools.

5. Save

Click Set boundaries to apply changes.

6. Viewing Active Associations

Once saved, each school’s card lists:

The Grades impacted
The Boundaries currently in use (linked for quick navigation)

Enrollment schools will display boundaries in use

Boundary management in the organization will indicate where each of them are used

7. Editing or Removing Associations

⚠️ Important:
Modifying boundaries on a live enrollment period may affect existing forms and responses. Always review active data before saving.

To modify associations:

Return to the school’s Set boundaries panel
Use the Remove boundary button to delete one pairing
Or toggle on/off Label settings

Changes take effect immediately after saving.