Boundaries and zoned schools in Explore

If families are assigned to schools or eligible for transportation based on where they live, Explore can show them which schools and buses serve their address. Families enter an address, and Explore tags and sorts their zoned schools and available transportation.

How it works

1. You provide boundary files which outline the area each school serves; your Avela CS representative will help upload the boundaries into the system.
2. A family enters their address in the Explore search bar.
3. Explore checks which boundaries contain that address.
4. The matching schools get a tag, like "Zoned Elementary School." If you use a custom sort, tagged schools also move to the top of the list.

Prepare your boundary files

• File format: GeoJSON (your Avela representative can help you convert other file formats, such as shapefile or KML to GeoJSON, if necessary)
• One shape per school boundary. Each shape needs a value that can be mapped to the school's ID in your data sheet. If certain schools are associated with multiple shapes, please let your Avela rep know so that we can rename the feature properties accordingly.
• Separate files or labels by level if elementary, middle, and high school boundaries overlap, so each school gets the right tag.

Your GIS or planning team usually has these files. Upload them to your shared Explore folder, or send them to your Avela CS rep.

Choose your tag wording

Decide what families see on zoned schools. Examples:

• "Zoned Elementary School," "Zoned Middle School," "Zoned High School"
• "Attendance Area School"
• "Your Neighborhood School"
• “Transportation available”

See Custom tags and custom sort.

Test your boundaries

After Avela sets up your boundaries, test them on your test site before launch:

1. Enter addresses from different parts of your district.
2. Include addresses right on the edge of a boundary, where mistakes are most likely.
3. Include an address outside your district, and check that no school is tagged.
4. Report any address that tags the wrong school.

Update boundaries

If your boundaries change, send updated files to your Avela CS rep or help@avela.org. Do this as part of your annual refresh, and before your enrollment period opens.

Explore boundaries and Avela Apply boundaries are set up separately. If you change boundaries in one, update the other so families get the same answer in both places. See Boundaries in Apply.

Related articles

• Custom tags and custom sort
• Explore Refresh Checklist