TL;DR: A Senior High transfer now involves two separate decisions. The paperwork side is governed by DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2025, the Revised Basic Education Enrolment Policy: the latest SF 9 is the core requirement, the birth certificate is submitted only once across all of basic education, schools transmit records between themselves, and unpaid private school fees do not stop a public school from accepting the learner. The academic side is governed by Annex F of DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, because two curricula are running side by side. A school enrolment committee evaluates the SF 9 against an equivalency matrix and the School Head approves an individualised programme of study. For SY 2026-2027, moving from the old curriculum into the Strengthened one requires a valid justification.
Transferring in Grade 11 or 12 used to be mostly an administrative errand. It is not, this year. Two different Senior High curricula are in operation at the same time, and which one your old school and your new school are running changes what you have to take and sometimes which grade level you land in. This guide separates the documents from the academics, because they are decided by different offices under different orders.
The Two Orders That Apply
| Issuance | What it governs |
|---|---|
| DO 017, s. 2025 | Revised Basic Education Enrolment Policy. Documents, enrolment status, records transmittal, LIS tagging |
| DO 017, s. 2026 | Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum. Annex F covers transferees and Balik-Aral learners, subject crediting, and the equivalency process |
| DO 54, s. 2016 | Guidelines on the request and transfer of a learner's school records, referenced by both of the above |
Nothing in either order asks the family to hand-carry records or to settle accounts before a transfer can be accepted. That is worth knowing before you walk into a registrar's office.
The Documents, Under DO 017, s. 2025
The requirement for transferees is short. A learner from a public or private school in the Philippines submits the latest SF 9 (Report Card), signed by the School Head, or a letter from the School Registrar certifying the last grade level completed. That is the baseline. The receiving school then coordinates with the originating school to verify the grade level and the last quarterly grade.
Two provisions in the same order change what families used to expect:
- The birth certificate is submitted once for the whole of K to 12. If the PSA copy is not yet available, secondary documents are accepted, including a national or other primary government ID, a Local Civil Registry certificate of live birth, a marriage certificate, a PhilHealth ID, a PWD ID, a barangay certification establishing the child's identity, an affidavit of undertaking by the parents, a certificate of foundling, or a baptismal certificate. Where a secondary document is used, the PSA copy is expected once available, and in any case by 31 October of the current school year.
- Records move school to school. Only schools and their authorised personnel transmit learner records, including the original or certified true copy of the birth certificate. Schools are told not to compel learners or parents to take responsibility for transmission. The transfer of documents is to be completed before the end of the first grading period, and within thirty days from the first day of attendance for learners who transferred in mid-year.
Our overview of how to transfer schools in the Philippines covers the same ground for other grade levels, and the DepEd school forms guide explains what SF 9 and SF 10 actually contain.
If You Owe the Old School Money
This is the situation families most often ask about, and DO 017, s. 2025 answers it. Where a learner transfers out of a private school but still has outstanding financial obligations, the receiving public school is instructed to accommodate the learner and assist the parent or guardian in executing an affidavit of undertaking. The originating private school then has thirty calendar days from receiving electronic notification through the LIS portal tracking and transfer facility to review the request, confirm the transfer, and tick the unsettled account box so the learner is tagged as temporarily enrolled in the current school.
The learner is in class while that happens. Temporarily enrolled is defined in the same order as a learner not officially enrolled owing to deficiencies in documentary requirements; it is a holding status, not a refusal. The debt remains a debt, but it is not a gate on schooling.
The order also cautions that misuse of the LIS tracking system that causes delays or leaves transfer transactions pending is reportable to the Office of the Schools Division Superintendent.
When You Can Transfer
DO 017, s. 2025 defines transferred in and transferred out by a window: from the first Friday of the school calendar days until the last day of the third quarter. Learners who enrol mid-year from another school are tagged transferred in; those who leave are tagged transferred out. The order adds that in special cases learners may transfer in or out at any time during the school year for valid reasons such as family migration or disasters.
Early registration, which runs from the last Saturday of January to the last Friday of February or on a schedule the Department sets, explicitly covers transferees into public schools alongside incoming Kindergarten, Grades 1, 7 and 11 learners. Pre-registration is not the same as enrolment, and the order says so.
The Harder Half: Two Curricula at Once
In SY 2026-2027, Grade 11 is on the Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum everywhere, while Grade 12 is on the Strengthened curriculum only in pilot schools and on the 2016 K to 12 SHS Curriculum everywhere else. That is what makes a transfer academically complicated rather than clerical. The background is in our guide to the Strengthened SHS Curriculum.
Annex F of DO 017, s. 2026 sets the rules for each direction.
Moving from the 2016 curriculum into the Strengthened curriculum. The learner must have passed all core, applied and specialised subjects taken in Grade 11 under the 2016 curriculum. Once admitted, the learner completes 960 hours of Electives to meet the Grade 12 graduation requirements. Where the learner finished only one semester or term of the 2016 curriculum, the same 960-hour Grade 12 minimum applies, and subjects already completed may be credited as Electives through the Equivalency Matrix.
There is a gate on this direction. For SY 2026-2027, the second year of the pilot, such transfers are permitted only when supported by a valid justification demonstrating that transfer is the most viable option for the learner, with displacement and migration or change of residence given as examples.
Moving from the Strengthened curriculum into the 2016 curriculum. The learner must have passed all Core Subjects and Electives taken under the Strengthened curriculum, and still adheres to the 960-hour Grade 12 elective minimum. Any subject taken in the receiving school may be credited as an Elective. The order advises learners to take subjects most relevant to their intended post-secondary pathway and to avoid duplicating what they already took in Grade 11.
How the School Decides What You Get Credit For
The process happens during the enrolment period, at school level, in three steps set out in Annex F:
- Submission. The learner and parent submit SF 9 to the enrolment committee, composed of the Grade Level Coordinator, the Adviser and the School Head.
- Analysis. The enrolment committee, with the class adviser or guidance counsellor, evaluates the SF 9 and completes the Subject Evaluation Checklist, using the Equivalency Matrix between the two curricula.
- Approval. The School Head reviews and approves the proposed Individualised Program of Study.
The checklist records the learner's name and LRN, current grade level, originating and receiving curriculum, track or cluster, the subject-by-subject evaluation, and a recommendation. The recommendation options include full credit transfer, enrolment in missing subjects, or referral to a designated school offering the other curriculum. Annex F states that the checklist is used at school level for decision-making and need not be submitted to the Schools Division Office or the Regional Office, which means the decision is made where you are standing rather than escalated upward.
One outcome families should be prepared for: the enrolment committee also decides whether the learner qualifies for Grade 12 at all, or whether enrolling in Grade 11 under the Strengthened curriculum is the more appropriate placement given the equivalency of completed subjects and learner readiness.
Balik-Aral Learners
Annex F gives Balik-Aral learners a maximum of two school years as a transition period to accommodate equivalency and completion requirements.
- A learner who completed and passed Grade 11 under the 2016 curriculum and intends to enrol in Grade 12 under the Strengthened curriculum is admitted to the preferred track and completes at least 960 hours of Electives. Any subject taken in the receiving school counts as an elective towards Grade 12 completion.
- A learner who completed and passed only the first semester of Grade 11 under the 2016 curriculum is advised to re-enrol in and complete the full Grade 11 programme under the Strengthened curriculum.
- A learner who does not resume schooling by SY 2028-2029 is required to re-enrol in Grade 11 under the Strengthened curriculum.
Our guide on returning to school as a Balik-Aral learner covers the wider re-entry picture.
Transferring Is Not the Same as Track Shifting
If you want a different specialisation but not a different school, you may not need a transfer at all. Track shifting is permitted in Grade 12 under DO 017, s. 2026, subject to school head approval and documentation in the Learner Information System. Moving from Academic to Tech-Pro requires having completed at least one Tech-Pro Elective and enrolling concurrently in the matching Work Immersion. Moving from Tech-Pro to Academic requires waiving or discontinuing that Work Immersion requirement. Prerequisite subjects completed in the original track are evaluated for credit where applicable.
Whichever route you take, the completion totals do not move. What you must finish for a diploma is set out in our guide to Senior High graduation requirements, and the trap about extra electives applies to transferees too: once enrolled in more than the minimum, every subject taken must be passed.
A Practical Checklist
- Ask the receiving school which curriculum its Grade 12 is running this year before you commit.
- Bring the latest SF 9. If it is not released, a registrar's letter certifying the last grade level completed is the stated alternative.
- Do not agree to hand-carry records. Ask the receiving school to request them through the LIS transfer facility.
- If you are leaving a private school with a balance, say so early so the affidavit of undertaking is prepared rather than improvised.
- If you are crossing between curricula, ask for the Subject Evaluation Checklist outcome in writing, because it determines your subject load for the rest of Senior High.
Disclaimer: enrolment periods, committee scheduling and the availability of specific electives are decided at school and division level and vary widely. The rules above are national policy, not your school's calendar. Confirm dates and available offerings with the receiving school and your Schools Division Office.
Sources
- DepEd — DO 017, s. 2025, Revised Basic Education Enrollment Policy (official PDF)
- DepEd — DO 017, s. 2025 announcement page
- DepEd — DO 017, s. 2026, Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum (official)
- DepEd — DO 54, s. 2016, Guidelines on the Request and Transfer of Learner's School Records
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