Under the panel's proposal, school districts can turn away students if there is no room available, and Mr. Brown and others predicted that there would not be space for out-of-district students.

The Downside: Very few openings for out-of-district students; tiny gym and cafeteria.

A limited number of out-of-district students can enroll in Bronxville High School at a yearly tuition of $12,960.

Districts may not impose higher admission standards for out-of-district students.

Even in those states, however, districts are generally allowed to set limits and rules on how many, and which, out-of-district students they will accept, based on the openings available.

And in most states, districts can ban out-of-district students.

"But the wealthier school districts tend to be very concerned about out-of-district students trying to come in."

Like many districts nationwide, Morrisville used to allow out-of-district students to attend its schools if they paid tuition.

Recruiting out-of-district students to attend the New Suffolk School has also been discussed, and the district can easily handle more children without increasing costs, Dr. Olcott said.

Ardsley charges about $25,000 for out-of-district students in special education programs, while the tuition rate at comparable Boces programs ranges from about $27,000 to about $42,000, depending on the program.