Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions

(Updated September 2016)

The Enrollment Processes Technical Advisory and the following Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions provided by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) should be read carefully and reviewed in its entirety. An answer to one frequently asked question might lead a reader to an inaccurate conclusion when read in isolation from the Department’s guidance and answers to other frequently asked questions. Answers should not be reviewed or relied upon in isolation from the entirety of the Department’s guidance regarding enrollment processes. Please reach out to the Department if you have a question or concern that is not currently found in this FAQ.

Eligibility Criteria

Enrollment Process and Lottery Procedures

Waitlist

Backfilling

Acceptance of an Offer of Admission and Students Attending

General Inquiries

All

Waitlist

31.

Do schools have to accept new applications even if they have a waitlist?

No. While schools must accept new applications, at least annually, for any grade level that the school may wish to admit students or for all grade levels for which the school is required to backfill seats, they do not have to accept new applications for grades where a waitlist has already been established prior to March 31, 2014 or through the principal lottery process for the upcoming school year. If charter schools do accept applications for grades where a waitlist has already been established or if the school accepts applications submitted after the principal application deadline, they must exhaust the previously established waitlist prior to conducting any additional lotteries. The Department recommends that schools include their plans for accepting new applications in their enrollment policy, so that parents readily understand the articulated practice.

Last Updated: April 28, 2020