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

34.

When does a waitlisted student preference change?

It is important to note for parents and guardians that positions of names on a waitlist are not static because enrollment preferences change. There are many scenarios in which the enrollment preference of a student on the waitlist may change. Students with a new sibling preference—for example, once the sibling of a student on the waitlist begins attending the charter school—would move ahead of students who do not have a sibling preference. Additionally, if a waitlisted student has relocated to the charter school's sending districts, that student would now move ahead of students who do not have a residency preference. Any changes in sibling or residency status necessarily will cause a change in waitlist status. It is impermissible to move a child to the bottom of waitlist based on a preference change. Charter schools must describe clearly how the waitlist will be maintained to account for any preference changes during the school year.

Last Updated: April 28, 2020