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Massachusetts Charter Schools

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

  1. Are there restrictions around application deadlines and holding lotteries?
  2. May a network of charter schools use one application for prospective students?
  3. May a charter school with multiple campuses under one charter that serve the same grade levels assign students to specific campuses?
  4. What information must charter schools include or request in an application for admission?
  5. May a charter school retract or rescind offers of admission, unenroll students, or terminate the enrollment of currently attending students?
  6. What information is a charter school prohibited from collecting through an application for admission but may collect after an offer of admission is made and accepted?
  7. May a school administer diagnostic or placement tests to students before they are admitted?
  8. Can a school administer diagnostic or placement tests to students after they are admitted?
  9. Can a school require informational meetings as part of the enrollment process?
  10. Can a school ask for either financial donations or commitments of volunteer time during the enrollment process?
  11. Can a school charge an application fee?
  12. Must a school hold a lottery if the number of applications received is fewer than the number of available seats?
  13. Do previously enrolled students have enrollment preference over other applicants?
  14. How do I know if a student should receive sibling preference?
  15. When should schools obtain proof of residency as part of the enrollment process?
  16. If a student submits an application and provides reasonable proof of residency at the time of the lottery and is placed on the waitlist, does the student need to provide updated proof of residency before an actual offer of admission?

Waitlist

Backfilling

Acceptance of an Offer of Admission and Students Attending

General Inquiries

All

Enrollment Process and Lottery Procedures

24.

Can a school charge an application fee?

No. Charter schools are prohibited from charging an application fee.

Last Updated: April 28, 2020

 
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Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

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