Athlos public charter schools hold an open enrollment at the beginning of every calendar year for the following school year. Just like other charter schools, Athlos is held accountable to all state enrollment laws. Open enrollment is only for prospective new students; currently enrolled, returning students must submit an intent to return.
Athlos strives to keep the enrollment process as simple as possible. This process can be narrowed down into three main steps: 1) Apply 2) Accept 3) Register.
Athlos holds an open enrollment period that usually lasts between one to two months. For the best chance of enrollment, student applications should be submitted during this time. If there are more applications than there are seats available, a lottery will be held. Applications submitted after the enrollment and lottery period will be waitlisted or offered a seat on a first-come-first-serve basis.
It’s important to remember that an application only makes a student eligible for a seat, it does not guarantee your student will be accepted.
If you receive an enrollment offer, you only have a limited amount of time to accept it. If an offer expires or is rejected, it will be offered to another student. When you accept an offer, you will receive a registration email to finish the process.
Families with more than one child: if you have sent in applications for multiple household members and one student is accepted, the other students will fall under a “sibling preference” that increases their chance of receiving an offer (again, this does not guarantee them a seat).
After you accept your offer, there is one last step. You must fill out the student registration form provided via email, and complete any other registration documents your school might require of you before the registration deadline.
Be sure to attend one of the school open houses to take a tour of the school, meet school leaders, ask questions, and tie up any minor paperwork for your student’s needs.
For further information on this process, see the tabs listed below.
Charter schools are public schools; they are tuition-free and open to all students wishing to attend. Due to the limited number of seats, Athlos strives to make the enrollment process fair, orderly, and available to everyone according to state laws and school policy.
If a charter school receives more applications than available seats, a lottery will be held.
A common misconception about the “lottery” is that it’s a completely random selection process like a raffle wheel, when it’s actually a complex decision tree that filters student applications through a series of preferences according to state laws and school policy.
Examples of enrollment preferences include whether the student has an enrolled sibling at the school or the student is the child of a full-time staff member at the school. Preferences can play a major role in whether a student receives an offer, but they do not guarantee a seat.
Please check your school’s enrollment and lottery policy to learn more.
Charter schools have a limited number of seats available. If any grade level has reached full capacity of students who have accepted offers, a waitlist will be formed. There are separate waitlists for each grade. These wait lists can change daily, so remember to watch your email in case your student receives an offer.
Applications submitted after the enrollment and lottery period will be waitlisted or will be offered a seat on a first-come-first-serve basis if they become available.
If you are new to the charter school system, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
Here are a few tips for parents:
For more information on school policy and enrollment, please review your school’s enrollment and lottery policy.
Open enrollment is only for new students. If a student is already enrolled and is planning on coming back, they will instead receive an intent to return form from the school. If they indicate they do intend to return, the student’s information will be automatically transferred over from the previous school year.