Many question how charter schools choose which students attend their school, and if they jump straight into a lottery system. We want to answer this question once and for all!!

Each charter school has their own application. Charter schools open their enrollment with the county/city schools, because they are considered public schools. Alright, you think, so what is this I’ve heard about a lottery system?

The charter school lottery system is quite confusing. Here’s are the answers to some frequently asked questions:

Q: How does a school decide when to implement the lottery system?
A: After open enrollment ends, if there are too many applicants the school will then conduct a lottery.

Q: Who chooses?
A: The school will appoint a Lottery Designee too review all the applications for preference,* and choose from the remaining applicants.

Q: How does the Lottery Designee choose?
A: After the applications with preference are set aside, the rest of the Lottery ID’s are put in a container and the Lottery Designee then draws for the remaining seats.

*Preference: are applicants who get first “dibs,” if you will, on a seat at the school. The regulations on which students are given preference is determined by the state. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools is a great reference for who gets preference in your state!

Download this pdf for more info on the lottery system: