Who may apply?

An application may be submitted for any child who turns five (5) years old on or before August 31st of the lottery year OR if the child is or was enrolled in another school in the grade that precedes the one for which application is made. By law, the student must currently reside with a parent or court-appointed legal guardian in North Carolina to apply.

I believe that my child is currently assigned to the wrong grade. Can I apply for a spot in any grade I wish?

Willow Oak Montessori administration may not discuss the specifics of a child’s academic situation until s/he has been enrolled at the school. For this reason, please apply for the next sequential grade for your student unless you can present previous school principal documentation recommending a retention. Once enrolled, Willow Oak Montessori administration will determine the appropriate grade placement for each student based on factors such as age, maturity, and past academic background. 

My child is home schooled. What grade may I apply for?

According to the State of North Carolina Department of Non-Public Education, the grade level of home-schooled students is determined by the Home School Administrator. As such, you may apply for a spot in the grade that follows the grade that the child is currently enrolled in. Once enrolled, Willow Oak Montessori administration will determine the appropriate grade placement for each student based on factors such as age, maturity, and past academic background.

How will you conduct the lottery?

At this time, we use Integrity6 software to conduct the admissions lottery for Willow Oak Montessori. This software has the capability to accurately run our current lottery process. In accordance with our Admissions Policy, at least one impartial community member will be present to observe the lottery. 

Do all siblings get a spot in the school if one child is selected in the lottery?

Multiple birth siblings are treated as one entry in the lottery. In all other cases, unless the application is submitted for the sibling of a currently enrolled charter student, each lottery application is treated and processed independently. 

Does anyone have priority in the lottery this year?

Priority is given to: i) children or grandchildren of the school's full-time employees and members of the Charter School Board of Directors, ii) students who were enrolled within the two previous school years but left the school to participate in an academic study abroad program or a competitive admission residential program or because of the vocational opportunities of the student’s parent, iii) siblings of currently enrolled students who were admitted to the Charter School in a previous year, iv) siblings of students who have graduated from the highest grade level offered at Willow Oak Montessori and who were enrolled in at least four grade levels offered by Willow Oak Montessori, and v) children whose families are considered Economically Disadvantaged based on Federal National Program Free and Reduced Lunch income guidelines.

See details of our admissions policies below. Please note that students of Willow Oak Montessori Children's House preschool program do NOT receive any priority for a seat at the Charter School.

How long will I have to accept an offered spot in the school if my child is selected in the lottery?

Parents/guardians will be notified that a space is available via email and/or text. They will have seven (7) days to accept the offered spot and submit enrollment paperwork online or in person to the School’s office. Beginning August 1, if a space becomes available, families will have 72 hours from notification to accept the space. Beginning one week prior to the first day of the school year and continuing through the first 20 school days of the school year, families offered a spot from the waitlist will have 24 hours to accept an offered space. After the first 20 days of the school year, families will again have 72 hours to accept an offered space. If an offered space is declined or is not accepted by the applicable deadline, that student’s name will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist and the next person on the waitlist will be offered the space. 

302 ADMISSION, ENROLLMENT, AND PLACEMENT

302.1 ADMISSION

As required by state law, any child who is qualified for admission to a North Carolina public school is qualified for admission to the School. Admission shall not be determined according to the school attendance area in which a student resides.

The School shall not discriminate against any student on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, or disability.  Except as otherwise provided by law or the mission of the School as set out in the charter, the School shall not limit admission to students on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability. The School shall not limit admission to students on the basis of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, or ancestry. 

The application will include the student’s name, current grade level, grade applying for, student’s date of birth, age of child by August 31st,  current address of student, self-identification of priority status(es) found below, parent/guardian name, phone number of parent/guardian, email of parent/guardian, notification email, notification cell phone number, self-identification of students as multiple birth siblings, and a declaration of the student’s residence in the state of North Carolina. 

302.2 ADMISSION PRIORITY

For the purposes of this section, the term “siblings” includes any of the following who reside in the same household: full siblings, half siblings, step siblings, and children residing in a family foster home.

The School will give priority in this order:

1a.  Children or grandchildren of the school's full-time employees.

1b.  Children or grandchildren of the charter school's board of directors.

The number of students admitted via this priority (1a, 1b) is limited to no more than fifteen percent (15%) of the school's total enrollment, unless granted a waiver by the State Board of Education.Children or grandchildren of the school's full-time employees, so long as the total percentage of such students does not exceed 15% of the school’s population.

2. Students who were enrolled within the two previous school years, but left the school (i) to participate in an academic study abroad program or a competitive admission residential program or (ii) because of the vocational opportunities of the student’s parent. 

3. Siblings of currently enrolled students who were admitted to the School in a previous year.

4. Siblings of students who have graduated from the highest grade level offered at Willow Oak Montessori and who were enrolled in at least four grade levels offered by Willow Oak Montessori.

5. Children whose families are considered Economically Disadvantaged based on Federal National Program Free and Reduced Lunch income guidelines. The School will utilize a weighted lottery system for our economically disadvantaged students (EDS) to increase their chance of admission. 

6. All other applicants.

Families seeking lottery priority as Economically Disadvantaged will have the opportunity to complete an optional form, separate from the lottery application, to establish that they qualify for such priority. On that form, applicants will consent to verification of the income provided only to establish eligibility. Information provided for verification purposes will not be retained.

302.3  OPEN ENROLLMENT

The School will hold an annual open enrollment period that shall last at least 30 consecutive days. Applications will typically open in December. The lottery will typically be held in early March. Dates will be communicated yearly to the public. At the conclusion of the enrollment period, if the number of applicants for a particular grade does not exceed the number of available spaces for that grade level, all eligible students who have properly applied by the deadline will be accepted.  At the close of the enrollment period, if the number of applicants for a particular grade level exceeds available spaces for that grade level, a lottery system will determine admission eligibility. If multiple birth siblings apply for admission to the School and a lottery is needed, the School shall enter one surname into the lottery to represent all of the multiple birth siblings. If that surname of the multiple birth siblings is selected, then all of the multiple birth siblings shall be admitted.

Students who are not offered enrollment will be placed on a wait list.  After all spaces for a grade level are filled, the lottery will continue until all applying students have been assigned a number on the waitlist.  The wait list will not carry into the next School year, but will remain and be used for admission should a space become available during the current School year for which it was conducted. Applications received after the lottery is run will be added to the bottom of the grade-level waitlist in the order they are received.  

Attendance at school every day, particularly at the beginning of the school year, is critical. In the event that an enrolled student does not attend any orienting events prior to the start of the school year, the school will make an effort to contact the family via telephone and/or email to ensure that the student still intends to attend the school. If a student does not show up for school on the first day of school, the school will again contact the family via the telephone numbers and email addresses provided on the student’s enrollment paperwork. The family will have three days (72 hours) to respond to these inquiries to confirm that the student still intends to attend the school before the student’s space is offered to the next student on the waiting list.

Students offered a space from the waitlist will have seven (7) days to accept the space after being notified that the space is available via telephone and/or email by submitting completed enrollment paperwork electronically or in person to the School’s office.  Beginning August 1, if a space becomes available, families will have 72 hours from notification to accept the space. Beginning one week prior to the first day of the school year and continuing through the first 20 school days of the school year, families offered a spot from the waitlist will have 24 hours to accept an offered space. After the first 20 days of the school year, families will again have 72 hours to accept an offered space. If an offered space is declined or is not accepted by the applicable deadline, that student’s name will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist and the next person on the waitlist will be offered the space. 

The School will work to implement this Admissions policy consistently, and as written. The School recognizes that administrative errors may occur. The School will attempt to identify and address such an error in a timely manner with the affected individual(s).

After admission and during the School year, serious and/or repeated deviations from the policies and procedures defined by the School will result in an evaluation of the student’s placement in the School, as allowed by law.