Frequently Asked Questions

Who can enroll in a Charter School?
Charter Schools are permitted to enroll any student living in the state of North Carolina entitled to a free public education. Each charter school has a mission and vision to include a target number of students at each grade level.  Most charter schools do not have academic requirements for admission.  Charter schools are schools of choice, parents and students choose which school they would like to attend and are limited by space availability.

Why do Charter Schools have such long waiting lists?
Waiting lists occur primarily because charter schools are market driven. As a school of choice, parents decide if they want their children to attend the charter school. A successful school will have greater demand.

Does a Charter School need to accept my student enrolled in an exceptional children program?
Charter Schools do follow all of the federal and state guidelines of IDEA (special education law).  Many charter schools do not offer all high school pathways which meet the needs of certain special education students.  If you have a child with specific special needs, it is always beneficial to contact the special education staff to ensure the curriculum requirements of your child match the mission of the school, especially at the high school level.

How can I find out where my child is on the waitlist?
For the Lincolnton campus, please contact Lisa Barger at lisa.barger@lincolncharter.org.
For the Denver campuses, please contact registrar@lincolncharter.org.

Additional information:

The waiting list priority order is as follows:

1. LCS full time administrators, teachers and teacher assistant's children.
2. A student transfer request from one campus to another. Student must successfully complete one academic year at LCS before a student is eligible to be transferred. 
3. Siblings of a currently enrolled student.  This may include step-siblings, adoption and foster-care situations, as per school and or state policy.
4. All students not included in previous 3 categories.

Note:  The waiting list is determined by the order assigned during the lottery.  Applications received after the lottery deadline will be placed on the waiting list in order of the date and time the application is received.

Once a student seat is available, the administrator or designee shall notify the parent or guardian of the first student on the waiting list by phone a minimum of two times at the primary listed number and once at an alternate number.  If there is no response from the parent or guardian within a reasonable time of the last call, that applicant's name would then be placed at the bottom of the waiting list. This procedure will continue until the seat is filled.

An applicant who declines an offered seat at time of contact may request that their student's name be placed at the bottom of the waiting list.  This request must be made within 24-hours after initial contact.  Their application date will then be changed to the notification date.

Applications for Kindergarten enrollment shall be made available to the public by October 1^st prior to the lottery Kindergarten applications are accepted during the school year before the August the kindergarten student is eligible to attend school.

Applications are available for placement throughout the year for students entering 1^st through 12^th grades.

Applications must be completed and returned by the third Friday in February prior to the lottery.  The lottery will be held the first Saturday in March.  All applications will be included in the LCS lottery.

All applicants should indicate their campus preference by communicating one of the following application options:  1) prefer Denver campus placement only, 2) prefer Lincolnton campus placement only, 3) prefer Denver campus placement with a secondary option for Lincolnton campus placement, 4) or prefer Lincolnton campus placement with a secondary option for Denver campus placement. 

Priority is given to students as follows:

1.      Children of administrators, teachers and teacher assistant's children

2.      Transfers from the other LCS campus

3.      Siblings of existing LCS students

4.      Applicants that indicate this campus as their first or only preference.

5.      Applicants that indicate this campus as their second preference.

All applications will be listed in the order they are drawn during the lottery.

Siblings of students currently enrolled in the school and children of full time LCS employees must complete an application prior to the application deadline set by the school to be given priority status.  Any applications received after that date will be placed on the waiting list as applicable. 

Three witnesses representing the school will be in attendance at the lottery site.

Each child's name will be placed on a card and placed into a container.  The first name drawn will receive the first available seat.  The container will be shaken and then the next name will be drawn. The lottery may also be administered electronically.

If multiple birth siblings apply for admission to a charter school and a lottery is needed under G.S. 115C‑238.29F(g)(6), the charter 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.

Following the lottery, LCS will contact families to offer available seats.  Once the open seats are filled, students will be placed accordingly on the wait list.

NC Charter School FAQ - http://www.ncpublicschools.org/charterschools/faqs/