Re-enrollment for current students and enrollment of siblings of current students will take place March 22-26. Open enrollment for potential new students begins March 29 and ends April 1. Applications for the 2010-11 school year will NOT be accepted before this period.
We are currently not accepting applications for the 2011-12 school year and beyond. 

 

Admission to Star Charter School can take place either as a new student at the beginning of the school year or as a transfer student during the school year.  Enrollments for both types of students begin with the receipt of the Pre-Enrollment Form. 

The Open Enrollment Period (around March of the current year) is when applications for the next school year are taken.  Applications for the next school year will NOT be accepted before this period.  The official start of the Open Enrollment Period will be posted in the local newspaper and on the school’s website.  The Open Enrollment Period continues until the 1st day of the subsequent academic school year.  We are currently not accepting applications for the subsequent school year and beyond. 

Admission to Star Charter School and all programs, including Special Education, will not be based on gender, national origin, ethnicity, religion, and disability, academic or athletic ability.  Star Charter School is an Equal Opportunity Employer.  Star Charter School reserves the right to cancel individual courses or grades or to combine grade levels with insufficient enrollment.

Immediately before the Open Enrollment Period, Star Charter School hosts a Re-Enrollment Period where all current students notify the school of their desire to return to Star Charter School for the next school year.  Those who remain at Star Charter School get first priority and are all given slots in the respective grade.  Siblings of current students receive second priority and are given slots as well.  If there is room remaining (15 students per grade per session), applications submitted during the Open Enrollment Period (not before) will be processed in the order they are received.  However, once the maximum 15 students has been reached, all subsequent applications are placed on a waiting list.  Applications are not prioritized on the waiting list.  If a slot becomes available (after the maximum has been reached), Star Charter School will choose the application by random lottery from the waiting list.  This process will continue until all slots are filled.  The waiting list stands until the Open Enrollment Period for the next school year begins. 

Receipt of the Pre-Enrollment Form begins the enrollment process.  If you are trying to transfer your student during the school year, please submit a Pre-Enrollment Form as well.  If a slot is available, the application will be processed.  If no slot is available, then you will be placed on the waiting list for the current school year.  However, the application will not fold into the Open Enrollment Process for the next school year.  Applications for the next school year can only be accepted during the Open Enrollment Period.    

If you are interested in your child attending Star Charter School, there are a few simple steps to take to ensure a smooth transition.

STEP 1: Submit a Pre-Enrollment Form to the school for each child that you would like to attend Star Charter School. The form can either be filled out electronically or by hand.  This form can be submitted to Star Charter School by any of the following means:

· fax to:   (512) 251.9799 with attention to Diana Threatt
· emailed to:    Diana Threatt at diana_threatt@starcharterschool.org
· mailed to:  Star Charter School                                                                                                                                                                                                          
                   1901 Fleischer Drive
                    Austin, TX    78728
· or brought in person to the school

STEP 2: The rest of the process depends on information regarding your child (current grade, transfer school, graduation credits, possible previous homeschool experience, etc.).

For new students, once the position has been offered to a student, he/she is required to continue the application process by filling out the enrollment application.  Both new AND continuing students are strongly encouraged to attend an annual orientation session to be held within 2 weeks prior to the start of the school year.  Those in attendance at the annual orientation session are ASSURED a spot for the upcoming school year.  If a student (new or continuing) must be absent for the orientation session, then a document explaining the reason for the absence should be submitted to the administration prior to orientation.  Following orientation, at grade levels where all spots are not filled and absences at orientation occurred, those on the waiting list will be contacted for possible placement.

All students must attend the first day of school.  Any student not in attendance on the first day of school will be automatically and immediately dropped from enrollment. 

 

Here are a few things to consider when applying to Star Charter School:

Ø       For HIGH SCHOOL TRANSFER STUDENTS, the following documents MUST be included with the Pre-Enrollment form:

·         An official transcript of completed courses/credits

·         Most current report card showing grades and absences to date

Ø       Students from unaccredited private schools or home school settings are scheduled for evaluation of academic skills for the purpose of determining strengths & weaknesses.

Ø       Current school discipline history will be verified prior to acceptance. Star Charter School will not accept a student if he/she has a history of discipline resulting in suspension, expulsion, or juvenile court adjudication.

Ø       If there is no opening available, the student will be placed on the waiting list.

Ø      Submission of false or incomplete required information may be grounds for revocation of enrollment.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING ENROLLMENT

I filled out a Pre-Enrollment Form and dropped it off.  Now What?
If a spot becomes available for your child, we will contact you.  However, there will be no contact if a spot is not available.  Assuming all forms are correct and complete and your child has no disciplinary history as stated in the charter, your child will be placed on the waiting list.

Where is my child on the waiting list?
Once a grade becomes filled (15 per session), all students are placed on the waiting list.  There is no priority on the waiting list (unless the child is a sibling of another student).  If a spot becomes available after the grade has been filled, then a child will be chosen by random lottery to fill the vacant spot.  It is at this point that you will be contacted and asked to fill out the Enrollment Application.

Students remain on the waiting list until the next Open Enrollment Period.  Students desiring to enter the school for the next school year (even though they are on the waiting list for the current school year) MUST RE-APPLY for the next school year during the Open Enrollment Period. 

Do students on the waiting list typically get into the school?
This is a difficult question to answer.  There really isn’t a way to determine whether or not your child’s chances are “good.”  For instance, if your child is on the waiting list and a spot becomes available, selection must be determined by random lottery.  Typically speaking, our waiting list is 3-5 students per session.

Before the Open Enrollment Period, we conduct a re-enrollment process where current students indicate whether or not they would like to return for the following school year.  Those students, combined with the students from our Open Enrollment Period (once discipline has been verified) typically fills up our 1^st – 8^th grade openings.  However, at the beginning of the school year, some students do not show on the first week of school and are ultimately withdrawn from the school.  This creates vacancy.  Also, new students may not think that Star Charter School is the best choice for them and transfer to another school after the school year has already begun.  This also creates vacancy, but not at the beginning of the year.  

Do I need to fill out both the Pre-Enrollment Form and the Enrollment Application?

Not at the beginning.  The Pre-Enrollment form begins the enrollment process.  Once the spot is filled, the school will contact the family and request that they finish the process by filling out the Enrollment Application.

Do I need to attach anything to the Pre-Enrollment Form?

If you are a high school student (or have received high school credits), then please attach a current high school transcript and the latest report card.  Part of the enrollment process for a high school student is to determine whether or not the school’s current schedule can fit the student’s needs. 

At Star Charter School, there is generally only one section of a particular course offered per session.  A transfer student may be taking two courses that conflict with each other, which ultimately leads to a decision of which course to take.  As a result, a transfer student could fall behind on their graduation plan.  Generally, this is not in the student’s best educational interest.   Thus, before a spot is awarded to the student in this situation, Star Charter School likes to discuss the circumstances with the parent(s) so that they are aware that transferring may not be the best option.

When will I Find out if my child has a spot?

It depends on what grade your child is entering as well as their educational background.  We begin to fill slots during April.  There are numerous situations that can occur that create different response times.  A few typical examples are described below:

If your elementary-level child (2^nd – 8^th grade) attended an unaccredited school, testing to determine strengths and weaknesses must be scheduled.  The timing of these tests takes place in May or June.  If you have a 1^st grader, testing to determine strengths and weaknesses must be scheduled and these take place during June.  Test results are immediate and determination of enrollment is decided shortly thereafter.

If your child is a high school student (or has already earned high school credits) who attended an accredited school, then processing of their information takes place in July and August.  If your child is a high school student who attended an unaccredited school, then testing for strengths & weaknesses must be scheduled.  These tests generally take place in July and August.

We have been at Star for years.  Do I really need to attend the annual orientation session?

Yes.  All students (new and continuing) must attend the annual orientation session.