Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions

The Enrollment Processes Technical Advisory and the following Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions provided by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) should be read carefully and reviewed in its entirety. An answer to one frequently asked question might lead a reader to an inaccurate conclusion when read in isolation from the Department’s guidance and answers to other frequently asked questions. Answers should not be reviewed or relied upon in isolation from the entirety of the Department’s guidance regarding enrollment processes. Please reach out to the Department if you have a question or concern that is not currently found in this FAQ.

Eligibility Criteria

Enrollment Process and Lottery Procedures

Waitlist

Backfilling

Acceptance of an Offer of Admission and Students Attending

Students Who May Be Considered Homeless or Students Placed in a Foster Care Setting

General Inquiries

All

Waitlist

Can a school carry, or "roll," its waitlist from one year to the next?

No. In general, the "rolling" of waitlists is prohibited. The amended charter school regulations permit schools to keep waitlists for only the current school year. 603 CMR 1.05(10)(a). If a student applies and is not admitted, they must reapply the following year to be considered for admission.

Note that the regulations did allow charter schools to use waitlists that were established prior to March 31, 2014, until the current waitlists were exhausted. Currently operating charter schools no longer maintain waitlists that were established prior to March 31, 2014. These waitlists that were established prior to March 31, 2014 and previously carried over have either been exhausted or expired¹.
Do schools have to accept new applications even if they have a waitlist established from the principal lottery?

No. Schools must accept new applications, at least annually during the principal lottery process, for any grade level that the school may wish to admit students or for all grade levels for which the school is required to backfill seats. Schools do not, however, have to accept new applications for grades where a waitlist has already been established through the principal lottery process for the upcoming school year. A charter school's enrollment policy must clearly state if the school will accept applications submitted after the principal application deadline or for grades where a waitlist has already been established. Schools must provide at least one month's notice of a new application deadline (603 CMR 1.05(8)) and they must exhaust the previously established waitlist prior to conducting any additional lotteries. The charter school should continue to follow its enrollment policy to ensure that any subsequent application cycle is fair and open. The Department recommends that schools include their plans for accepting new applications in their enrollment policy, so that parents readily understand the articulated practice.
May a school add a student's name to the waitlist without holding a lottery?

No. The charter school statute explicitly requires a lottery if the number of applicants exceed the spaces available for admission and states that "students who entered the lottery but did not gain admission shall be maintained on a waitlist." G.L. c. 71, § 89(n). A student's name must be drawn, either manually or electronically, in a lottery to be placed on a waitlist. Charter schools must follow all requirements when holding subsequent lotteries.
Are schools required to keep separate waitlists for siblings and residents?

No. Schools are not required to keep separate waitlists for siblings and residents. The Department discourages maintaining separate waitlists for siblings, residents, and non-residents. The Department recommends keeping one waitlist that maintains the original random lottery order of the students, either drawn manually or determined electronically. Charter schools must be able to take into consideration sibling and residential preferences for admission, which may change over time.
When does a waitlisted student preference change?

It is important to note for parents and guardians that positions of names on a waitlist are not static because enrollment preferences change. There are many scenarios in which the enrollment preference of a student on the waitlist may change. Students with a new sibling preference—for example, once the sibling of a student on the waitlist begins attending the charter school—would move ahead of students who do not have a sibling preference. Additionally, if a waitlisted student has relocated to the charter school's sending districts, that student would now move ahead of students who do not have a residency preference. Any changes in sibling or residency status necessarily will cause a change in waitlist status. It is impermissible to move a child to the bottom of waitlist based on a preference change. Charter schools must describe clearly how the waitlist will be maintained to account for any preference changes during the school year.

¹ Exhausted means an offer of admission for provided to every student on that waitlist, and they have either accepted or declined. Expired means that an offer of admission was not provided to every student on that waitlist due to the number of vacancies experience throughout the year and each charter school's plan to fill those vacancies.

² "Hold a spot" refers to a charter school continuing to claim the student as being enrolled despite the student not actually attending the school. If the military-student relocates outside of Massachusetts, then the student would be considered withdrawn from the charter school.

Last Updated: May 10, 2024