THE ROCHESTER CHARTER SCHOOL LOTTERY

Generally, Urban Choice seats are very limited and the number of students who apply is greater than the number of seats available. When this occurs, the school holds a lottery in accordance with its Charter. We use a non-partisan, third-party firm to conduct the lottery process. During any school closure period pursuant to an Executive Order of the Governor related to the COVID-19 crisis, the lottery will be held remotely by videoconferencing and the public shall have an opportunity to view it live. In this event, the notice of the lottery will also be posted on our website and the videoconference shall be recorded and later transcribed.

​

Charter school applications are accepted all year. Parents are encouraged to apply by the lottery deadline (April 1 each year) when schools have the most openings. There are no tests or entrance fees for charter schools and names are drawn at random by a computer program. Charters accept students in special education programs, those who have IEPs and students who are English language learners.

All K-12 students are encouraged to apply to as many schools as they want. Applying to more than one school doesn’t help or hurt your chances of enrollment.
After the lottery has been drawn, students will either be given an enrollment offer or be added to school waitlists. Students may receive offers from more than one school.  Parents should expect to hear from schools within one week after the deadline.

Applications received after April 1 are put on a waitlist, and schools will notify you as openings become available.
Through GoodSchoolsRoc.org, parents and guardians of children in grades K-12 can apply to up to 12 charter schools in 22 locations through one simple online application. The application is free and accessible in English and Spanish on any web-enabled device. Applying only takes a few minutes.
If you have questions about your place on a waitlist, call the school you applied to directly. For general lottery questions, call the GoodSchoolsRoc Helpline at (585) 491-9777.