Enrollment FAQ
Lottery & More...
Choosing a middle school is a big decision
We want you to feel confident about yours. SLArts is a tuition-free public charter school, open to all students by lottery. Below are answers to the questions families ask most about the lottery and enrollment. The best first step? Come for a visit!
Visit / TourApplying and the Lottery
Any eligible student entering grades 5–8. SLArts is a tuition-free public charter school, so there are no entrance exams, auditions, or fees to apply. Most openings are in 5th grade, with a limited number of spots in grades 6–8.
Applications open online in October and are accepted through the lottery deadline in mid-February. The deadline to apply for the 2027–28 school year is Friday, February 12, 2027.
No. Once a student is enrolled, their spot is guaranteed for every following year at SLArts. Siblings entering SLArts for the first time do need to submit an application.
As a public charter school, SLArts is required by law to enroll every eligible student who applies on time, unless there are more applicants than spaces in a grade. When that happens, students are selected at random through an Enrollment Lottery, held each February for the following school year.
A randomization program assigns every applicant a number. Students are admitted in that order until each grade is full, and the remaining applicants are placed on the waitlist in the order they were drawn.
Yes. As allowed by state law, preference is given to:
- Siblings of currently enrolled students
- Siblings of SLArts alumni
- Children or grandchildren of SLArts founding members
- Children of current Governing Board members
- Children of SLArts faculty
After the lottery is run, we'll email the address(es) on your application to let you know whether your student has been offered a spot or placed on the waitlist.
Accepting a Spot
Congratulations! Your acceptance email will include a deadline to let us know whether your student will take the spot. Please respond within that timeframe. Because every grade has a waitlist, if we don't hear from you by the deadline, the spot will be released to the next student on the list.
Yes. In the spring, after the lottery, admitted students are invited to a Shadow Morning at SLArts to experience what a school day is like before you make your final decision.
We understand that circumstances change. Please let us know right away, so we can offer the spot to a student on the waitlist.
The Waitlist
If your student isn't admitted in the lottery, they're placed on the waitlist in the order they were drawn. IMPORTANT: Your student's waitlist number may fluctuate over time depending on openings being accepted or declined, and the changing status of priority students.
Yes! Spots open up during the year when students move or transfer, and we do admit students throughout the school year. We encourage families to stay on the waitlist. The waitlist does not rollover to the following school year. You must reapply to the Lottery each year.
We fill openings with a student from the same grade, calling waitlisted families in numerical order. We'll reach out by email and phone. Please reply promptly, or your student will be moved to the bottom of the waitlist.
Because the waitlist can be long for certain grades, we ask families to think carefully about whether SLArts is a good fit before applying. If you're offered a spot in August or after the school year has started, we ask you to decide and/or contact us to discuss within 24 hours. You're welcome to take a short tour while you decide. If you decline but would like to stay on the list, your student will move to the bottom of the waitlist.
No. By law, waitlist positions don't roll over. Each waitlist expires at the end of the school year it was created for, and a new lottery is held every year. To be considered for the following year, submit a new application.
Yes. Email Registrar Jen Guillory at jeng@slarts.org to add your student to the waitlist for their grade, for the current or upcoming school year. In the meantime, we'd love to see you at an Information Night or on a tour.
Enrollment Policies
Absolutely. SLArts does not discriminate based on race, creed, color, gender, religion, ancestry, disability, or need for special education services. We actively encourage a diverse student community, and we focus additional outreach on groups who might otherwise have limited opportunities to attend SLArts.
We ask prospective students and families to understand and commit to SLArts' mission and educational approach. Visiting, attending an Information Night and reading our Is SLArts for you? page are great ways to get to know us first.
Yes, students with prior behavior concerns may be accepted, sometimes with conditions set out in a written agreement. Enrollment may be denied or revoked for serious violations of the law or school rules, or for chronic misbehavior that, if it continued, would endanger people or property, seriously disrupt the school, or place unreasonable burdens on staff.
Withdrawing a Student
Plan to change schools for next year? Notify both SLArts and your new school or district by June 30. If you apply to your home district or school by then, your student is guaranteed a spot at your neighborhood school.
Withdrawing after June 30 or during the school year? You'll first need a letter of acceptance from the new school, which you'll share with SLArts. After June 30, your district may place your student at a different school with space, so it's best to plan early.
Thinking about coming back later? Students who withdraw will need to reapply through the Enrollment Lottery, so we can't always guarantee a spot.
To withdraw, or if you have questions, contact Registrar Jen Guillory at jeng@slarts.org.
