K-12 Tuition-Free Public Charter School: Creating community-minded leaders
FACS Lottery Frequently Asked Questions
How can my student be admitted to Faith Academy Charter School?
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The only way to gain admission to Faith Academy Charter School is during the Open Enrollment timeframe. To apply during the open enrollment period from January 1 through February 29 at 11:59 pm. Parents must submit an application for their child via SchoolMint. If there are more applications received than spots in the grade, a lottery will be held. Students not selected randomly during the lottery will be placed on a waitlist in the order their application was chosen.
If parents apply after the open enrollment time, the application will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist for whichever grade is listed on the application.​​
When is the lottery and is it open to the public?
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The lottery will be held annually in March. We will publicize the Zoom link and date for virtual attendance before the lottery day.
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Does it matter when I apply during the open enrollment period?
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No. As long as you apply during the open enrollment period your chances are the same as all others applying during that time. For example, your chances for admission are no better for those who apply on January 7th as opposed to those who apply on February 28th.
I’m not sure if I want to apply for admission right now. Can I do it later?
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Yes, but if you do not apply during the open enrollment period, your student will not be included in the admission lottery. We strongly encourage all who are interested in Faith Academy Charter School to apply during the open enrollment period. Otherwise, your application will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist for your child’s grade level.​​
What happens if there aren’t enough applications to fill all open seats in a grade level?
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If there are fewer applicants than slots available, all applicants will be admitted for that grade level.
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What if we live in a county other than Rowan? Can I still apply for admission for my child?
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Students who wish to attend Faith Academy Charter School may live in any county in North Carolina.
What if we are living out of state but are planning to move to North Carolina in the near future. Can I still apply for my child?
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State law mandates that all applicants must reside in North Carolina at the time of application.
How can I increase my student’s chances for admission?
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There are two pools of applicants: those in the preference pool and those in the general pool. Those in the preference pool will be randomly assigned their placement prior to those in the general pool.
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In accordance with state law, there are a few ways that applications can be given preference. This preference does NOT guarantee admission; it only determines the order in which the applicants are assigned in the lottery process. The following criteria may be used to allow students to be admitted first in the lottery to any open spots for the grade in which that student is applying. If there are more siblings/staff/board children applying than spots available, there will be a lottery held among siblings/staff/board children prior to the lottery for the general pool.
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1. Children of FACS full time staff members may be given preference, if they meet state guidelines
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2. Children of current members of the FACS Board of Directors may be given preference, if they meet state guidelines
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3. EDS Weighted Lottery: FACS will utilize a weighted lottery system for our economically disadvantaged students (EDS) to increase their chance of admission. Applicants can voluntarily identify as economically disadvantaged when applying for the weighted lottery. The additional “weight” for economically disadvantaged students will be calculated each year to maximize the probability that 22% of the students enrolled at FACS will be economically disadvantaged. FACS will continue to use a weighted lottery and the 22% EDS target for students admitted through the lottery until 22% of the students enrolled at the school are identified as economically disadvantaged.
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4. Children who attend an NC charter school that does not offer the next grade available that FACS does offer.
How do I know what grade to apply for, for my student?
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You should apply for the next, natural grade level for your child.
My spouse and I are divorced. Can we submit separate applications for our child?
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No. If you do, one will be canceled. Please consult with other family members and only submit ONE application per child. Each applicant can only have ONE application in the system. Duplicates will be deleted.
My children are twins. Do I apply for both of them during open enrollment?
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Students who are twins, triplets, etc. must each complete an application. However, only one application will be entered in the lottery for those students. If that application is accepted, the sibling’s twin or triplet, etc. will also be admitted.
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What about applying for more siblings who are not twins?
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Families have the option to submit all children under one family name/application or separately. If families submit all children under one family name and that application is chosen, the siblings will receive enrollment as well.
What happens when the lottery is run?
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Each applicant will receive an email or text from SchoolMint at the conclusion of the lottery that will notify you of an admission offer or wait list position for the grade for which you have applied. You must abide by all acceptance and registration stated deadlines or the offered seat will be forfeited.
Do we have to re-apply every year to be included in the lottery?
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If a student does not get a space through the lottery/wait list process, that student must re-apply to be considered the following year. However, current enrolled FACS students do not have to re-apply each year.
My child has an IEP or a 504 Plan. Can they be admitted?
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Yes.
What is required if I accept the seat offered for my student?
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Accepted families who enroll in Faith Academy Charter School must read and agree to follow the FACS policies and procedures, in addition to accepting the set FACS mission and curriculum.
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Once the lottery concludes and you have received notice by text or email of whether your student was offered a seat, you MUST log in to SchoolMint to accept or decline the offer. Once you have accepted the seat, you will have access to the registration packet. You will then have until the published deadline to complete and submit the registration packet and documents electronically. You must abide by all stated deadlines or your child’s seat will be forfeited.
What if my student is offered a seat from the waitlist?
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If a seat becomes available and your student is called from the waitlist, you will have the opportunity to either accept or decline the offer.
My student was on the waitlist last year. Do they get to keep their spot on the waitlist for the next enrollment cycle?
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No. Per NCDPI regulations, waitlist spots do not roll over from year to year. We encourage families to apply again if they were not accepted during the previous enrollment cycle.
Is the admission lottery really random? I’ve heard people say that only certain kids are selected.
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In accordance with all guidelines from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Office of Charter Schools, the lottery process at Faith Academy Charter School is indeed random. The application, lottery, and admission process is managed and operated by a 3rd party provider, Charter Success Partners (CSP), and is executed using an on-line lottery management system called SchoolMint.
Do siblings of current students get priority? What if there are not enough seats for siblings?
Yes, Siblings of currently enrolled students get priority in the admission process. In the event that we have more sibling applicants than available seats, not all siblings will be accepted. A sibling wait list will be established.