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How much does it cost to attend Founders Classical Academy?

We are a tuition-free, public charter school. There are no admission requirements, academic or otherwise, to apply for a place in the school. We operate under the same rules, regulations, and guidelines as other Texas schools, and our schools are tuition-free. Our school provides an opportunity to receive a rich classical education at virtually no cost. Charter schools are widely regarded as one of the greatest values in education being offered today.

How does the lottery work?

Each year, the lottery/enrollment process will

1. fill any available seats and
2. position students on the waitlist for seats that may come available during the months leading up to and during the following school year.

If the number of eligible applicants does not exceed the number of vacancies, then all eligible applicants who have applied during the designated Open Application Period will be offered admission. To the extent that the number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of available seats for any given grade, the administration will conduct a public, system-generated, grade-level lottery.

It is anticipated that a lottery will be required for each grade.

The number of seats available at the lottery for new school year will be determined based on the re-enrollment of currently enrolled students. Historically, we experience 100% re-enrollment – which means that all of our currently enrolled students indicate their plan to return for the next school year. As seats become available, the school will use the numerical waitlist generated at the lottery, and then added to by subsequent applications, to offer available seats to students on a grade-by-grade basis. These waitlists remain in place throughout the entire school year, until the last day of school.

The lottery is typically held by mid-February each year. The lottery will be held in Upper School Building Founders Classical Academy of Leander. Each family who submitted applications during the open application period will receive an email announcing the date and time of the lottery. Families may attend the lottery, although attendance is not mandatory and presence or absence at the lottery does not affect the results of the lottery for your child.

What happens after the lottery?

Thank you for your patience during this time! We typically have hundreds of applicants for the lottery and responding to individual emails, phone calls and visitors is simply not possible during the weeks immediately following the lottery. We know you are anxious to have your questions answered, and we will do our best to respond to your emails as quickly and completely as possible. Please do not rely on Facebook or information provided by people who are not on staff and involved in this process.

Please do not phone or visit the school office for information about the lottery, the waitlist or enrollment in general. If you have questions after seeing the results, please email [email protected] and include your questions with as much detail as possible.

Lottery results will be posted on the outside windows of our Upper School building for approximately two weeks following the lottery. Families are welcome to come to the school between the hours of 9:00am to 2:00pm, or after 4:00pm (during the week) and on weekends to view the posted results and see their child’s position on the waitlist. We kindly ask that you not address your questions to the ladies in the office when you stop by to see the posted lottery results. They are busy with the requirements of running the day to day business of the school. Those who are unable to view the posted results at the school during the two weeks following the lottery are asked to email [email protected] to ask for their child’s placement on the waitlist.

Those who are awarded seats will be notified by telephone and e-mail within 7-10 days following the lottery. An email response accepting the seat is required by the specific date and time designated in the email (typically within 48 hours of the date of notification.) Failure of a parent to respond by email accepting the offered seat by the designated deadline will result in forfeiture of the child’s position in the lottery. Those families whose children are not “seated” can expect to receive official email notification within 6 weeks that your child is on the waitlist. However, you must contact the school at [email protected] for specific information about your child’s position on the waitlist.

What is priority status?

Federal guidelines permit the school to grant enrollment preference for a number of reasons. The most commonly assigned priority statuses are to the children of teachers and staff at Founders Classical Academy and to the siblings of currently enrolled students. Assigning sibling priority status refers to giving preference in the lottery and throughout the year to students who have a sibling enrolled at the school. This preference does not guarantee the assignment of a seat – merely preference in the lottery process and placement on the waitlist.

Priority status is granted as soon as it is warranted. For example, priority status is given to a sibling after one sibling is counted in attendance at any time of the school year. The status may be granted throughout the year (not just at the lottery) depending upon when the action warranting the status occurs.

How do I re-enroll my current Founders student?

If you have a currently enrolled student at FCA Leander, please do not submit a new application for that child for next year.

Families of currently enrolled students at Founders Classical Academy (FCA) of Leander will be contacted by email in the coming months regarding how to submit your child’s re-enrollment. Emails will be sent through our InfoSnap enrollment/application system to the parents of currently enrolled children. Those emails will contain a link for you to complete re-enrollment online. These emails will likely be sent out in early December. You must wait to receive this email from our InfoSnap system. Please do NOT submit an application through the website for any child who is a current student at FCA Leander.

If you have other children who are not currently enrolled at FCA Leander, you will need to submit an application for them as described below.

How do I submit an application for a new Founders student?

We strongly recommend that you use a desktop computer, not a smartphone or tablet, to submit applications. Our staff has experienced many instances where the wrong campus is selected, or birthdates, emails and other important information are entered incorrectly.

The annual Open Application Period runs in December and January. Specific dates will be posted on our school website. You cannot submit an application for new school year until the Open Application Period begins. A separate application must be submitted for each child who is not currently enrolled in Founders Classical Academy (FCA) of Leander. By submitting an application online during this time, your child will be included in the lottery for any available seats in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Any applications received after the Open Application Period ends will not be eligible to participate in the lottery, but will be placed on the post-lottery waitlist based on the date those applications are received. Enrollment of students shall be open to any person who is eligible for admission based on lawful criteria identified in the school’s charter, e.g., qualifying residency and disciplinary history.

My child is on the waitlist already. Do I need to submit an application for the coming school year?

Yes, you must complete a new application for each child every year you would like to apply at our school. Applications do not roll over from year to year.