Admissions Process
Highlander is a public charter school that admits its students through a blind lottery process. Below
you will find information about our policies and learn how to start your application process.

APPLY FOR THE 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

Submit An Application

Via this link: https://enrollri.org/charter
Highlander is pleased to announce that we have transitioned to the unified enrollment
system launched by the RI Department of Education, EnrollRI, to allow families to
discover, compare, and apply to participating charter schools in one centralized
location.  Enrollment to public charter schools is nonselective and conducted by
random lottery.

Families can apply to Highlander's 2024-2025 lottery using the  EnrollRI Common
Application .  The application is now open and will
close at 5 pm on Thursday, March 14th, 2024.  Applications received after this
deadline will be placed on the waitlist after the lottery takes place on Monday, April 1,
2024.

Visit the  EnrollRI  page to complete the common application. When applying, please
make sure to select Highlander as one of your choices:

Highlander Elementary Charter School if you are applying to grades PreK - 6 

Highlander Secondary Charter School if you are applying to grades 7 - 12

The application process requires that you have an active mobile phone number and
email address.  If you don't have an email account, you can set one up for free using
Google's email. (Please link the attached document How to set up an email.)

If you have an application on Highlander's waiting list for the current academic year,
2023-2024, a new application for the 2024-2025 academic year must be completed
through  EnrollRI . The waiting list is good for one academic year only.

Our Admission Policies
Highlander is a public charter school open to Rhode Island students from Pre-K to 12th
grade. By Rhode Island Law and regulations from the Rhode Island Department of

Education, students are admitted to Highlander by lottery. This lottery determines
which applicants are enrolled the following school year.
In Highlander’s case, 75% of the students admitted to our school through lottery are
Providence residents. The other 25% admitted through lottery are from other Rhode
Island cities. The lottery takes place in the first week of March. All families will be
notified of the results of the lottery by mail.

The Acceptance Process
When an applicant is accepted to Highlander, we will send acceptance letters and a
copy of the Confirmation and Reservation Form to you by mail. You will have fifteen
(15) business days after the postmarked date on the notification letter to return this
form to the Admissions Office. Along with this form, you need to submit: a copy of birth
certificate, proof of address (current utility bill), authorization to release school record
form, prior school records, and special education records such as IEP and/or 504.
If we do not hear from you within fifteen (15) days, we will make every attempt to
contact you by the deadline. If no form has been returned by the deadline, the
student’s space may be given to the next eligible student on the waiting list. Parents
who are not available at the home address listed on the application form during the
notification period should contact the Highlander to make other arrangements.
Parents who are not available at the home address listed on the application form
during the notification period should contact the Highlander to make other
arrangements.

Pre-Kindergarten Age Requirement
It is Highlander’s policy that children applying to pre-kindergarten must be 4 years old
by September 1st of the year they will be starting pre-kindergarten.

Kindergarten Age Requirement
It is Highlander’s policy that children applying to kindergarten must be 5 years old by
September 1st of the year they will be starting kindergarten.

Siblings Preference Policy
Highlander has created the Sibling Preference Policy to help families with more than
one child in school. Enrollment preference is given to applicants whose siblings are
enrolled at Highlander. We define siblings as children that share the same parent,
guardian and/or caregiver, and reside in the same household.
When a lottery takes place, siblings will be admitted first, if space is available. When a
waiting list exists for a particular grade, siblings will be placed 1st on the waiting list. If
there is more than one sibling to be placed on the waiting list for a particular grade, a
siblings’ lottery will be done in order to assign them a position on this waiting list.

Children of Employees Admissions Policy
The children of Highlander employees are given preference in the admissions lottery in
the same way that siblings are given preference. The employee must be full time and a
Rhode Island resident in order for her/his children to be given preference in the
admissions lottery.

When the admissions lottery takes place, current students’ siblings and children of
employee will be admitted first, if space is available. When a waiting list exists for a
particular grade, siblings or children of employees will be placed 1st on the waiting list.
If there is more than one sibling and/or child of employees to be placed on the waiting
list for a particular grade, a sibling/children of employees’ lottery will be done to assign
them a position on this waiting list.

Leaving Highlander
When a student leaves Highlander and is interested in returning to our school, an
admissions application has to be completed and will follow the same lottery process as
the rest of the applicants. If at that time Highlander has a waiting list and is not accepting applications, the parent is welcome to apply for the following school year when applications are available.
Please remember that an admissions application has to be completed and returned
before the deadline in order to participate in the lottery.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please contact the school by phone at 401-247-3585 extension 202 or 208, or
email schoollife@hc.school.