Charter schools are public, free of tuition, independent schools that frequently provide a specific teaching pedagogy that is not offered in traditional district schools. For example, the Leman Academy of Excellence, for scholars in grades K-8, uses the Classical Education teaching approach. This method, called The Trivium, aligns with scholars’ natural learning processes. Leman teaches children to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. All disciplines of learning are interrelated at Leman where scholars are challenged to widen the horizons of their knowledge and understanding.
When you’re choosing a school for your child, it’s important to learn about the school’s
enrollment process as well as scheduled dates and deadlines. Let’s look into the five steps that you need to take to enroll your child in an Arizona charter school:
- Research Charter School Options
- Check Eligibility Requirements
- Submit an Application
- Participate in a Lottery
- Confirm Enrollment and Next Steps
Step 1: Research Charter School Options
Perhaps you have researched several charter school options for your children’s education and now must select the “perfect” one. Some considerations you may want to keep in mind are:
The location — Depending on the distance, the state of Arizona will increase aid to charter schools for scholars who need to travel between 20 and 30 miles each way between home and school.
The curriculum — Most charter schools emphasize particular learning methods. Choose the method in which your child will thrive best. It could be a fine arts emphasis, a focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), or a classical education model.
Extracurricular activities offered — perhaps your child is outstanding in a certain athletic
activity or is musically inclined. Maybe your child shows strengths in debate, politics, and rhetoric. Discover all the activities offered by the school you choose and see what’s available to match your child’s skills and talents.
The school culture — Some schools have a more diverse population than others, and charter schools vary in teacher-to-student ratio. Explore these topics about your chosen school, and explore their guiding beliefs and values.
The Leman Academy of Excellence is based on the philosophy of child psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman, the school’s founder. According to Dr. Leman, the best education a child can receive focuses on both the mind and the heart. You’ll find that Leman places an emphasis on building scholars’ virtues and character.
If, however, your family lives too far from any one of Leman’s schools in Arizona, you might look into the Leman Virtual Academy, which offers the same excellent education online. In this setting, your child is assigned a teacher and accesses the school from a home computer. Whether your child attends the Leman Academy in person or from a home computer, you’ll find the exceptional attention and support needed for a successful scholastic journey.
Step 2: Check Eligibility Requirements
Arizona charter schools may limit student eligibility based on age or grade level, but cannot limit students’ attendance based on national origin, ethnicity, gender, income level, athletic ability, disabling conditions, or proficiency in the English language.
Scholars must be residents of Arizona and must be of school age to attend. Most schools have an enrollment period in the late autumn of the year. The Leman Academy of Excellence’s open enrollment period is November 1-8 for schools in Arizona, and November 1-30 for its schools in Colorado.
In addition, if schools are filled to capacity, parents can join a waitlist. At Leman Academy,
scholars who apply during the enrollment period but are not immediately accepted are placed on the waitlist. They are then considered for available spots if a current scholar leaves or the school develops additional capacity.
Step 3: Submit an Application
When you have chosen a charter school for your child, you need to begin the application process. To apply, you’ll need to have some documentation on hand:
- Your child’s birth certificate
- Proof of your residence
- Your child’s immunization records
- A withdrawal form from their previous school
- Academic records from previous schools
- IEP or 504 forms, if applicable
If you decide to apply to Leman Academy, you’ll need to provide the names of previous schools your child has attended so they can request the child’s records. Also, Leman’s staff will be prepared to best accommodate your child if you have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or a 504 plan to share during the application process. Likewise, any pertinent medical information regarding your child should be delivered with your application.
Step 4: Participate in a Lottery
Most charter schools employ a lottery system as an equitable method for accepting scholars to fill their classrooms. By utilizing a random selection process, scholars are guaranteed a fair system for filling available spots.
Lotteries are held after the application period has ended. At that time, all the names of the
applicants are placed in a pool to be randomly selected for acceptance into the school.
It’s important to note that if the applicant is a sibling of a child already in the school, most
charter schools give the siblings priority over children’s names drawn from the lottery.
At the Leman Academy, you can apply for your desired grade level during the dates of the application period, which are announced well in advance. After you complete your application, Leman Academy holds its Lottery Draw, a randomized process of scholar selection. At the lottery’s conclusion, Leman will notify your family if you’ve been accepted or placed on a waitlist. Leman’s waitlist is updated daily. Should a family change their mind and decline a selected spot, then the next family on the waitlist will be contacted and informed of their acceptance.
Step 5: Confirm Enrollment and Next Steps
Finally, when your child has been accepted into your chosen charter school, the registration process begins. You will be given paperwork to complete along with dates for meetings and the school’s orientation.
At the Leman Academy, the registration process allows you two weeks to turn in all the
requested paperwork, including any of the documentation listed above for the application process that has not been submitted. After all the paperwork is completed and given to the school’s staff, then you will receive information regarding your children’s schedules and needed school supplies.
Consider Leman Academy and the Benefits for Your Children
With a classical curriculum, high academic standards, and emphasis on developing the heart as well as the mind, it’s difficult to find a charter school with more benefits to offer your children than the Leman Academy of Excellence. Your child can physically attend one of the Arizona or Colorado campuses, or if you live in Arizona, your child can access Leman Academy virtually and attend school from home. Either way, your child’s academic and character growth will blossom with all that Leman Academy has to offer.
To conclude, discover all that the Leman Academy of Excellence has to offer. On the homepage of Leman’s website, you’ll see a button that says “Enroll” on the top menu. Click on it and follow the steps to begin the online registration process. After applying, your child’s name will be included in the school lottery for class openings in your desired grade level.
Begin your child’s amazing Leman Academy journey today!