Admissions Policy

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Admissions Policy

Admissions Policy Overview

The Founders Academy is an open enrollment, public charter school serving grades 5-12. New Hampshire applicants who meet the school’s admission criteria may apply. The school may accept out-of-state applicants at a fee to be set annually, on a space-available basis. It is important for any applicant considering enrolling at The Founders Academy to be certain that they are interested in pursuing a rigorous education within the mission and vision of our school.

Admissions Criteria

1) The applicant will have successfully completed the school year preceding admission with credits or creditable work in all core subjects with verification of last grade completed by the sending school district or Department of Education, unless an exception is granted.

2) The applicant and his/her parent/guardian shall affirm understanding and commitment to the mission and vision of the school, its policies, program, and expectations.

3) Applicants seeking enrollment must complete The Founders Academy Online Application. In addition to the Online Application, The Founders Academy also requires a copy of the applicant’s Birth Certificate, Original Transcripts/Records Request and Original Residency Affidavit. Applications are not considered for enrollment until all parts are complete.

4) Parents/guardians and applicant(s) must meet with the Dean of School and Admissions to
review the Founders Academy standards and expectations.

Applicants may choose to take a placement test, and attending an information session/Open House is strongly recommended. Open House dates and times will be posted on our website and calendar.

Application Related Dates and Public Notification

An application deadline will be set and publicly posted by the start of each academic year for admission to The Founders Academy in the following academic year. This information will be made public on the school's website and through direct email to the Founders community. Additionally, it will be posted at the Manchester Public Library.

The Founders Academy does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, national/ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or disability in its programs, activities, admissions and employment practices. This refers to, but is not limited to, the provisions of the following laws:
• Titles IV, VI, and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 - race color, national origin
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
• The Age Discrimination Act of 1975
• Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX) - sex
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) - disability
• The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) - disability
• NH Law against discrimination (RSA 354-A)
• Title XV Section 194-B:1

Application Package

Applicants seeking enrollment must complete The Founders Academy Online Application. In addition to the Online Application, The Founders Academy also requires:
• A copy of the applicant’s Birth Certificate
• Original Transcripts/Records Request
• Original Residency Affidavit
• If the applicant lives in Manchester and will need bus transportation, please also fill out the Transportation Exception Form

Applications are not considered for enrollment until all parts are complete.

If you have any questions regarding the application, please send an email to [email protected].

Placement Test

7th and 8th grade applicants may complete a Placement Test for mathematics and Language Arts. Applicants entering 6th grade may also request a placement test. High School applicants entering grades 10-12 must produce a transcript and meet with the registrar or designated staff to determine placement. The results will determine where an applicant should be placed within Founders' curriculum as well as whether the applicant has competencies that they need prior to attending Founders. The results of this test will be made available to the applicant’s parents/guardians.

Information Session

Every applicant and one parent/guardian is strongly recommended to attend one of three information sessions/Open Houses held during the year. These will be posted on the school website each year and usually take place in October, November, and January.

Lottery

Charter School Law, RSA 194-B:9, if the number of otherwise eligible applicants to a particular chartered public school exceeds that school's maximum published enrollment, that school shall use lottery selection as a basis for admission.

If there are more applicants that have successfully completed the Application Process, prior to the admissions deadline, than available spaces in any grade or program, a lottery will be conducted according to The Founders Academy charter.

Each family will be counted as one entry into the lottery. If one sibling is accepted, the remaining siblings will be offered a position. The lottery will be conducted at The Founders Academy by an adult who is unaffiliated with Founders and who has no child applying for admission. Students will be accepted by grade, as his/her Family Lottery Number is selected, up to the number of slots available in each grade level.

After the maximum number of available slots are reached, the remaining applicants will be selected in the same random fashion, and then placed in order on the wait list, by grade. The Lottery is complete only once every applicant’s number has been pulled.

The following exceptions will apply on a space-available basis, in the following order. In the event space fills up in a grade level before these spaces are filled, the remaining spaces will be placed at the top of the wait list.

• Children of The Founders Academy founders (up to four spaces on a first-come, first-served basis)
• Children of current Founders employees (up to ten spaces on a first-come, first-served basis)
• Children of current Founders board members (up to five spaces on a first-come, first-served basis)
• Siblings of current Founders students who are New Hampshire residents

Each family that is accepted must submit the Commitment to Attend form to Founders by the specified date.

Waitlist without Lottery

Notice of a waitlist will be posted on the school’s Waitlist and Capacity page.

Additionally, those who apply after the admissions deadline will be placed at the bottom of the waitlist in the order in which their admissions packet is received as a complete packet. Should an opening occur, acceptance will be offered based on waiting list order.

Once the school year has begun, applicants requesting to transfer to Founders will be invited to complete an application package and once successfully completed, will be placed at the bottom of the wait list according to grade or program.

The Founders Academy does not rollover waitlists from year to year.

Returning Students’ Admission

Founders will offer automatic re-enrollment to its students, provided they are in good standing at the end of each year. In order to retain enrollment for the following year, current age and resident eligible applicants must submit a completed “Intent to Return” and all other required documentation each year in which they are enrolled at The Founders Academy by June 30th.

Reopening Admissions

At the discretion of The Founders Academy Admissions Department and conforming to all elements of this policy, Admissions may be reopened prior to the beginning of the academic school year if it is anticipated that openings will become available in any grade level for which a waitlist does not exist.

First Reading: January 22, 2020
Adopted by the Board on: March 18, 2020
Revised: November 18, 2020
Revised: November 28, 2022

The Founders Academy Public Charter School Grades 5-12

Admissions Policy