Introduction
Torchlight Academy, is a tuition free public charter school located in Wake County, North Carolina. The school serves students in grades K-8. The school is open to students “seeking to participate in a rigorous and academically challenging experience.”
Pre-Admissions Information
Torchlight Academy preadmission activities shall be designed to assist parents and students to gain an objective understanding of the school’s enrollment process, lottery process, academic program, and general expectations for all of its students. Information provided should include a general overview designed to enable the parents and students to make an informed decision about enrollment.
General Provisions
Any child who is qualified under the laws of the State of North Carolina for admission to a public school is qualified for admission to the Torchlight Academy. No child may be compelled to attend a public charter school by the local school administrative unit. Public Charter Schools are schools of “Choice.” The student must be a resident of the State of North Carolina at the time application is made to qualify to attend a North Carolina public charter school. County boundaries or school attendance areas do not affect the student’s eligibility to attend Torchlight Academy. Torchlight Academy does not limit Admission to students on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, gender, national origin, religion, or ancestry.
Torchlight Academy is authorized to give enrollment priority to certain students as provided by North Carolina General Statutes. The enrollment priorities recognized by Torchlight Academy at this time include the following:
- In the first year of operation only, children of the initial members of the charter school’s board of directors and children of the schools full-time employees not to exceed 15% of student enrollment.
- After the first year of operation, children of the schools full-time employees not to exceed 15% of student enrollment.
- Siblings of currently enrolled students who are admitted to the charter school in a previous year and siblings of students who have completed the highest grade level offered by the school who were enrolled in at least four grade levels offered by the charter school.
- A student who was enrolled in the charter school within the two previous years but left the school to participate in an academic study abroad program or a competitive admission residential program or because of vocational opportunities of the student’s parents.
These priorities are followed in order and are provided only when space is available for the students in question.
During each period of enrollment, Torchlight Academy shall accept applications for new students. Once admitted, students are not required to enroll in subsequent enrollment periods. In order to properly plan, the school may routinely inquire of parents in early spring through an enrollment intent information request form to ascertain if students will return to Torchlight Academy the following year. The open enrollment schedule and applications for admission form shall be available on the school’s website or by contacting the school’s business office. If requested, applications will be mailed or emailed to the parent of a prospective student. Students are required to first submit the short-form Application for Admission. The long-form Student Registration Form is submitted subsequent to acceptance.
NOW ENROLLING.
In the event that multiple birth siblings apply for admission to the school and a lottery is needed, Torchlight Academy will enter one surname into the lottery to represent all of the multiple birth siblings applying at the same time. If that surname of the multiple birth siblings is selected, then all of the multiple birth siblings shall be admitted.
Lottery procedures will comply with the North Carolina open meetings law provided in North Carolina General Statute § 143-218.10(a). Torchlight Academy will publicize the date, time, and location of the lottery, and all persons are allowed to attend.
All students selected in a lottery must certify acceptance of enrollment within 10 business days or the seat will be forfeited to the next person on the waiting list on the 11th business day.
Unless otherwise provided by law, Torchlight Academy may refuse admission to any student who has been expelled or suspended from a public school under North Carolina General Statute § 115C-390.5 through 115C-390.11 until the period of suspension or expulsion has expired.
Within one year after the charter school begins operations, the charter school shall make every effort for the population of the school to reasonably reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the general population residing within the local school administrative unit in which the school is located.