Your Questions Answered
Charter schools are public schools. They do not charge tuition. Families choose charter schools for many reasons and each school is unique. There are no entrance exams and charter schools are open to all students. Rochester charters offer programming and resources to help students of all ability levels. Apply today!
Below are answers to your most frequently asked questions. If you have additional questions, please call us at (585) 491-9777.
You can learn a lot about Rochester charter schools by visiting online, but nothing beats a school visit! School tours are easy to schedule and can be taken during a time that works with your schedule. It’s a great way to really get a feel for the school environment, meet teachers and find the right fit for your family. Call schools directly to schedule a tour today!
FAQ’s
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Questions About Charter Schools
A charter school is an independently run public school. Charter Schools are free.
Charter schools are public schools of choice, meaning that families choose them for their children. They operate with greater flexibility, in return for greater accountability.
Charter schools are accountable for academic results and for upholding the promises made in their charters. They must demonstrate performance in the areas of academic achievement, financial management, and organizational stability.
Charters serve all students, including those with special needs and English language learners.
All students may apply.
Charter schools do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, homelessness, special needs, English language proficiency or foreign language proficiency, athletic ability or prior academic achievement.
Charter schools are public schools and are FREE.
There are no special entrance exams for charter schools.
In most cases, busing is provided to charter schools by the school district of residence. In Rochester, busing policies for charter schools are the same as district schools (RCSD policies can be found at https://www.rcsdk12.org/Domain/85). Generally, students who live more than 1.5 miles away from the charter school receive busing. Students who live within 1.5 miles of the charter school may or may not receive busing depending upon the walking route. The determination is made by the RCSD transportation department.
For students living in surrounding districts, busing to charter schools is provided by your local district and home district’s policies apply.
No. Charter schools are free, public schools.
Questions About Applying
Questions About the Waitlist
Schools accept students based on a random lottery. Once a school’s seats are filled, applicants to the school are placed on a waitlist. If an opening comes up, schools make an offer to students on the waitlist.
If the school your child applied to has an opening, the school will contact you. You can check your child’s status at anytime by logging in to your account or calling the school directly.
You can login to your account to check the status, or call the school directly.
If your child is placed on a waitlist, you must re-apply the next year to be considered for enrollment. The only exception to this is Rochester Prep. Rochester Prep rolls over its waitlist each year and applying again is not necessary.
Questions About the Process
No. You are encouraged to apply to as many schools as you like. Applying to more than one does not help or hurt your chances.
If you apply before the lottery, you will be notified of your application status after the lottery deadline—usually within 10 days.
If you apply after the lottery deadline, your child will be added to a waitlist. If an opening occurs, the school will notify you that there is an open seat. We recommend that parents log in to monitor their child’s waitlist status or contact the schools directly for updates.
While applications are accepted at any time, your best chance of getting your child into the first school of choice is to apply early—by the lottery deadline.
Once an application is submitted, it is sent to the school to which the student applied. Applications are due each year by the lottery deadline–usually in early April. Once the lottery is held students are notified of their status. Students who are not given an offer of acceptance are added to a waitlist.
Applicants are not given any special entrance exams. There is no cost to apply.
Parents choose the right school for their child. A parent or guardian may accept or decline an invitation to any school.
A student may only accept an offer at one school, even if they receive offers from multiple schools. When a student accepts an offer at their school of choice, all other registrations or acceptances are automatically declined or withdrawn. Accepting an offer does not change waitlist status at other schools and the student will not be removed from existing waitlists.
Many charter schools give priority to siblings. While this means that there is a good chance that siblings can attend the same school, it is not guaranteed. If you have questions about a particular school’s policy, please contact the school directly.
If you apply to a grade level that is included in the lottery, you will be notified by the school approximately 10 days after the deadline.
If you are applying for a grade level that has a waitlist, you will be contacted if a seat becomes available.
Once you accept an offer from a school, within 24 hours the school will notify you about the registration process. In general, the following documentation will be needed:
- Student Birth Certificate
- Student’s Social Security Card
- Parent’s Identification (Any State or Federal ID works, License, Housing Authority ID, etc.)
- Proof of Address (Utility Bill, Lease, etc.)
- Most Recent Report Card and Test Scores
- IEP or 504 Plan (If Applicable)
- Physical Exam (Within 1 Year)
- Immunization Records.
You may wish to take pictures of all of these documents as in many cases you will be able to upload them individually to the school’s online enrollment system via a link that the school sends you.
Questions About Updating an Application After it has been Submitted
- Login to the Student Dashboard
- Select “Menu” in the upper-left (on a mobile device)
- Select “Family Profile” (on a computer this is in the blue bar at the top left)
- Select the pencil icon beside your name to edit your name, phone number, email address, or change your contact preference
- Update the information
- Scroll down to the bottom and select “Save”
- To return to the Student Dashboard, select “Menu” then select “Home”
- Login to the Student Dashboard
- Select “Menu” in the upper-left (on a mobile device)
- Select “Family Profile” (on a computer this is in the blue bar at the top left)
- Scroll down to the “Student” section
- Select the pencil icon beside your child’s name that you wish to edit
- Update the information
- Scroll down to the bottom and select “Save”
- To return to the Student Dashboard, select “Menu” then select “Home”
- Login to the Student Dashboard
- Select “Menu” in the upper-left (on a mobile device)
- Select “Account Settings.” (on a computer this is in the blue bar at the top left)
- Update information
- Select “Change Password” or “Change Username”
- To return to the Student Dashboard, select “Menu” then select “Home”
- Login to the Student Dashboard
- Select “Edit New Application” under your child’s name (on a computer, this is beside your child’s name)
- Confirm the student’s name and grade applying to and select “Next”
- At the list of schools, select the radio button next to the school(s) you wish to add to the application, the at the bottom, select “Next”
- You will see a confirmation message pop up. Select yes to confirm.
- Select the “Optional Questions for Lottery Preference” bar to open the additional questions. Scroll through the list of questions to answer any new questions that have appeared related to the school(s) you have added to the application. Then at the bottom, select “Next”
- Review the confirmation summary and select “Submit”
- Review the message confirming you are submitting the application and select “Submit” again
- Check your email for a confirmation text message or email. If you do not receive the confirmation text or email, your application has not been received.
- Login to the Student Dashboard
- In the list of schools below your child’s name, select the “Cancel” button for the specific school you would like to remove (on a computer, the “Cancel” button is at the far right)
- At the popup message you will see a warning about canceling an application. Select a reason for the cancelation from the menu. Then select the checkbox next to the acknowledgement statement. Scroll down and select “Submit.”
- You will be returned to the Student Dashboard where you will see a message that the application was canceled. The school will remain in the list under your child’s name with a status of “Canceled”