Source: Sussex Academy
Sussex Academy, a tuition-free K–12 public charter school in Georgetown, announced the results of its lottery Jan. 16, with 146 families sent invitations to enroll.
“We embrace the fact that families in Delaware have a choice, and are grateful for the community support that we have from families that are applying to be a part of an accelerated educational program in a small school setting,” said Head of School Kyle Bentley.
Families may complete a choice application via SchoolChoiceDE.org to enroll their children in any Delaware public, charter or vocational-technical school, regardless of their home address. Children must first be enrolled in their school of residence before submitting a choice application.
To inform families about the opportunity, Sussex Academy advertised information about its educational programming and school choice, including application opening and closing dates, and hosted open houses at elementary and secondary campuses.
Enrollment at Sussex Academy is limited by the State of Delaware based on the school charter. If applications outnumber open spots, a lottery is conducted in January to select students who will be invited to enroll.
“As a public charter school, we are a true lottery,” Bentley said. “We use a third-party vendor in the Data Services Center to process applications and conduct the lottery for families that believe in our school mission.”
This year, 1,350 applications were received for 146 openings; 40 in kindergarten, 80 in sixth grade, 5 in seventh, 20 in ninth and 1 in 11th grade, he said. Waiting list information is provided to parents who are not selected. In accordance with Delaware Code, the wait list remains in effect until Sept. 30.
“Like many surrounding public school districts, we give enrollment preference to children of staff and siblings,” Bentley said. “We will continue to have more than 1,000 families on the waitlist, which speaks to the demand for a different choice in education.”
Currently, Bentley said, there are more than 300 families on the waiting list for kindergarten and sixth grade. A total of 665 families are on the waiting list for elementary spots, 314 families are on the middle school waitlist and 198 are on the high school waiting list, he said.
Sussex Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Georgetown, Del. Its mission is to foster academic achievement and social responsibility in a small school environment where students participate in a highly accelerated college preparatory program that prepares them for the technological and global mindedness needed for the 21st century and that instills ethical conduct and service to others in their day-to-day lives.
