ACA Enrollment Policy and Procedures

Arlington Classics Academy (ACA) operates as a tuition-free, open-enrollment public charter school and currently accommodates students in kindergarten through 8th grade for the defined geographic boundaries (see website for details). Parents/guardians of new students must complete the Texas Common Charter School Admission Application (TEC 12.1173) provided at the front desk of the school or available online. An enrollment interview with an Arlington Classics Academy administrator is encouraged before the student starts class. During the interview, academic standards, dress code, attendance policies, and general school operations will be discussed. An enrollment packet must then be completed and the application process is not finalized until all forms and required data are obtained. Arlington Classics Academy will review the student’s discipline history from the last enrolled school and may exclude the student from admission on this basis (TEC 12.111(5)(a)). It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that all forms as listed in the enrollment packet, such as report card and discipline records are submitted to the school in a timely manner to be considered for enrollment.

The initial open enrollment period for new students each school year is from 12:00 midnight of the first Monday of November through 11:59 p.m. of the first Friday of December. Siblings of current students and children of employees will be considered first to fill any existing openings, then all other completed Charter School Admission Application forms submitted during this period will receive equal consideration for admission to ACA. Note: ACA does not guarantee that multiple siblings will be accepted at the same time. It may be necessary that a sibling has to remain on the waiting list until an opening is available for a specific grade level. Current or existing students will be required to complete an application/re-enrollment packet, including residency verification, in the spring semester of each year for the following year.

After the open enrollment period closes, the Charter School Admission Application forms will be sorted by grade and counted. If the number of completed forms for a grade is less than or equal to the number of openings for that grade, all students who have submitted the forms will be offered admission. However, if the number of completed forms for a grade exceeds the number of openings for that grade, there will be a lottery. The lottery will determine which students are offered admission and the waitlist order for the remaining students. 

It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure receipt of the Charter School Admission Application forms. Any potential student(s) whose forms are not fully received (completed forms properly submitted to appropriate staff within the allowable time frame) will forfeit any rights to the lottery and will be added to the end of the appropriate waitlist. Any Charter School Admission Application forms submitted after 11:59 p.m. of the first Friday of December will automatically go to the bottom of the waitlist, should a waitlist exist for that grade. 

When there has been a change in residency, it is the responsibility of the parents to notify the campus administration immediately. Only students residing in the defined geographic boundaries can attend Arlington Classics Academy (children of staff are excluded from this restriction). If a student moves outside of the approved geographic boundaries, they must withdraw from ACA. Withdrawal from ACA forfeits the student’s right to attend ACA. Seats cannot be held for students for any reason. If a parent withdraws their student from ACA and wishes to re-enroll, then the lottery and waitlist procedures apply and the student will go to the bottom of the waitlist for the appropriate grade level. 

Students will be placed in the appropriate grade level according to student records. Please note, for kindergarten enrollment, a student must be five years old on or before September 1st. For enrollment in 1st grade, students should be six years old. However, if a student is not six years old by September 1st of the year they wish to enroll in 1st grade, the student will be required to complete the MAP reading and math assessments. To enroll in first grade, the student must score at or above the 50th percentile in both reading and math. The student will also be assessed on a different reading assessment and must score a level instructional D or above. If scores fail to reflect this, the student will be placed in kindergarten if/when a seat is available.