Admissions Policy
Any child who is qualified under the laws of this State for admission to a public school anywhere in North Carolina is qualified for admission to Thomas Academy charter school. Two (2) proofs of NC residence are required to establish eligibility for admission. Admission is not based on the school attendance area in which a student resides and admission is not limited to students on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, national origin, religion, or ancestry. Enrollment priority is given to siblings of currently enrolled students who were admitted to the charter school in the previous year. The term "siblings" includes any of the following who reside in the same household: half siblings, stepsiblings, and children residing in a family foster home. Enrollment priority is also given to children of the school's full‐time employees and children of Thomas Academy’s (TA) board of directors. If siblings, including multiple birth siblings, apply for admission to TA school and a lottery is needed, only one surname is entered into the lottery to represent all of the siblings applying at the same time. If that surname of the sibling is selected, then all of the siblings shall be admitted to the extent that space is available and does not exceed the grade level capacity. (c) During each period of enrollment, from January 1 to May 30th , the charter school shall enroll eligible students who submit a timely application, unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, and grade level, or building. In this case, students shall be accepted by lottery and the remaining students placed on a waiting list in the order the names were called. The lottery would be conducted in a public forum. (d) Once enrolled, students are not required to reapply in subsequent enrollment periods but parents must notify TA of their intention to return by May 30th in order to establish if a lottery will be needed. TA may refuse admission to any student who has been expelled or suspended from a public school under G.S. 115C‐390.5 through G.S. 115C‐390.11 until the period of suspension or expulsion has expired.
