FAQs

What is the plan for additional grades?

Golden Charter Academy opens the 2021-22 school year with grades TK-3rd available and will add an additional grade each year after that! The 2022-23 school year will add 4th grade, 2023-24 will add 5th grade, and so on until we reach grades TK-8th in the 2026-27 academic year.

If your student is in 4th grade for the 2022-23 school year, they will be able to stay at Golden Charter Academy all the way! A new grade will be developed each year until we reach our goal of TK-8th (and hopefully beyond that!).

Is my student old enough for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)?

According to EC 48000(c), a child who has a 5th birthday between September 2nd and now February 2nd is eligible for TK. Therefore, for the 2022-2023 school year, your child must be born between September 2nd, 2017, and February 2nd, 2018 to be eligible to enroll for TK.

Will Golden Charter Academy offer both virtual and in-person learning? Will students be required to be vaccinated in order to attend?

Golden Charter Academy will follow the recommendations of the Fresno County Health Department regarding school openings. They will publish guidelines and our Board will adopt a policy addressing this issue before school opens.

If conditions require a switch to virtual learning, GCA’s curriculum will allow for flexibility to be available in both physical and digital formats! Our environmental partners also have the ability to switch to online learning to continue instruction while maintaining student safety.

What is a Charter School Lottery?

A charter school lottery is a random selection process by which applicants are admitted to a charter school to ensure that all applicants that do not have an enrollment priority have an equal chance of being admitted. A charter school must conduct a lottery if more students apply for admission to the charter school than can be admitted. A charter school with fewer applicants than spaces available should not conduct a lottery.

What is the Lottery Procedure?

A state charter school must conduct a lottery if it receives more applications for enrollment than there are available spaces. The determination of available spaces should be grade-specific and consistent with the school’s charter contract and petition. Since a school must determine its capacity by grade level, a charter school may have lotteries in only some grades. A state charter school may utilize either computer or human randomization provided that the method of choice is consistent with the policy adopted by the school pursuant.

What are Pre-lottery Enrollment Priorities?

A state charter school may utilize Enrollment Priorities, also known as “enrollment preferences,” only if authorized by state law and identified in its charter contract. An enrollment priority allows a charter school to offer available space to certain students prior to conducting the lottery. Students who have been attending the charter school do not need to reapply and participate in the lottery. This allows a student who has attended the school to continue his or her education in an uninterrupted manner.

What is the Wait List and how is that made during the Drawing Process?

The state charter school should continue the lottery drawing process after the lottery slots are filled to determine the order of students on the Waitlist. The Waitlist should be separate from those admitted through the lottery, and each family should be aware of the position of its student(s) on the waitlist at the conclusion of the process.