Open Enrollment is the period prior to the start of the next school year when any parent/guardian can submit an application for their child for the upcoming school year. Applications received after the Open Enrollment period are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.

RISE Academy Charter School is a public school, sponsored by the North Carolina State Board of Charter Schools and open to all students in North Carolina who qualify to attend public schools, subject to available capacity. RISE Academy Charter School will admit all students, on a space-available basis, will not charge tuition, and will not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level, disabling condition, proficiency in the English language, athletic ability, or any other status or characteristic prohibited by state or federal law.

Re-enrolling students and their siblings (if any) are given first priority for the seats available for the following year. Pursuant to GS 115C-218.45 of the North Carolina General Assembly, the School will also give enrollment preference to the sibling(s) of students selected through the lottery; the children or grandchildren of faculty, staff, or governing board members of RISE Academy Charter School; siblings of current students at another RISE Academy Charter School; and students who previously attended RISE Academy Charter School.

At the conclusion of the Open Enrollment period, a random selection lottery shall be held for seats in any grade level where the number of openings available for the next school year is less than the number of applications received for that grade level during the Open Enrollment period, taking into consideration the enrollment priorities identified above. Students selected by lottery will be notified by email, phone, or mail.

A waiting list will be created once all available slots at a specific school and grade level have been filled (and the lotteries, if needed, have already taken place). A student's placement on the waiting list will be based on date/time of receipt of a complete application packet.

Incoming kindergartners must be 5 years old by Sept. 1 of the year that they are entering. We conditionally accept late birthdays (Sept. 1-Dec. 31) based on child's readiness to attend school. In order to assist the School with determining whether early enrollment into kindergarten is in the child's best interests, RISE Academy Charter School requires the child participate in Kindergarten Readiness Testing.

First graders must be age 6 by Sept. 1 of the year that they are enrolling. We conditionally accept late birthdays (Sept. 1-Dec. 31) based on child's readiness to attend school and whether admission is in the child's best interests.

Students accepted by lottery will be given a date and time for a school readiness assessment, usually in April. Students in first grade and higher are given a date and time for a placement assessment. These assessments help inform parents and the school of the student’s projected academic transition and potential needs.

Students may be asked to take a placement test to determine proper placement at an appropriate skill level. The placement test is not used to determine grade level nor for admission purposes. Previous school records, courses completed, and assessment placement tests are also used for proper academic placement.

RISE Academy Charter School require students to wear uniforms and uniform shirts are available to purchase in the front office or online through this website.

Once a seat is available RISE Academy Charter School notifies the student’s parents, at which point the parents have five business days to inform the school whether or not they would like to enroll. If they choose to enroll, a date for a transition assessment is set. If they decide not to continue or fail to respond, the name is removed, and the student must re-apply for future consideration.

RISE Academy Charter School will ensure that a homeless child or youth is able to enroll in school immediately regardless of their ability to provide the proper documentation for enrollment by following the requirements of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Please contact us at [email protected] to enroll your child.

If your family lives in a shelter, motel, campground, park, abandoned building, bus or train station, or some other inadequate accommodation doubled up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship, then your school-aged children may qualify for certain rights and protections under the federal McKinney-Vento Act.