Lottery Procedures and Policies
LEARNING COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL APPLICATION AND LOTTERY PROCEDURES
The Learning Community Charter School (“LCCS”) is chartered to serve Pre-K 3 through 8th grade. Pre-K 3-4 has three classes of 15 students each, K – 8th has three classes of 22 students each. The school is open to families living in Jersey City.
Applications for the 2025-2026 School Year
Enrollment applications will be available on October 1, 2024, online at www.lccsnj.org and must be submitted no later than 3:00 PM on Friday January 17, 2025. No exceptions. Applications received later will not be included in the lottery but will be placed at the end of the waiting list generated during the lottery on February 14th, 2025.
When applications are received, you will receive an automated confirmation email stating your application number. Please keep the email for your records.
Each application is numbered. The number on the application is assigned to your child. As completed applications are submitted, a list of all applicants for each grade with their assigned number is generated. The number is then placed onto a note card, which is put into the lottery drawing. Every single application submitted before the deadline is drawn in the lottery.
Lottery
The 2025-26 lottery will be held on Friday, February 14th, 2025 at 1:00 PM in the Learning Community Charter School library. The drawings are organized by grade starting with Pre-K 3 and are monitored by an independent third party. The lottery will be streamed live.
The Lottery determines who gets admitted for the spaces available, and, if not admitted in what order the placement will be on the waiting list. The results of the lottery will be available on the website on March 10th, 2025, listed by application number only, not by your child’s name. Acceptance letters will be sent out to accepted applicants only. As openings occur (mainly in the late summer, but throughout the school year), applicants from the waiting list will be called. Siblings of currently enrolled students receive priority, followed by non-sibling applicants in accordance with their position on the waiting list (See “Siblings” below). When messages have been left at all contact numbers and email has been sent to the email listed on the application, the applicant has 48 hours to accept or decline the spot. If there is no response or if they decline, they will lose their place on the list and the next child will be asked. After applicant has responded to acceptance offer, he/she will have 48 hours to submit required documentation. It is the responsibility of the applicant’s parent or guardian to make sure that all contact information on the application is current. Call (201) 332-0900 ext. 102 or email admission@lccsnj.org to report any changes. If an applicant family does not wish to send their child to Learning Community, we ask that you let the school know as soon as possible so their name can be withdrawn from the lottery and/or waiting list.
The waiting list will be used only for the school year drawn; an applicant who is on the list and not accepted must re-apply and re-enter the lottery for the following school year.
School Tours
LCCS also conducts Open Houses for the public; generally, one Saturday in November and December, and one weekday evening and one weekday morning. Please note that if you elect not to come to the open houses, we will not conduct private school tours later in the year.
Siblings
Siblings of currently enrolled students do receive enrollment preference. This is in accordance with the school’s charter and New Jersey Department of Education regulations. In the event the number of siblings of currently enrolled students exceeds the number of spots available, a separate sibling lottery will be held. Siblings must submit applications and they must be submitted by the due date. If space is available, siblings of currently enrolled students are automatically admitted to the school. If space is not available, siblings are automatically placed at the top of the waiting list. Please note that the number of siblings on any grades waiting list may increase in the months after the lottery if spaces open and the accepted student has siblings.
In the case where two or more siblings (with no siblings enrolled in the school) are applying for admission, and one sibling is admitted, the other sibling will be moved to the top of the appropriate grade wait list. Siblings of attending students currently on the 2024-2025 waiting list have admission preference over siblings of students that have been accepted for school year 2025-2026 but have not yet been enrolled. If for some reason a sibling is not accepted during the school year 2025-2026, a new application must be submitted every year until sibling gets accepted and enrolled.
Frequently asked questions:
My number was drawn at the lottery, and my child has been accepted into LCCS. What are the next steps?
You will be sent an acceptance letter and instructions on the paperwork that needs to be completed.
What if my child does not get admitted, and we are on the waiting list? If I really want my child to get in, should I call to check my status?
You will remain on a waiting list while spots are offered to the people admitted. Keep in mind that families frequently apply to more than one school, and they may not take the spot that is offered to them. If your child is on the waiting list, it does not mean that you will not be offered a spot at some point in the future. When there is a spot available, the next family on the waiting list will be contacted via phone and email. The school will contact families according to their child's order on the waiting list. Therefore, there is no need to call the school to check on your status or to articulate your desire for your child to attend our school. If you do call the school to ask about your status on the list, you will be told to check the results on the website, www.lccsnj.org.
Is there an interview process? Is there a tuition fee?
There is no interview process for admissions. Admission is 100% lottery based. LCCS is a public school, we do not charge tuition.
If someone is not at the lottery, how and when will they find out whether they were admitted or placed on a waitlist?
After the lottery, the results will be posted on the website, sorted numerically by the application number, (www.lccsnj.org, click on the admissions link located on the top). Letters will be sent out to accepted applicants only. Lottery results will not be given over the phone. Families who are on the waiting list will only be contacted if a space becomes available.
What happens to applications received after the deadline?
Applications received after the February lottery will get placed at the end of the waiting list that was generated in the lottery. A second lottery will not take place.
If I don't get in this year, do I need to re-apply for next year?
Yes. The New Jersey State Department of Education requires charter schools to eliminate all waiting lists and to conduct a lottery with new applications each year.
What if I have questions not answered here?
Check the website at www.lccsnj.org or call the school at 201-332-0900, ext. 102 and ask to speak to the Student Records Coordinator.