Application and Lottery Information
The Seacoast Charter School is a public school for students in grades K–8. There is no tuition for grades K–8: Like other public schools, Seacoast Charter School is free for students who are New Hampshire residents.
PreK: $900 (full day M–F) due the 15th of each month beginning in August (first payment is actually paid in March of the previous year), and ending in May. There is a non-refundable deposit of one month’s tuition, plus a $100 registration fee due at time of enrollment to hold your child’s spot. Students in our preK program will have to apply for the lottery to enter kindergarten the following year, unless there is a currently enrolled sibling, then the sibling rule applies.
Kindergarten: Is funded fully by the state of New Hampshire, so there is no fee.
School visits: Parents of potential students should attend a Spotlight on Learning Tour.
Applications: Please apply online on our website here. Applications for the lottery will be accepted from October 1, 2024, until March 7, 2025. Applications for the waitlist will still be accepted after the deadline date. PreK is the only grade on a first-come, first-serve basis. All other grades are subject to the lottery for entrance.
Out of state students: Each out-of-state student who attends will pay tuition of $10,750 (2024–25 school year).
Lottery time and place: The lottery for the 2024–25 school year will be held Wednesday, March 26, 2025, at 10:00 am (school personnel only), in the office at the Seacoast Charter School (171 Watson Road, Dover, NH).
Lottery Guidelines/Process:
Intent to Return: In order to reserve a spot for the following year, all current students who will be continuing at the Seacoast Charter School must submit an “Intent to Return” form by Friday, February 3, 2025. If a student withdraws from SCS and subsequently wishes to return, the student will be considered a new student for admissions purposes and may be subject to the lottery, depending on vacancies.
Siblings of admitted students and children of employees: All siblings of admitted students and all children of employees of SCS who have completed applications by February 3, 2025, will be placed prior to holding the lottery. (If there are more students than there are places, a “sibling/staff lottery” will be held. These students’ names will be drawn and be placed on the waiting list in the order in which they are drawn.)
Applicants: All names of remaining students who have submitted completed applications will be entered into a random order generator. (Students who are applying with their siblings will have this information noted).
Drawing: As each name is drawn, the student will be admitted or placed on the waiting list, according to the criteria outlined above.
Admitted students: If a student meets the criteria outlined above, he or she is conditionally admitted to SCS. An acceptance phone call and e-mail will be sent within the next week.
Siblings of admitted students: When a student is admitted, the student’s siblings’ names are automatically drawn. If there is space, the siblings are admitted as well. If not, they will be placed on the waitlist.
Waitlisted students: If there is no longer space available, the student will be placed on the waitlist in the order that his or her name was drawn. If an opening occurs in a given grade, students on the waitlist will be contacted according to their order on the waitlist. Students on the waitlist who opt out of enrolling when space is available automatically surrender their spot on the list.
Students who apply to SCS after the lottery date will be conditionally admitted only if space is available and they meet the appropriate criteria outlined above. If space is not available, they will be placed on the waitlist in the order that their completed application is received. If a student’s application is received after the start of the school year, s/he will be admitted if there is space available. If there is no space available, the student will be placed on the waitlist. The student’s name will not, however, be carried over to the waitlist for the next school year. In order to be admitted for the following year, the student’s name must be entered into the lottery along with any other applicants by the deadline date outlined above. After the lottery, parents must notify the school of their intent to attend within 24 hours, and please be aware that in that 24 hours, there are no tours being offered. Attending one of our monthly spotlight tours is strong encouraged. Please email Kylee to sign up.
Students with Individual Education Plans: If accepted, parents of students who are on IEPs will need to set up a meeting with the sending school, SCS, and themselves to determine if SCS is the right placement for their child.
Entrance age policy:
A pupil may enter kindergarten if his or her chronological age will be five (5) on or before September 30 of the year of entering school. There are no exceptions to this rule.
A pupil may enter preK if his or her chronological age will be four (4) on or before September 30 of the year of entering school. There are no exceptions to this rule.
A birth certificate and proof of NH residency must be presented upon registration.
Incoming transfer students will be initially placed in accordance with the information forwarded by the sending district. Such placement is tentative and subject to reassignment by the Head of School.