Admissions Procedures

(Para aplicar, haga clic en la aplicación en la parte inferior de esta página.)

The Expedition School  is a tuition-free public charter school! We welcome all students and families residing in the state of North Carolina. Children entering kindergarten must be at least five years old on or before August 31 of the year they start school.

Application Timeline

October 14, 2013: Application period open.  Applications available online.

January 31, 2014, Midnight: Application deadline

February 8, 2014: Lottery Held, open to the public at the Hillsborough Public Library. Start time: 10am. Doors will open at 9:45am.

On or before February 14, 2014:  Acceptance letters mailed or e-mailed

On or before February 24, 2014: Acceptance confirmation deadline. 

Families may submit only ONE application for admission.  The application will include space to list all children in the family that wish to apply. 

There are 230 seats available for the 2014-15 school year.  A lottery will be held for any grade level that has more applicants than seats available. 

Number of Seats per grade level:

  • Kindergarten= 38
  • 1st= 38
  • 2nd= 38
  • 3rd= 38
  • 4th= 38
  • 5th= 22
  • 6th= 22

Applications must be submitted by midnight, January 31st, 2014.  Applicants submitting after the deadline will be eligible for any seats remaining after the lottery or will be placed on the wait-list.

Important Reminders:

  • If there are fewer applicants than slots available, all applicants will be admitted.
  • Accepted families who enroll in The Expedition School must read and agree to follow The Expedition School policies and procedures.
  • Students attending The Expedition School may live in any county in North Carolina and must reside in North Carolina at the time of application. 
  • All applicants must be able to prove NC domicile  (lease, utility bill, mortgage bill) at the time of enrollment.
  • The Expedition School does not provide transportation to and from school.
  • The Expedition School will send a confirmation to each student chosen through the lottery. This confirmation letter must be completed, signed and returned to the school by February 24th, 2014. This will be used to confirm your commitment to The Expedition School and release your student’s records from their current school. Failure to return your confirmation by the deadline will nullify your student's acceptance.
  • Students not admitted through the lottery will be placed on a wait list. Students will be kept on the wait list until the next application process begins for the next school year. If a spot becomes available we will contact students in order of their wait list number.
  • If a student does not get a space through the lottery/waiting list process, that student must re-apply to be considered the following year. However, current students do not have to re-apply year-to-year.
  • First day of School:  All applicants who enroll in the school must be present by at least 8:30AM on the first day of school to maintain their place in the school.  An enrollee that does not attend school by at least 8:30AM on the first day of school may forfeit their spot to the next student on the wait list for that grade.  The first day of school for the 2014-15 school year is August 4th.

Enrollment Policy

Click HERE to read the Enrollment Policy

Click HERE to read the Enrollment Policy addendum: Grade Placement

Lottery Details

The lottery will be a blind lottery open to the public. Applicants are invited to be present, but do not have to be present for the lottery in order to secure admission. Notice of the time and location of the lottery will be posted on the school’s website, Facebook page, and via a letter sent by US mail (for applicants who indicate need for mail only communication).

Children of the school’s initial board, the teachers and full-time TES staff receive priority placement.  

When a family's application is chosen during the lottery process, all children in the family will be admitted as space allows.  If a grade is already full and a sibling cannot enter, the sibling will be placed on the wait-list in the order of the drawing. Twins/multiples are entered as one “applicant” and will be admitted together if chosen and space is available for at least one.

Families are notified of lottery results via email or U.S. mail within one week and given one week to accept the space offered and submit an enrollment package.  TES will  maintain a waiting list for available spaces based on the lottery results. Families on the waiting list are offered spaces by telephone and/or e-mail and are given a time deadline to make a decision. 

Please use the link below to access the online application.  The application period opens October. 14th, 2013 and closes on January 31st, 2014.  Applicants applying later than January 31st, 2014 will be placed on the wait list for the grade they applied. 

APPLY FOR GRADES K-6 (Aplicar para los grados K-6)