ENROLLMENT INFORMATION
Thank you for your interest in East Link Academy Charter School!
We are proud of our accomplishments here and are excited to have you discover us.
Admission Policy Overview:
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As a public charter school in South Carolina, we are required to run a lottery to fill our seats. Applications will be accepted each year during an open enrollment period and continuously to maintain capacity in each grade level.
East Link Academy is committed to enrolling a diverse student population and acts in accordance with the South Carolina Statutes that forbid discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, gender, marital status, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. ELA will enroll any eligible student who submits a timely application unless the number of applications exceed the capacity of a class or grade level. In such cases, all applicants shall have an equal chance of being admitted through a Lottery. After the Lottery has ended, applications will be dated and times as they are received and filed by grade level.
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Enrollment: East Link Academy is a public charter school authorized by the Limestone Charter Association and is open to all South Carolina Residents. Students will be admitted without regard to race, religion, gender, creed, national origin, disability, ancestry, need for special education or itinerant services, or socioeconomic condition. Expelled students will not be admitted according to the policy of the LCA. Please complete one online enrollment application for each student you wish to be considered.
Lottery Enrollment: The lottery is held annually in March for the upcoming school year. The lottery process will only be used if the number of students applying exceeds the capacity for a particular grade. To be considered in the lottery, applications must be received between December 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024. The lottery, if needed, will be held on February 2, 2024. Lottery winners will be notified via email on or before February 5 with the enrollment packet attached.
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East Link Academy will continue to take applications after the lottery occurs for any remaining open seats. These applications are date and time stamped and placed in the order they are received and will be placed at the end of any applicable waiting list.
Pursuant to SC Charter School law, East Link Academy offers priority enrollment status to siblings of a student currently enrolled and attending, children of charter school employees and board members. Priority enrollment status does not guarantee any student admission to East Link Academy, as acceptance remains based on space availability in each applicable grade.
Waiting lists DO NOT carry over from year-to-year, and are only valid for the school year in which the student has applied. If a student is not accepted for the current school year, and remains on the waiting list, they will need to reapply for the following school year, whether it be during the lottery application period or after the lottery deadline, in order to be considered for acceptance for the following school year.
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School Tours: School tours will be held from 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. on Tuesdays (grades K to 4) or Thursdays (grades 5-8) beginning October 10, 2023 - Prospective Parents are strongly encouraged to attend a school tour to learn more about the language immersion program before entering the lottery. As a school of choice, our mission is to provide an English/Mandarin bilingual education for students that allows them to master both academics and Chinese language proficiency. This requires a committment from students and parents and a strong work/behavior ethic to achieve these goals.
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Tour spaces are limited, so reserve your spot today. You will be contacted to confirm your date. Please be sure to attend or let us know if your plans change so that we can contact other interested parents and plan accordingly for your visit. Note that pictures will not be allowed and young children should be supervised as you will be visiting classrooms.
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Please contact the school directly for enrollment for the current 2023-2024 school year.
registrar@eastlinkacademy.org
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