12. Clear Student Enrollment and Lottery Procedures

Alabama law provides that charter schools are open to all students and that students must be selected by lottery if more students apply than a school can accommodate. It also includes anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.
It requires start-up charters to first enroll students who reside within the school system in which the school is located. If the number of local students wanting to enroll exceeds the facility's capacity, then the school shall conduct a random selection process to enroll students who reside in the local school system. If the school has additional capacity after admitting students from the local school system, then the school shall admit any students without regard to their residency by a random selection process.

It requires conversion charters to adopt and maintain a policy giving enrollment preference to students who reside within the former attendance zone of the public school. After all students who reside within the former attendance area of that public school are enrolled, enrollment shall first be opened to students residing within the local school system and then outside the local school system.

It requires a public charter school to give enrollment preference to students enrolled in the public charter school the previous school year and to siblings of students already enrolled in the public charter school.

It provides that a charter may give enrollment preference to children of a school’s founders, governing board members, and full-time employees, so long as they constitute no more than 10 percent of the school’s total student population.

Alaska law includes a small number of the model law’s provisions for clear student enrollment and lottery procedures. Alaska law requires charter schools to hold lotteries if too many students seek enrollment in the school.

Arizona law requires charter schools to be open to all students in the state.
Arizona law contains anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.
Arizona law requires charter schools to give enrollment preferences to pupils returning to the school and to siblings of such students. It does not require an enrollment preference for previously enrolled students within conversion charter schools.

Arizona law allows charter schools to give preference to children, grandchildren, or legal wards of employees of the school, employees of the charter holder, members of the governing body of the school, or directors, officers, partners, or board members of the charter holder and to a pupil who attended another charter school or are the siblings of that pupil if the charter school previously attended by the pupil has the identical charter holder, board, and governing board membership as the enrolling charter school or is managed by the same educational management organization, charter management organization, or educational service provider as determined by the charter authorizer.
Arizona law requires charter schools to use equitable selection processes such as a lottery if demand exceeds capacity.

Arkansas law requires open enrollment charter schools to be open to all students in the state and conversion charter schools to be open to all students in the district.
Arkansas law prohibits discrimination in admissions policy.

State law provides that prior year students who wish to continue in attendance at their open enrollment charter school do not have to go through the application and lottery process.

Arkansas law allows open enrollment schools to provide an enrollment preference for children of the founding members and children of full-time employees and teachers (although these cannot exceed 10% of the school’s enrollment) and siblings of children in the school. It does not require enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students within conversion charter schools.

It also allows a weighted lottery to be used when necessary to comply with legally required desegregation efforts.

Arkansas law requires charter schools to use a random anonymous student selection method if interest exceeds capacity.

California law requires charter schools to be open to all students in the state.
The law states a charter school shall not discriminate against any pupil on the basis of ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender expression, or disability.

California law requires enrollment preferences for conversions and students residing in the school district. It also requires enrollment preferences for prior year students within chartered schools.

California law specifically permits one optional enrollment preference: A charter school located in the attendance area of a district elementary school in which at least 50% of the enrollment qualifies for free and reduced price lunch may give preference to pupils currently enrolled in that school and to pupils who reside in the elementary school attendance area where the charter school is located.

California law also allows other preferences as permitted by the authorizer on an individual school basis and only if consistent with the law.
California law requires charter schools to use a public random drawing if demand exceeds capacity.

Colorado law requires public charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. However, it also provides that a prospective charter school may not execute a charter contract with a local district unless a majority of the proposed school’s pupils, other than online pupils, will reside in the chartering district or in contiguous districts.
The law provides that a charter school is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services.
Colorado law provides for charter schools to make enrollment decisions in a nondiscriminatory manner specified by the charter school applicant in the application and does not require the mandatory enrollment preferences specified in the model law. The law permits charter schools to negotiate optional enrollment preferences with their authorizer, but the only automatically permitted optional preference is for founders’ children.
The law provides that a charter school must admit students through a publicly verifiable selection process that is either random in nature or first-come-first-served.

Connecticut law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. It also notes that admissions cannot discriminate on the basis of disability, athletic performance or proficiency in the English language. The law allows charter schools to give preference to siblings.
It also requires charters to determine enrollment by lottery. The law allows the governing council of a state or local charter school to apply to the state board of education for a waiver of the requirements of the enrollment lottery, provided such state or local charter school has as its primary purpose the establishment of education programs designed to serve one or more of the following populations:  students with a history of behavioral and social difficulties; students identified as requiring special education; students who are English language learners; or students of a single gender.

The law also provides that an enrollment lottery shall not be held for a local charter school that is established at a school that is among the schools with a percentage equal to or less than five percent when all schools are ranked highest to lowest in school performance index scores. 

Delaware law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. It prohibits discrimination based on race, creed, color, sex, handicap, or national origin.
Delaware law allows, but does not require, charter schools to give preferences in student admissions to siblings of students currently enrolled at the school, to students attending an existing public school converted to charter status, and to children of a school's founders, so long as they constitute no more than 5% of the school's total student population.

Delaware law allows start-up charters to give the following types of preferences in student admissions as long as the school has described its preferences in the school's charter: students residing within a five-mile radius of the school; students residing within the regular school district in which the school is located; students who have a specific interest in the school's teaching methods, philosophy, or educational focus; students who are at risk of academic failure; and children of persons employed on a permanent basis for at least 30 hours per week during the school year by the charter school.
Delaware law requires charter schools to conduct a lottery in the case of over-enrollment.

The law requires charter schools to be open to any student in DC.According to the law, a public charter school may not limit enrollment on the basis of a student’s race, color, religion, national origin, language spoken, intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or status as a student with special needs. Public charter schools must also comply with the anti-discrimination requirements of the DC Human Rights Act. Also, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq.), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) all apply to a public charter school.
The law only requires enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students in a DCPS school that converts to a public charter school at the time the petition was granted, siblings of enrolled students, and students who reside within attendance boundaries.
The law allows a charter school to give preference to children of the school’s founders, so long as the enrollment of founders’ children is limited to 10% of total enrollment or 20 students, whichever is less; siblings of a student already selected for admission or already attending; and children of employees provided that the enrollment of children of employees is limited to 10% of total enrollment or 20 students.
If a charter school is oversubscribed, the law requires them to select its students by random lottery.

Beginning in 2017-18, Florida law requires each district and charter school to adopt a controlled open enrollment plan that allows a student to enroll in any public school in the state that has not reached capacity. Each charter school governing board shall determine capacity based upon its charter contract.

Florida’s law contains anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.
Florida law provides that conversions must give enrollment preference to students who would have otherwise attended that public school. It also provides that any charter school must give first preference for admission to dependent children of active-duty military personnel. It does not require them to provide enrollment preferences for prior year students within chartered schools.

Florida law provides that charter schools may give enrollment preference to students who are siblings of a student enrolled in the charter school, students who are the children of a member of the governing board of the charter school, students who are the children of an employee of the charter school, students who are children of a business partner with the school, students who are children of a resident of a municipality that operates a charter school-in-a-municipality,students who have successfully completed, during the previous year, a voluntary prekindergarten education program under ss. 1002.51-1002.79 provided by the charter school, the charter school’s governing board, or a voluntary prekindergarten provider that has a written agreement with the governing board, and students who are the children of active-duty members of any branch of the armed forces.

Florida law provides that a charter school may limit the enrollment process only to target the following student populations: students within specific age groups or grade levels; students considered at risk of dropping out of school or academic failure (such students include exceptional education students); students enrolling in a charter school-in-the-workplace or charter school-in-a-municipality; students residing within a reasonable distance of the charter school; students who meet reasonable academic, artistic, or other eligibility standards established by the charter school and included in the charter school application and charter or, in the case of existing charter schools, standards that are consistent with the school's mission and purpose; students articulating from one charter school to another pursuant to an articulation agreement between the charter schools that has been approved by the authorizer; and students living in a development in which a developer, including any affiliated business entity or charitable foundation, contributes to the formation, acquisition, construction, or operation of one or more charter schools or charter school facilities and related property in an amount equal to or having a total appraised value of at least $5 million to be used as charter schools to mitigate the educational impact created by the development of new residential dwelling units, with students living in the development entitled to 50 percent of the student stations in the charter schools.

Florida law requires charter schools to admit students via a random selection process when the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building.

Georgia law provides that charter schools must be open to any student residing in the district or covered in an inter-district agreement.Georgia law prohibits charter schools from discriminating on any basis that would be illegal if used by a school system.

Georgia law provides that a district-authorized start-up charter school may give enrollment preference to a sibling of a student enrolled in the school, a sibling of a student enrolled in another local school designated in the charter, a student whose parent or guardian is a member of the governing board of the charter school or is a full-time teacher, professional, or other employee at the charter school, students matriculating from a local school designated in the charter, and a sibling of a nonresident student currently enrolled in the charter school.

Georgia law provides that a district-authorized conversion charter school may give enrollment preference to a sibling of a student enrolled in the school or in any school in a high school cluster, a student whose parent or guardian is a member of the governing board of the charter school or is a full-time teacher, professional, or other employee at the charter school, students who were enrolled in the local school prior to its becoming a charter school, students who reside in the charter attendance zone specified in the charter, and a sibling of a nonresident student currently enrolled in the charter school.

Georgia law provides that a state chartered special school may give enrollment preference to a sibling of a student enrolled in the state chartered special school, a sibling of a student enrolled in another local school designated in the charter, a student whose parent or guardian is a member of the governing board of the state chartered special school or is a full-time teacher, professional, or other employee at the state chartered special school, students matriculating from a local school designated in the charter, and children who matriculate from a pre-kindergarten program which is associated with the state chartered special school, including but not limited to, programs which share common facilities or campuses with the school or programs which have established a partnership or cooperative efforts with the school.
Georgia law provides that charter schools may provide educationally disadvantaged students an increased chance of admission through a weighted lottery if permitted by the school’s charter.
Georgia law requires charter schools to admit students via a random selection process when the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building.

Hawaii law requires start-up charter schools (but not conversion charter schools) to provide open enrollment to any student residing in the state who is entitled to attend a department school.
The law provides that charter schools are not exempt from the state’s discriminatory practices statutes.
The law allows start-up charter schools to give enrollment preferences for prior year students within chartered schools and siblings of enrolled students enrolled at a charter school.
The law requires conversion charter schools to enroll any student who resides within the school’s former geographic service area for the grades that were in place when the public school converted to a charter school. It also requires conversion charter schools to be subject to the enrollment requirements for start-up charter schools for grades that were not in place when the school converted to a public charter school.
Hawaii law provides that a student who is currently enrolled in a charter school that has been notified of the prospect of revocation or is closing shall be given first priority to enroll at another charter school to which the student applies or placed at the top of the waitlist for enrollment.
Hawaii law provides that a start-up charter school may give enrollment preference through a weighted lottery to educationally disadvantaged students.
The law requires start-up charter schools (but not conversion charter schools) to select students through a public lottery if capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who have submitted a timely application.

Idaho law provides that charter schools are open to any student in the state.The law includes anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.
The law allows but does not require enrollment preferences for students returning to a charter school, siblings of enrolled students, to pupils seeking to transfer from another Idaho public charter school at which they have been enrolled for at least one year provided that this admission preference shall be subject to an existing written agreement for such preference between the subject charter schools, and students living in the charter school’s attendance area. The law allows enrollment preference for founders’ children, up to 10% of school capacity.
The law requires a lottery or other random method to select students if a charter school is oversubscribed.

Legislation enacted in 2020 now allows charter schools to conduct a weighted student enrollment lottery, giving additional weight in their student enrollment lottery to English language learners, students who are homeless or in foster care, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students, or those that are at-risk students.

Illinois law does not require charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. It does indicate that charter schools are subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, martial status, or need for special education services.
Illinois law requires charter schools to give priority in admissions to siblings of pupils enrolled in the charter school and to pupils enrolled in the school the previous school year, unless expelled for cause. It does not require them to have an enrollment preference for previously enrolled students within conversions.

Illinois law allows charter schools to give priority to pupils residing within the charter school's attendance boundary in Chicago, if the Chicago school board has designated a boundary. The law allows the Chicago school board to designate attendance boundaries for no more than one-third of the charter schools permitted in the city if it determines that attendance boundaries are needed to relieve overcrowding or to better serve low-income and at-risk students.

It also allows a charter school located in a school district that contains all or part of a federal military base to set aside up to 33% of its current charter enrollment to students with parents assigned to the federal military base, with the remaining 67% subject to the general enrollment and lottery requirements. It also provides that if a student with a parent assigned to the federal military base withdraws from the charter school during the course of a school year for reasons other than grade promotion, those students with parents assigned to the federal military base shall have preference in filling the vacancy.

Illinois law requires that if there are more applicants than spaces, charter schools must choose students by lottery.

Indiana law requires all charter schools to be open to any student who resides in Indiana.
According to the law, a charter school is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability, race, color, gender, national origin, religion, and ancestry.

Indiana law provides that charters may have enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students at conversions, students enrolled at a charter school the previous year, students enrolled at a different charter school held by the same organizer, siblings of students enrolled at a charter school, preschool students who attend a Level 3 or Level 4 Paths to QUALITY program preschool to attend kindergarten at a charter school if the charter school and the preschool provider have entered into an agreement to share services or facilities, and each student who qualified for free or reduced price lunch under the national school lunch program if the preference is specifically provided for in the charter school’s charter and is approved by the authorizer. The law also allows charter schools to provide enrollment preference for children of a school’s founders, governing board members, and employees, not exceeding 10% of the school’s total student population. The law also permits charter schools to provide an enrollment preference for siblings of a student alumnus.
The law allows a student who attends a charter school co-located with another charter school to receive preference to admission to the charter school if the preference is specifically provided for in the charter school's charter and is approved by the charter school's authorizer.

Indiana law stipulates that if more applications are received than available slots, then each applicant will receive equal consideration. The law also provides that an organizer must determine which of the applicants will be admitted to the charter school or the program, class, grade level, or building by random drawing in a public meeting, with each timely applicant limited to one entry in the drawing. However, the organizer of a charter school located in a county with a consolidated city shall determine which of the applicants will be admitted to the charter school or the program, class, grade level, or building by using a publicly verifiable random selection process.

The law provides that charter schools provide open enrolment to any student in the state.
The law provides that charter schools meet all applicable federal, state, and local health and safety requirements and laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, ancestry, or disability.
The law provides that enrollment priority shall be given to the siblings of students enrolled in a charter school.
The law provides that a charter school shall enroll an eligible student who submits a timely application unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building. In this case, students must be accepted by lot.

Kansas law requires that pupils in attendance at a charter school must be reasonably reflective of the racial and socio-economic composition of the school district as a whole.
Kansas law requires charter schools to hold lotteries if too many students seek enrolment in the school.

Depending on the type of charter, some restrictions on the enrollment area exist.
Louisiana law includes anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.
For each type of charter school except Types 3B and 5, state law specifies the minimum and/or maximum percentage of at-risk pupils that shall attend each type of charter school.
The law provides that previously enrolled students in conversion schools and students previously enrolled at a charter school and their siblings are exempt from the lottery.
Louisiana law permits a charter school to create admission requirements, which may include specific requirements related to a school’s mission such as auditions for schools with a performing arts mission or proficiency in a foreign language for schools with a language immersion mission. This provision does not apply to Types 3B and 5 charter schools.
All types of charter schools except Type 2 charters may also include enrollment preferences for students residing within geographic boundaries immediately surrounding each school, although Type 5 schools cannot have more than 50% of such students in each grade. Type 2 charters may establish residency requirements to include all students living within the state or as restricted to a particular parish or parishes.
Law also permits enrollment preferences of up to 50% of the enrollment for dependent children of permanent employees of a corporate partner.
For the process of enrolling students for the 2013-2014 school year, state board rule requires the state department of education to manage a pilot program wherein the department shall allow an enrollment preference for those students matriculating or transferring into ninth grade or above between eligible state board-authorized charter schools for a limited percentage of the seats in the charter school, to be determined by the department.
Louisiana law requires charter schools to use an admissions lottery if the total number of eligible applicants exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or school.

Maine law provides that charter schools are open to any state resident as well as to residents outside of the state if space is available. According to the law, a public charter school may not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, income level, disabling condition, proficiency in the English language or academic or athletic ability, except that nothing in the law may be construed to limit the formation of a public charter school that is dedicated to focusing education services on at-risk pupils, students with disabilities, and students who pose such severe disciplinary problems that they warrant a specific education program.
The law requires that enrollment preferences must be provided to previously enrolled students within conversions, prior year students within chartered schools, and siblings of students enrolled at a charter school. The law allows schools to give preferences to the children of charter school founders, board members, and full-time staff, not exceeding 10% of the school’s total student population.
Maine law provides that if capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who wish to attend the school, the public charter school must select students through a random selection process.

Maryland law requires charter schools to be open to all students on a space-available basis.
According to Maryland law, a charter school is subject to federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination.
Maryland law allows a public charter school to give priority to the sibling of a student admitted through the lottery process or a currently enrolled student for any spaces in the school that become available throughout the school year.
Maryland law provides that a county board may grant a waiver from lottery requirements to a converted public charter school that provides guaranteed placement to students who live within the geographic attendance area established by the county board, is a low-performing school as identified by the county board, is above the county average rate for the percentage of students who are eligible for free and reduced price meals, and meets a strategic need of the local school system, as identified in the county board’s public charter school policy that shall include serving a high-need population, increasing student performance, increasing enrollment, or increasing student diversity.
Maryland law allows the state board of education to grant a waiver to a public charter school from the requirement to be open to all students on a space-available basis if the school is located on a property within a federal military base in the state and will admit students with parents who are not assigned to the base to at least 35% of its total available space as part of its initial cohort of students. If a public charter school is granted such a waiver, state law still requires it to admit all students on a lottery basis and to take reasonable steps to maintain the 35% to 65% ratio intended as part of the initial cohort of students in a grade.
Maryland law allows a public charter school to give greater weight to a student’s lottery status if the student is eligible for free or reduced price meals, is a student with disabilities, is a student with limited English proficiency, is homeless, or is a sibling of a student currently enrolled in the public charter school for which the sibling is applying.
Maryland law allows a public charter school to create a geographic attendance area with a median income that is equal to or less than the median income of the county for the school. Such a public charter school may provide guaranteed placement through a lottery to students who live within the geographic attendance area for up to 35% of the available space of the school (with the possibility of more under certain circumstances).
Maryland law allows a public charter school to provide guaranteed placement to up to 35% of the available space of the school to students who attended a public charter school during the previous school year that is operated by the same operator. A public charter school qualifies for this provision if the operator operates two or more public charter schools in the county and, when combined, the charters operated by the operator form an integrated multiyear academic program.
Maryland law requires charter schools to admit students on a lottery basis if more students apply than can be accommodated

Massachusetts law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. However, the law provides that preference for enrollment in a commonwealth charter school must be given to students who reside in the city or town in which the charter school is located or the region the school serves if it is chartered to be regional.
According to the law, charter schools cannot discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or academic achievement.

The law provides that preference must be given to prior year students within chartered schools and siblings of students currently attending the charter school.

The law provides that priority for enrollment in a Horace Mann charter school must be given first to students actually enrolled in said school on the date that the application is filed with the state board of education and to their siblings and second to other students actually enrolled in the public schools of the district where the Horace Mann charter school is to be located and third to other resident students.

Massachusetts law requires charter schools to hold lotteries if too many students seek enrollment in the school.

Michigan law requires charter schools to be open to all students within the state.
Michigan law provides that charter schools cannot discriminate on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, status as a student with a disability, or any other basis that would be illegal if used by a school district.

Michigan law provides that students enrolled in a charter school the previous year must be given enrollment preferences for future years. It also allows charter schools to give enrollment priority to siblings of existing students and to children of employees and board members.

Michigan law requires that if a charter school receives more applications than space available, then a random selection process must occur.

Minnesota law requires charter schools to be open to all in the state.According to the law, a charter school may not limit admission to pupils on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, or athletic ability and may not establish any criteria or requirements for admission that are inconsistent with state law.

Minnesota law provides that enrollment preferences must be given to siblings of enrolled pupils and any foster children of enrolled pupil’s parents. While the law does not explicitly provide enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students within conversions and prior year students within chartered schools, once a student is enrolled in a school in Minnesota, the law provides that they are enrolled as students until they are withdrawn.
Minnesota law allows charter schools to give preference for children of the school’s staff. The law allows a charter school to give an enrollment preference to children currently enrolled in the school’s free preschool or prekindergarten program who are eligible to enroll in kindergarten in the next school year. It also requires that a charter school located in Duluth Township of St. Louis County give an enrollment preference to students residing within a five-mile radius of the school and to the siblings of enrolled children.
Minnesota law requires a random selection lottery process to be used if interest exceeds capacity.

The law provides that charter schools must be open to any student residing in the geographical boundaries of the school district in which the charter school is located and any student who resides in the geographical boundaries of a school district that was rated "C," "D" or "F" at the time the charter school was approved by the authorizer board or who resides in the geographical boundaries of a school district rated "C," or "D" or "F" at the time the student enrolls.
The law provides anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.

It requires enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students within conversions, prior year students within chartered schools, and siblings of enrolled students enrolled at a charter school.
The law also requires that the underserved student composition of a charter school's enrollment collectively must reflect that of students of all ages attending the school district in which the charter school is located, to be defined as being at least 80% of that population. If the underserved student composition of an applicant's or charter school's enrollment is less than 80% of the enrollment of students of all ages in the school district in which the charter school is located, despite the school's best efforts, the law provides that the state authorizer must consider the applicant's or charter school's recruitment efforts and the underserved student composition of the applicant pool in determining whether the applicant or charter school is operating in a nondiscriminatory manner. It provides that a finding by the state authorizer that a charter school is operating in a discriminatory manner justifies the revocation of a charter. The law requires a charter school to give an enrollment preference to underserved children to ensure the charter school meets its required underserved student composition.
The law allows schools to provide an enrollment preference for children of a school’s founders, governing board members, and full-time employees, not exceeding 10% of the school’s total student population.
The law requires that students must be selected by lottery if more students apply than a school can accommodate.

According to Missouri law, a charter school shall enroll:
• All pupils resident in the district in which it operates;
• Nonresident pupils eligible to attend a district's school under an urban voluntary transfer program;
• Nonresident students currently enrolled in an unaccredited school district.
• In the case of a charter school whose mission includes student drop-out prevention or recovery, any nonresident pupil from the same or an adjacent county who resides in a residential care facility, a transitional living group home, or an independent living program whose last school of enrollment is in the school district where the charter school is established, who submits a timely application; and
• In the case of a workplace charter school, any student eligible whose parent is employed in the business district, who submits a timely application, unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building. The configuration of a business district shall be set forth in the charter and shall not be construed to create an undue advantage for a single employer or small number of employers.

Missouri law provides that a charter school shall not limit admission based on race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, income level, proficiency in the English language or athletic ability.

Missouri law provides that a charter school may establish a geographical area around the school whose residents will receive a preference for enrolling in the school, provided that such preferences do not result in the establishment of racially or socioeconomically isolated schools and provided such preferences conform to policies and guidelines established by the state board of education. It allows a charter school to give a preference for admission of children whose siblings attend the school or whose parents are employed at the school. The law allows charter schools to give a preference for admission to high-risk students, as defined in state law, when the school targets these students through its proposed mission, curriculum, teaching methods, and services. Missouri law provides that a charter school may give a preference for admission to students who will be eligible for the free and reduced-price lunch program in the upcoming school year

Missouri law requires that charter schools follow an admission process that ensures students an equal chance of admission.

Nevada law requires public charter schools to be open to any student in the state that wishes to enroll. If a charter school is sponsored by a local school board of a school district located in a county whose population is 100,000 or more, the law requires the charter school to enroll pupils who are eligible for enrollment who reside in the school district in which the charter school is located before enrolling pupils who reside outside the school district, except for a program of distance education provided by the charter school.
Nevada’s law includes anti-discrimination provisions regarding admissions.

Nevada law provides that before a charter school enrolls pupils who are eligible for enrollment, a charter school may enroll a child who is a sibling of a pupil who is currently enrolled in the charter school, was enrolled, free of charge, and on the basis of a lottery system in a prekindergarten program at the charter school or any other early childhood education program affiliated with the charter school, is a child of a person who is employed by the charter school, who is a member of the committee to form the school, who is a member of the governing body of the school, or who resides on or is employed on the federal military installation if the charter school is located on a federal military installation, is enrolled in a charter school that has an articulation agreement approved by the authorizer, is in a particular category of at-risk pupils and the child meets the eligibility for enrollment prescribed by the charter school for that particular category, is enrolled in a public school of a school district with an enrollment that is more than 25 percent over the public school’s intended capacity and is located within two miles of the charter school, is enrolled in a public school that received an annual rating established as one of the two lowest ratings possible indicating underperformance of the public school in the immediately preceding school year and is located within two miles of the charter school, or resides within the school district and within two miles of the charter school if the charter school is located in an area that the authorizer of the charter school determines includes a high percentage of children who are at risk. If space is available after the charter school enrolls such pupils, the law allows a charter school to enroll children who reside outside the school district but within two miles of the charter school if the charter school is located within an area that the authorizer determines includes a high percentage of children who are at risk.

The law provides that any pupil who was enrolled in a school before conversion to a charter school must be enrolled in the charter school unless the parent or guardian of the pupil submits written notice that the pupil will not continue to be enrolled at the school.

Nevada law also states that If the local school board of the school district in which the charter school is located has established zones of attendance, the charter school must, if practicable, ensure that the racial composition of pupils enrolled in the charter school does not differ by more than 10% from the racial composition of pupils who attend public schools in the zone in which the charter school is located.

The law requires a charter school that is restarted to enroll a pupil who was enrolled in the charter school before the school was restarted before any other eligible pupil is enrolled.

Nevada law requires that in a county in which more than five charter schools are located and the total number of pupils enrolled in the charter schools exceeds 25 percent of the combined enrollment of all public schools, including, without limitation, charter schools, the state department of education shall, in consultation with all authorizers of charter schools in the county, determine whether holding a weighted lottery for admission to charter schools would improve diversity in charter schools that do not have a preference for at-risk pupils. If the department determines that a weighted lottery for admission to charter schools would improve diversity in such charter schools, the department shall, to the extent authorized by federal law, adopt regulations authorizing charter schools to establish a weighted lottery.

Nevada law requires that in a county in which more than ten charter schools are located and the total number of pupils enrolled in charter schools exceeds 50 percent of the combined enrollment of all public schools, including, without limitation, charter schools, the department shall, in consultation with all authorizers of charter schools in the county:

* Adopt regulations establishing a uniform enrollment calendar and process for enrolling pupils applicable to all charter schools in the county. The regulations must establish a lottery for admission to each charter school in the county. If a charter school does not have a preference for at-risk pupils, the lottery must, to the extent authorized by federal law, be a weighted lottery.
* Allow the board of trustees of the school district to provide input regarding the enrollment calendar, processes for enrolling pupils, and lotteries established.

Nevada law requires charter schools to hold lotteries if too many students seek enrolment in the school.

New Hampshire law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. However, it also provides that students who are a resident of the district where the school is located must be given admission preference over a nonresident pupil.
New Hampshire law provides that a charter school shall not discriminate nor violate individual civil rights in any manner prohibited by law and shall not discriminate against any child with a disability.

New Hampshire law requires that students in conversion schools be given preference in such schools and that prior year students within chartered schools be given preference.

Regulations require a charter application to describe the preferential status, if any, of children of the founding members of the charter school.

New Hampshire law requires a lottery to be used if interest exceeds capacity.

New Jersey law provides that charter schools must provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
New Jersey law requires that a charter school shall not discriminate in its admission policies or practices on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, status as a handicapped person, proficiency in the English language, or any other basis that would be illegal if used by a school district.
The law and regulations provide a mandatory preference for students from the local district and returning students enrolled in the previous school year. They also provide an optional preference for siblings of enrolled students.

Under New Jersey law, admissions policies of New Jersey charter schools must, to the maximum extent practicable, seek enrollment of a cross section of the community’s school age population, including racial and academic factors.
The law requires that a lottery must be held if applications exceed available seats. Regulations allow schools to request using weighted lotteries that favor educationally disadvantaged students in an effort to better represent a cross-section of the community’s school-age population.

New Mexico law provides that charter schools must provide open enrollment to any student in the state.

According to the law, a charter school shall be subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, physical or mental handicap, serious medical condition, race, creed, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, spousal affiliation, national origin, religion, ancestry or need for special education services.

New Mexico law provides that charter schools must give enrollment preference to students who have been admitted to the charter school through an appropriate admission process and remain in attendance through subsequent grades and siblings of students already admitted to or attending the same charter school. The law also requires each charter school to provide an enrollment preference to children of that school’s employees.

New Mexico law provides that charters may either enroll students on a first-come, first-served basis or through a lottery selection process if the total number of applicants exceeds the number of spaces available at the school.

New York law requires that charter school admissions be open to students statewide and that the state department of education develop a uniform student enrollment application. It provides that a charter school may not discriminate on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, gender, national origin, religion, or ancestry. New York law requires charter schools to provide enrollment preferences to pupils returning to the charter school in the second or any subsequent year of operation, pupils residing in the school district in which the charter school is located, and siblings of pupils already enrolled in the charter school. Students from conversions are treated as returning students with preferences as well. In New York City, the district preference applies to the community school district in which the school is located.

New York law allows a charter school to have a preference for students deemed “at risk of academic failure” (which a charter school can define as English language learners and students with disabilities) and students of a single gender.
New York law requires charter schools to meet or exceed enrollment and retention targets for students with disabilities, English language learners, and students eligible for Free- or Reduced-Price Lunch as prescribed by the Board of Regents or the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, as applicable.
New York law also provides that preference may be provided to children of employees of the charter school or charter management organization, provided that such children of employees may constitute no more than fifteen percent of the charter school's total enrollment.
New York law requires that charter schools conduct a lottery if applications exceed available seats and that the state department of education regulate these lottery processes.

North Carolina law requires charters to provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
The law notes that schools cannot limit admission on the basis of intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, athletic ability, disability, race, creed, national origin, religion, or ancestry.

North Carolina law provides that conversion charter schools must give preference in the admissions process to students who reside within the former attendance area of that school.

It also specifies that within one year after a charter school begins operation, the charter school must make efforts for the population of the school to reasonably reflect the racial and ethnic composition of the general population residing in the local school administrative unit in which the school is located or the racial and ethnic composition of the special population that the school seeks to serve residing in the local school administrative unit in which the school is located. The law subjects a charter school to any court ordered desegregation plan in effect for the local school administrative unit.

The law allows a charter school to give enrollment priority to siblings of currently enrolled students who were admitted to the charter school in a previous year or the current year, siblings of students who have completed the highest grade level offered by that school and who were enrolled in at least four grade levels offered by the charter school or, if less than four grades are offered, in the maximum number of grades offered by the charter school, a student who was enrolled in the charter school within the two previous school years but left the school to participate in an academic study abroad program or a competitive admission residential program or because of the vocational opportunities of the student’s parent, and a student enrolled in another charter school the previous year, a student who was enrolled in another charter school in the state in the previous school year that does not offer the student’s next grade level and both of the charter schools have an enrollment articulation agreement to accept students or are governed by the same board of directors, and domiciliaries of the municipality (if the charter school is operated by a municipality). It also allows a charter school to give enrollment priority to children of the school's full-time employees or those working full-time in the school (including those employed by a charter or educational management organization) and to children of the charter school's board of directors – so long as these children are limited to no more than fifteen percent of the school’s total enrollment unless a waiver is granted by the state board of education.

If a procedure for a weighted lottery reflecting the mission of the school has been approved by the state board of education as part of the charter and a lottery is needed at the school, the law allows a charter to use a weighted lottery.

North Carolina law requires charter schools to hold lotteries if too many students seek enrollment in the school.

Ohio law allows charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
It prohibits discrimination in the admission of students to the school on the basis of race, creed, color, disability, or sex (unless it has been approved as a single-gender school or a school specializing in students with certain disabilities).
Ohio law requires charter schools to give preference to students attending the school the previous year and to students who reside in the school district in which the school is located.

Ohio law allows a charter school to give preference to siblings of students attending the school the previous year.
It also allows a charter school to limit admissions to students defined in their contract as “at risk,” residents of a specific geographic area within the district as defined in their contract, or separate groups of autistic and non-disabled students.
Ohio law requires charter schools to admit students by lot if the number of applicants exceeds the capacity of the school's programs, classes, grade levels, or facilities.

Oklahoma law provides that charter schools must provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
According to the law, a charter school shall not limit admission based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, income level, disabling condition, proficiency in the English language, and measures of achievement, aptitude, or athletic ability.

The law provides that a charter school shall admit students who reside in the attendance area of a school or in a school district that is under a court order of desegregation or that is a party to an agreement with the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights directed towards mediating alleged or proven racial discrimination unless notice is received from the resident school district that admission of the student would violate the court order or agreement.

Oklahoma law requires a charter school to give enrollment preference to eligible students who reside within the boundaries of the school district in which the charter school is located. For schools created in 2010 or later, this required preference includes students who meet this criteria and attend a school on the state’s school improvement list.

Oklahoma law allows a charter school to designate a specific geographic area within the school district in which the charter school is located as an academic enterprise zone and may limit admissions to students who reside within that area (an academic enterprise zone is a geographic area in which 60% or more of the children who reside in the area qualify for the free or reduced school lunch program).

Oklahoma law requires charter schools to select students through a lottery selection process if capacity is insufficient to enroll all eligible students.

Conversion schools are only open to those in the district, and as space allows to nonresidents.
The law requires all charter schools to comply with state and federal anti-discrimination laws. The law provides that a public charter school may not limit student enrollment based on gender identity. The law provides that “historically underserved students” can be defined as students who are at risk because of gender identity.
The law indicates that a preference for prior-year students may occur, but it is not required. The law is also silent on conversion school preferences.
For non-virtual charter schools, the law gives charter school enrollment preference to students residing in the district where the charter school is or will be located. If the number of applications from resident students exceeds the school’s capacity, the law requires an equitable lottery to select students. If space permits, non-resident students may enroll.
The law states that if more than 3% of students residing in a district are enrolled in virtual charter schools not sponsored by that district, any additional resident students must receive approval from the district before enrolling in a virtual charter school. The law provides for a state appeal if the district does not give approval in such cases.
The law allows limited enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students in conversions and, after a new-start school’s first year, for prior-year students and for siblings.
The law provides that a public charter school may give priority for admission to students who reside within the attendance boundaries that were in effect at the time a school district closed a non-chartered public school if the public charter school began to operate not more than two years after the non- chartered public school was closed, the school district that closed the non-chartered public school is the sponsor of the public charter school, the public charter school is physically located within the attendance boundaries of the closed non-chartered public school, and the school district board, through board action, approved the public charter school giving priority.
The law allows a public charter school to implement a weighted lottery that favors historically underserved students.
The law allows a public charter school to give priority for admission to students who were enrolled in a public preschool or prekindergarten program operated by the public charter school or students who are at risk because the student has an economic or academic disadvantage that requires special services or assistance, including students who are from economically disadvantaged families, are identified as having special educational needs, are limited in proficiency in the English language, are at risk of dropping out of high school, or do not meet minimum standards of academic proficiency.

Pennsylvania law requires charter schools to be open to all students in the state, but requires them to give first preference to students who reside in the sponsoring school district or districts. The law states that a charter school shall not unlawfully discriminate in admissions, hiring or operation.
Pennsylvania law requires charter schools to select students on a random basis if more students apply than are slots available.

Pennsylvania law allows charter schools to give preference to siblings of students presently enrolled in the school. It also allows charter schools to give preference to a child whose parent was an active participant in the development of the school.

Rhode Island law provides that charter schools are open to any student in the state.
Rhode Island law requires charter schools to comply with the state’s anti-discrimination laws.

Rhode Island law requires that the combined percentage of free or reduced lunch students, special education students and limited English proficiency students enrolled at a charter school must at least equal the combined percentage for the district as a whole.

Regulations indicate that schools are allowed to exempt siblings as well as students of teachers and school founders from participation in the lottery (as long as it is not more than 10% of enrollment).

Rhode Island law requires charter schools to conduct a lottery if the total number of students who are eligible to attend and apply to a charter school is greater than the number of spaces available.

South Carolina law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state. However, it also provides that a charter school must give priority to in-district children versus out-of-district children and that the out-of-district enrollment must not exceed twenty percent of the total enrollment of the charter school without the approval of the authorizer and the sending local school board.The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education.
South Carolina law requires that the racial composition of the charter school enrollment reflect that of the local school district in which the charter school is located or that of the targeted student population of the local school district that the charter school proposes to serve, defined as differing by no more than twenty percent from that population.

South Carolina law requires a converted school to give priority in enrollment to students enrolled in the school at the time of conversion and students who reside within the former attendance area of that public school thereafter. It also requires a charter school to give enrollment preference to students enrolled in the school the previous school year and states that an enrollment preference for returning students excludes those students from entering into a lottery.

The law allows a charter school to give enrollment priority to a sibling of a pupil currently enrolled and attending or who within the last six years attended the school for at least one complete academic year. The law also allows a charter school to give enrollment priority to children of a charter school employee and children of the charter committee, provided their enrollment does not constitute more than twenty percent of the enrollment of the charter school.
It also allows a charter school located on a federal military installation or base where the appropriate authorities have made buildings, facilities, and grounds on the installation or base available for use by the charter school as its principal location to give enrollment priority to otherwise eligible students who are dependents of military personnel living in military housing on the base or installation or who are currently stationed at the base or installation, not to exceed fifty percent of the total enrollment of the charter school.
Under South Carolina law, a lottery is required if applications exceed available seats.

A public charter school is subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, national origin, religion, ancestry or need for special education services.According to Tennessee law, if applications exceed the planned capacity of the public charter school, the charter school shall select students through a lottery. The law requires schools to give the following preferences in the following order: students that attended the charter school the year before, students enrolled in a pre-K program operated by the charter school, students attending a charter school that has an approved articulation agreement with the enrolling public charter school, siblings of enrolled students, students from a group of focus if the school is an approved focus school, students residing within the LEA in which the public charter school is located who were enrolled in another public school during the previous year, and students residing outside the LEA in which the public charter school is located. For conversion schools, preference must be given to students who reside within the former attendance area of that public school.
The law allows charters to give preference to the children of a teacher, sponsor or member of the governing body of the charter school, not to exceed 10% of total enrollment or 25 students, whichever is less.

Texas law allows charter schools to be open to any student in the state. However, charter schools must designate in their charter applications the geographic area from which potential students will be enrolled. Students who reside in the school’s pre-approved geographic area must be permitted to attend the tuition-free charter school provided that positions are available. Texas law permits charter schools to deny admission to any student who has a documented history of a criminal offense, a juvenile court adjudication, or discipline problems that fall under Chapter 37 of the Education Code.
The law prohibits discrimination in admission policy on the basis of sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, academic, artistic, or athletic ability, or the district the child would otherwise attend.

The law requires a district-authorized charter to give admission priority on the basis of geographic and residency considerations. The law allows a district-authorized charter to give secondary consideration in its eligibility criteria for admission to a student's age, grade level, or academic credentials in general or in a specific area, as necessary for the type of program offered. It also allows open-enrollment charter schools that specialize in one or more performing arts to require an applicant to audition for admission to the school.

Through administrative rule, charter schools must follow the federal non-regulatory guidance that allows them to provide a lottery exemption to siblings of students enrolled and to children of a school’s founders and employees so long as the total number of students allowed under this exemption constitutes only a small percentage of the school’s total enrollment. Texas law exempts children of municipal employees from the lottery of a municipal open-enrollment charter school so long as it’s a small percentage of the total student population.

Texas law provides on receipt of more acceptable applications for admission than available positions in open-enrollment charters, the school must fill the available positions by lottery or fill the available positions in the order in which applications received before the application deadline were received. The law is not applicable to district-authorized charters.

Utah law requires that charter schools be open to all resident students in the state. The law notes that a charter school may not discriminate in the charter school’s admission policies or practices on the same basis as other public schools may not discriminate in admission policies and practices.

The law requires enrollment preference for previously enrolled students within conversions.

The law allows the following optional enrollment preferences: child or grandchild of an individual who has actively participated in the development of the charter school, a sibling of an individual who was previously or is presently enrolled in the charter school, a child of an employee of the charter school, a student matriculating between charter schools offering similar programs that are governed by the same charter school governing board, a student matriculating from one charter school to another pursuant to a matriculation agreement between the charter schools that is approved by the state charter school board, and a student who resides within a two-mile radius of the charter school and whose school of residence is at capacity, for a child of a military servicemember, and for those who left for COVID-19-related issues and want to return.
The law provides that a charter school whose mission is to enhance learning opportunities for refugees or children of refugee families may give an enrollment preference to refugees or children of refugee families. It also provides that a charter school whose mission is to enhance learning opportunities for English language learners may give an enrollment preference to English language learners.
The law provides that a charter school may weight the charter school’s lottery to give a slightly better chance of admission to educationally disadvantaged students, including low-income students, students with disabilities, English language learners, neglected or delinquent students, and homeless students.
The law provides that a charter school that is approved by the state board of education after May 13, 2014 and is located in a high growth area (i.e., an area of the state where school enrollment is significantly increasing or projected to significantly increase) must give an enrollment preference to a student who resides within a two-mile radius of the school.
The law requires that if a school is oversubscribed, the school must select students on a random basis.

According to the law, no public charter school shall discriminate against any individual on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services or any other unlawful basis, and each public charter school shall be subject to any court- ordered desegregation plan in effect for the school division. The law also provides that no public charter school shall discriminate against any student on the basis of limited proficiency in English and that each public charter school shall provide students who have limited proficiency in English with appropriate services designed to teach such students English and the general curriculum, consistent with federal civil rights laws. Virginia law requires a conversion charter school to give students who attend the school and the siblings of such students the opportunity to enroll in advance of the lottery process.
Virginia law requires that enrollment in a public charter school is to be conducted via a lottery process on a space available basis.

Washington law provides that charter schools are open to all students. Schools must comply with all nondiscrimination laws applicable to school districts. The law notes that a lottery is used only if capacity is insufficient to enroll all students who apply to a charter school. Prior-year students do not apply or re-apply to a school each year and thus do not participate in the lottery and so would not need a preference. These students remain enrolled from year to year.
The law requires all charter schools to give enrollment preference to siblings of already enrolled students and allows weighted preferences for at-risk students and children of full-time employees.
Washington law provides that students must be selected by lottery if more students apply than a school can accommodate.

West Virginia law provides that public charter schools are open for enrollment to all students of appropriate grade level age.

West Virginia law provides that public charter schools may not discriminate against any person on any basis which would be unlawful for non-charter public schools in the school district.

West Virginia law provides that a public charter school may establish any one or more of the following enrollment preferences for: children who reside within the school’s primary recruitment area; students enrolled in the public charter school the previous school year and siblings of students already enrolled in the public charter school; children with special needs, including, but not limited to, at-risk students, English language learners, students with severe disciplinary problems at a non-charter public school, or students involved with the juvenile justice system; and children of governing board members and full-time employees of the school as long as the number of students enrolled under this preference constitute no more than five percent of the school’s total student enrollment.

According to West Virginia law, a start-up public charter school shall enroll all students who apply and to whom an enrollment preference has been established. If the school has excess capacity after enrolling these students, the school shall enroll all other students who apply. If the remaining applicants exceed the enrollment capacity of the program, class, grade level or building of the public charter school, the public charter school shall select students for enrollment from among all remaining applicants by a random selection lottery. The school’s lottery procedures and timelines support equal and open access for all students and take place in an open meeting.

According to West Virginia law, a conversion public charter school shall guarantee enrollment to all students who were previously enrolled in the non-charter public school and shall adopt and maintain a policy that gives enrollment preference to students who reside within the attendance area as established prior to the conversion of the school. If the school has excess capacity after enrolling these students and all others to whom an enrollment preference has been given, the school shall enroll all other students who apply. If the remaining applicants exceed the enrollment capacity of the program, class, grade level or building of a public charter school, the public charter school shall select students for enrollment from among all remaining applicants by a random selection lottery. The school’s lottery procedures and timelines support equal and open access for all students and take place in an open meeting.

According to West Virginia law, a program conversion public charter school shall enroll all students who apply for enrollment in the program who, at the time of authorization, are enrolled in the non-charter public school at which the program is operated. A program conversion public charter school shall adopt and maintain a policy that gives enrollment preference to students who are enrolled in the non-charter public school at which the program is operated. If the school has excess capacity after enrolling these students, the school shall enroll all other students who apply. If the remaining applicants exceed the enrollment capacity of the program, class, grade level or building of a public charter school, the public charter school shall select students for enrollment from among all remaining applicants by a random selection lottery. The school’s lottery procedures and timelines support equal and open access for all students and take place in an open meeting.

Wisconsin law allows charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
Wisconsin law provides that a charter school governing board may not discriminate in admission or deny participation in any program or activity on the basis of a person's sex, race, religion, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, marital or parental status, sexual orientation or physical, mental, emotional or learning disability.

Wisconsin law requires enrollment preferences for previously enrolled students within conversions, prior year students within chartered schools, and siblings of students enrolled at a charter school.
Wisconsin law provides that a charter school may give preference in enrollment to the children of the charter school’s founders, governing board members, and full−time employees, but the total number of such children given preference may constitute no more than 10 percent of the charter school’s total enrollment.
Wisconsin law requires that charter contracts require that if the capacity of the charter school is insufficient to accept all pupils who apply, the charter school shall accept pupils at random.

Wyoming law requires charter schools to provide open enrollment to any student in the state.
According to the law, a charter school shall be subject to all federal and state laws and constitutional provisions prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry or need for special education services, enrollment decisions shall be made in a nondiscriminatory manner specified by the charter school applicant in the charter school application, and enrollment decisions shall not discriminate against at-risk students or special program students.
The law states that a charter school specializing in at-risk or special education students may give a preference in enrollment to those students. It also states that a charter school sponsored jointly or separately by the Eastern Shoshone or the Northern Arapaho Indian Tribes my give preference to a student who is a member or eligible for membership in an Indian tribe.
If the number of applicants for enrollment exceeds the available seats, the charter school shall hold a blind lottery to determine enrollment. Students enrolled in the previous year shall be guaranteed a seat, and applicants with a sibling enrolled in the charter school shall receive a preference.