Applying to Lab
Charlotte Lab School is a tuition free public charter school which admits students through an open lottery system.
Our application and enrollment period has ended for the 2024-25 school year.
All availabe seats were allocated to students who are now enrolled at Lab.
Applications for the 2025-26 school year will open in November.
Please note, waitlist do not carry over. A new application will need to be submitted
each year you are interested in joining Lab.
Applications
Socioeconomic Diversity (SED) Preference Applicants
Families who qualify for, and wish to be considered for, our Socioeconomic Diversity (SED) Preference must complete an additional application form. A link to the SED Preference Application Form is included in your General Lottery application confirmation email from Lotterease. To apply, follow these steps:
- Lottery applications opened 10:00 am December 5, 2023 and closed 2:00 pm March 15, 2024.
- All applications received after the lottery close date will be added to our waitlist in the order they were received.
- We held our lottery on March 19, 2024 at 11:00am.
- All lottery applicants received an email notification of their status (seat offer or waitlisted) no later than 4:00pm Friday, March 22, 2024.
- For a Step-by-Step Guide to the application process click here.
- To check your application status click here for the Lotterease Parent Portal.
Socioeconomic Diversity (SED) Preference Applicants
Families who qualify for, and wish to be considered for, our Socioeconomic Diversity (SED) Preference must complete an additional application form. A link to the SED Preference Application Form is included in your General Lottery application confirmation email from Lotterease. To apply, follow these steps:
- Apply through the General lottery
- Receive application confirmation email
- Click on the emailed SED Preference Application link, complete, and submit.
- Contact [email protected] for more assistance.
General Lottery Information for 2024-2025 School Year
- Children who turn 5 years old on or before August 31, 2024 who live in NC, are eligible to apply to 2024-2025 lottery.
- Our application period for the 2023-2024 General Lottery opened December 6, 2022 at 10:00am, and closed March 23, 2023 at 4:00pm.
- Online applications are available at Charlotte Lab School website under Applying to Lab.
- All lottery applicants received an email notification of their status (seat offer or waitlisted) no later than close of school March 31, 2023.
- All applications received after the application period closed were added to the bottom of the waitlist in the order they were received.
- Waitlists do not carry over from one year to the next. Each year, we start fresh with new applications and new lotteries. Parents need to (re)apply each year they wish to be considered in the lottery.
- Only one (1) application per student per year is allowed. Multiple application submissions may result in exclusion from the lottery process.
- For more information, please contact Niya Menefee, Director of Admissions: [email protected] or call 704-464-3830.
Admissions and Enrollment Priorities
Sibling, Employee and Board Member (SEBM) Preference
- Charlotte Lab School offers a priority in our admissions process to children of full-time employees and to children of past and present Board Members, and to siblings of current Lab students.
- SEBM applicants will indicate their desire to be considered for the SEBM Preference on the general application form.
- SEBM applicants will receive first preference to available Lab seats during the enrollment process.
Socioeconomic Diversity (SED) Preference Lottery
- Charlotte Lab School is committed to being an economically diverse community and will allot a percentage of the total number of seats available at Lab for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds who qualify for the National School Lunch Program based on their families’ current income levels - link to guidelines
- Families interested in receiving this preference will indicate their desire on the general application, and will be required to complete an additional SED Application Form.
- SED Applicants will fill available SED seats through the general lottery process. SED applicants not placed through the SED Preference will be included as part of the general applicant pool to fill remaining general seats.
- For more information please see our Admissions and Enrollment Policies
Open House Information
- Click here to view our 2024-25 Open House Schedule. Sign ups will be available soon.
- PLEASE NOTE: We are unable to accommodate any requests for tours outside of our scheduled Open House events. Each spring, we will host tours during the school day for families admitted through the school lottery.
You may direct specific questions about student enrollment and admissions to our Admissions Office by calling 704-464-3830 or emailing [email protected].
Charlotte Lab School admits students of any race, color, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion and ability to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. Charlotte Lab School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, national or ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religion or disability in administration of its educational policies, admission policies, and other school programs.