Enrollment Policy

Our Enrollment Policy

AXIS International Academy Enrollment Policy
AXIS International Academy’s Enrollment Policy is consistent with and follows the requirements of section 22-30.5-507 (3) of the Charter School Act.

Anti-Discrimination Statement
Enrollment Eligibility
Enrollment Process and Timelines
Selection Process

Anti-Discrimination Statement
AXIS International Academy values diversity in all forms and seeks to make our school demographics reflect our community demographics. The AXIS outreach plan targets all segments of our community for recruiting students: social media, community partnerships, websites, printed materials, and public informational meetings. Language support is available in Spanish, Chinese, and French at www.axiscolorado.org and by calling our school (970) 658-4199. AXIS does not discriminate in its recruitment, marketing practices, or enrollment on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, national origin, religion, ancestry, sexual orientation, social economic status, disability or need for special education services C.R.S. 22-30.5-507(3).

Enrollment Eligibility
AXIS International Academy is a public school offering a free public education with a language immersion model. To be eligible to enroll at AXIS a child must be a Colorado resident and meet age requirements.
Residence: Enrollment in an institute (Colorado Charter School Institute) charter school shall be open to any child who resides within the state. Families shall provide proof of Colorado residency.

Age: Kindergarten students must meet a minimum age of 5 years by October 1. Students are eligible for first grade if they are a minimum age of 6 years by October 1. AXIS may approve enrollment of students eligible for Early Access in accordance with state law, please see AXIS Early Access Policy for more information.

Even if the child meets the residence and age requirements, the child may be ineligible for enrollment if they have been expelled from any school district during the preceding 12 months; if they fail to comply with the immunization or exemption requirements set forth in C.R.S. 25-4-901, et seq.; if the child’s behavior in another school district during the preceding 12 months that is detrimental to the welfare or safety of other pupils or of school personnel. C.R.S. 22-33-106(3).

There may be limited instances in which a student has a physical or mental disability so severe that, in accordance with CSI’s Enrollment Procedures for Students with Disabilities, the student’s IEP team determine that the student cannot reasonably benefit from the programs available, or where enrollment is denied because the student has a physical or mental disability or disease causing the attendance of the student to be inimical to the welfare of other pupils. C.R.S. 22-33-106(2).

AXIS does not accept new students after October Pupil Count Window closes, unless there is a spot available in the requested language and grade level. AXIS offers a full-time option and two part-time Home School options, please see our Home School program on our website.

Enrollment Timeline and Process

All eligible applicants for admission should apply to AXIS through the appropriate process, which includes the submission of an Initial Student Application (ISA). This online form is on our website www.AXIScolorado.org. Families can obtain a paper copy by emailing [email protected], calling the school (970)658-4199, or stopping by our school front office at 2130 W. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526. AXIS collects ISAs all year round.

ISAs expire at the end of the academic year and do NOT carry over from year to year. A new ISAs must be completed each school year to remain on waitlists, please see below.

Open enrollment begins at AXIS December 1 each year for the upcoming school year and continues on a first-come, first-served basis until spots are filled. Once spots are filled students are placed on a wait list. Please see more about the wait list below.

If on November 30, the number of ISAs are greater than the number of spots available in that specific grade level and/or partner language, a lottery will be held the second Tuesday of December for those spots. Families will be notified the first week of December if a lottery will be held for the spot for which they submitted an ISA. Please see below for additional lottery details.

Families will be asked to complete additional required enrollment paperwork once they are accepted.

Open Enrollment Wait Lists

Students who enroll during open enrollment after all spots are filled are placed on a wait list in order based on the date their ISA was submitted, unless the child falls into one of the categories below. These categories will have priority.

Staff/Founding Family Waitlist

Definition: Please see definition of staff and founding family below.

Sibling Waitlist

Definition: Siblings of enrolled students who were not granted enrollment due to lack of space at their grade-level.

Lottery or Wait List Notification

Once a student is accepted, either via lottery or from the wait list, AXIS will attempt to contact the family using the contact information provided on the ISA on the same day as the lottery or draw from wait list. If the family cannot be reached on the same day, AXIS will continue to attempt to contact the family for the next 72 hours. If the family cannot be reached during that time, they will forfeit their child/children’s enrollment and the child/children will be placed at the bottom of the wait list. Notification to families will be made in the preferred language or mode of communication indicated on the ISAs. Please remember it is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to provide AXIS with any updates regarding contact information.

Withdrawal Policy

Students withdrawing from the school will be asked to complete the withdrawal packet which includes a parent survey/questionnaire regarding reasons for withdrawal from the school, the contact information for the new school, and a release form so that AXIS can send any pertinent academic records and all legally required documents to the new school. General student fees are nonrefundable.

Transfer Policy

Parents of students transferring to AXIS after the start of the academic year will submit/sign transfer paperwork and be encouraged to meet with their child’s new teacher and/or the Head of School before or within the first week the child begins school where possible. Teachers will offer to meet with transfer parents within one week of the time they are informed by the office of a new transfer student being assigned to their class. These orientation meetings are important for building a relationship with the new parents/student, educating the parents about the nature of the program, and informing the teacher about the students' level and academic/social progress so that they can begin with high-quality, differentiated instruction from the first day the child enters the school. This meeting is encouraged, but is optional and will not be a barrier to enrollment. AXIS will request academic records from the student's previous school.

Scholarships and Supports Available to Attend AXIS

AXIS wants to ensure all students accepted can attend AXIS. We want to remove any barriers for families that may prevent children from attending after they are accepted and enrolled. Potential barriers may be financial: general student fees, uniform costs, food insecurity, transportation, or other. Students who qualify for free and reduced lunch will not be required to pay fees. The AXIS International Academy Board of Directors Social Justice Committee will also offer scholarships to families who may need additional financial assistance with items above to others, including those experiencing financial hardship that do not qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Support for Families Considering Entrance to AXIS in 3rd, 4th or 5th Grades

No accepted child will be denied enrollment at AXIS International Academy because of a low partner language level or lack of prior language experience. Our goal is bilingualism and biliteracy for all local children who desire it, yet we understand an immersion school setting could be potentially frustrating and overwhelming for some students with no experience in the partner language. We do want families to fully understand the educational choice they are making for their child. AXIS offers to meet with families of these students after acceptance and prior to enrollment to help families understand the immersion setting. We will administer a partner language screening assessment (not mandatory) and encourage the student and parent to attend classroom visits/observations for partner language immersion instruction (not mandatory). AXIS will discuss the assessment, visit, and other factors with the family.

Lottery*

As described above if more students submit ISAs to AXIS International Academy than can be admitted before December 1, a lottery will be conducted (20 USC 7221i(1)(H)). Our lottery is a computerized random selection process held in public at AXIS International Academy the second Tuesday of December. There will only be a lottery for grade levels where the number of applicants exceed the number of spots available. The lottery will begin with the highest-grade level and end with the lowest-grade level. Please see exemptions to the lottery below.

Exemptions from the Lottery – Siblings

Siblings of returning and/or accepted AXIS students will have priority enrollment and not have to be considered in the lottery. A sibling is defined to include any of the following who reside in the same household where the parent/guardian of the household has at least 50% custody: half siblings, step-siblings, adopted, and children residing in a family foster home. 

Exemptions from the Lottery- AXIS Staff, Founding Families, and Board Members

Up to 20% of eligible AXIS applicants can be given priority in the enrollment process if those students are children of AXIS founders, teachers, or staff.

An AXIS founding family is defined as a member who was a member of the AXIS Founding Committee, Founding Board, School Design Team and/or Advisory Council prior to August 1, 2018, and received a letter of confirmation stating this status; or who completed the Founding Families form on the AXIS website prior to September 1, 2018 and received a letter of confirmation stating this status.

An AXIS teacher or staff member is defined as teachers and staff regardless of full or part-time status or years of employment.

In years where AXIS is under the CCSP grant and in the case that more than 20% of the enrollment is staff/founding family children, preference will be given to number of years of service to the school. Staff/founding family children not given priority enrollment will be included in the enrollment lottery. Any staff/founding family child not selected in the general enrollment lottery will be placed on the staff/founding family wait list.

Exemptions from the Lottery- Returning Students

Beginning during the 2019-2020 school, returning AXIS students do not need to reapply each year. They must complete their Intent to Return form by the deadline set forth in the Enrollment Timeline.

Determining the Student’s Partner Language Class in the Lottery

Once all the slots are drawn in the lottery, then the student’s partner language placement will be determined. Partner language preference has no bearing on the results of the lottery. On the student’s Letter of Intent, the parent will indicate 1) which language(s) they speak at home and 2) a preference for each of the AXIS partner languages: first, second, and third. Using the same order students were drawn in the lottery, AXIS staff will first assign students to partner language classes based on which language they indicate they speak at home. Then AXIS staff will assign students in the order they were selected in the lottery based on identified partner language preference. Parents will receive notification of acceptance into AXIS and which partner language placement their child has received.

Kindergarten Lottery and Enrollment

For kindergarten enrollment, if ISAs are greater than spots available AXIS will conduct an early kindergarten lottery for kindergarten slots up to two years and seven months prior to the kindergarten start date, per the January 2014 CCSP Non-Regulatory Guidance. In alignment with the general AXIS lottery, up to 20% of the total slots will be allotted for staff and founding families, as described above. The remaining slots will be filled with siblings of currently enrolled AXIS students and the early kindergarten lottery. 10% of slots will remain open for families who are new to the community or may be uninformed of opportunity to select in advance. Priorities will be granted pursuant to the lottery exemptions listed above for siblings and founders/staff. AXIS will inform all prospective applicants they are not required to enroll in the AXIS preschool. Any child selected through the early kindergarten lottery would be guaranteed a slot in kindergarten later, whether or not (s)he enrolls in the tuition-based preschool program. Children applying for preschool will be automatically entered in the lottery for their respective Kindergarten year.

Enrollment Timeline

If on December 1 ISAs exceed the number of spots for a grade level a lottery is required. Below is the lottery timeline.

Date	Student Enrollment
December 1	Open Enrollment begins for new students
After December 1 and before first Tuesday of December	Families of new students notified, if lottery is necessary
Second Tuesday of December	Lottery, if necessary
Second Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of December	Notification of acceptance
Within in 72 hours or notification of acceptance	Parent decision due
Ongoing	Application waitlist/ rolling admission through October Pupil Count Window based on spots available
December 15	Intent to Return due for currently enrolled students

*Each year AXIS International Academy will plan to conduct its lottery before the Poudre School District conducts its School of Choice lottery, which is typically in mid-January.

Lottery Wait Lists

If there is a lottery and the child is not selected via lottery will be randomly placed on a waitlist based on the student’s randomly generated lottery number. Upon notification of admittance, families will have 72 hours upon verbal notification to accept the position. AXIS will attempt to contact the family for 72 hours. AXIS will monitor and maintain four waitlists: staff/founding family, sibling, enrollment, and future Kindergarten. Waitlists do not reset each year, but to remain on the waitlist year to year the parent must submit a new ISA during open enrollment each academic year.

As spots open up, students will be selected from these lists in the following order:

Staff/Founding Family Waitlist

Definition: Please see definition of staff and founding family above. 20% of slots are available for children of staff and founding families of AXIS.

Sibling Waitlist

Definition: Siblings of enrolled students who were not granted enrollment due to lack of space at their grade-level, listed in the order their enrolled sibling was drawn from the initial lottery.

Enrollment Waitlist

Definition: Students not granted enrollment in the initial lottery in the order they were drawn.

Future Kindergarten Waitlist

Definition: Students not selected for future Kindergarten in the order they were drawn.

Potential Weighted Lottery: English Language Learners and All Subgroups

If the AXIS student population does not have a solid English Language Learner population (30% or as determined by the BOD), the AXIS BOD may consider utilizing a weighted lottery, of 3 to 1, with the intention to increase the English Language Learner population.

AXIS is committed to having the school demographics reflect the community demographics. We envision AXIS will have a greater minority/ethnicity population and greater English Language Learner population. Over time, if any subgroup, our free and reduced lunch (FRL) population or students with special needs population or other category of underserved student falls far below the PSD average, the BOD may consider amending our enrollment policy by adding a weighted lottery for eligible students in these categories. We will partner with CSI for authorizer oversight in our enrollment process to ensure we are in compliance.

Ongoing Board Ownership over the Enrollment Policy

If at any point the BOD believes the enrollment policy is not benefitting students and AXIS International Academy at large, they should consider formally revisiting the policy. The BOD should consult with the attorney to ensure the Enrollment Policy is compliant with laws, regulations, and the CCSP grant (where applicable). It is possible that AXIS International Academy may be a grant recipient of grants that require AXIS to make procedural adjustments to the standard enrollment policy.

To view our complete Enrollment Policy, visit the Policies and Procedures section of our website here.