How to Enroll
Multicultural Academy Charter School
Enrollment Procedures for 2025-2026
In order to enroll your child at MACS, you must follow the steps below. To receive a copy of these procedures and related documents in a language other than English, please click on the link above. Si te gustaría una copia de estas instrucciones en español, por favor visite nuestro sitio web. .
By January 21, 2025, if MACS has received fewer applications than there are open seats available, all applicants will receive a letter by mail, asking them to submit the items listed in Step 3, below. All applications submitted after the January 21 deadline will then be processed on a first-come, first-served basis, and the applicants will receive an Acceptance Letter asking them to submit the items listed in Step 3.
- Proof of Residency: Acceptable documentation includes one of the following: a deed, a lease, current utility bill, current credit card bill, property tax bill, vehicle registration, driver’s license, or a DOT identification card
- Proof of Child’s Age: Acceptable documentation includes one of the following: birth certificate; notarized copy of birth certificate; baptismal certificate; copy of the record of baptism – notarized or duly certified and showing the date of birth; notarized statement from the parents or another relative indicating the date of birth; a valid passport; a prior school record indicating the date of birth
- Immunization Records: As required by law; acceptable documentation includes: either the child’s immunization record, a written statement from the former school district or from a medical office that the required immunizations have been administered, or that a required series is in progress, or verbal assurances from the former school district or a medical office that the required immunizations have been completed, with records to follow.
- Sworn Affidavit: Parent Registration Statement, required by law, this form will be mailed with the letter described in Step 3.
- Home Language Survey: As required by law, this form will be mailed with the letter described in Step 3.
All bolded items above can be submitted by mail, email, fax, or dropped off at the Main Office.
Our receipt of the required documents listed above will complete the enrollment process. We will immediately send you a congratulatory letter confirming our receipt of all necessary items.
Please Note: If your child receives Special Education Services or ESOL Services, once your child is accepted, we also request the following applicable documents before June 30, in order to appropriately roster him/her: IEP, ER, NOREP, ESOL documentation.
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MACS Lottery Process Description (through Apply Philly Charter website)
If more applications are received than there are seats available, MACS will hold a randomized lottery to determine which applicants are offered a seat for enrollment. All applications submitted within the application window will be referred into the lottery, assuming an application is not a duplicate submission and the student is eligible to attend the school. The application window for enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is September 20, 2024 through January 21, 2025.
The lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will be conducted on February 5, 2025. The lottery will be conducted by the school on the Apply Philly Charter system. Priority will be given to applicants in the following order:
- Sibling currently attending MACS or Sibling of MACS alumni or Sibling of applicant selected in lottery (MACS reserves the right to require families to provide birth certificates, marriage certificates, proof of legal guardianship, etc. to verify sibling status.)
- Lives in Philadelphia
- Lives outside Philadelphia, but in PA
Upon application submission, each applicant is automatically assigned a random lottery number. When the lottery is run, it will take the following into account: first, the priority group an applicant falls into, and, second, the applicant’s random lottery number. Seats will first be offered to applicants who fall into the first priority group in order of lowest randomly selected lottery number to highest. The lottery will then offer seats to applicants in the second priority group, (and third priority group if seats remain) in order of randomly selected lottery number, until the number of available seats has been exhausted. Applicants who were not offered a seat through the lottery will be waitlisted in order of their priority group first, and their randomly selected lottery number second.
Applicants who were offered a seat through the lottery will be notified on February 7, 2024 via email through Apply Philly Charter. Applicants will also be able to login to their Apply Philly Charter accounts on February 7 to view their application results. Applicants who were offered a seat through the lottery will have until February 21, 2025 to accept their seat offer on Apply Philly Charter by clicking “accept” in their Apply Philly Charter accounts.
If your child is later offered enrollment through our waitlist, the same paperwork described in Step 3, above, will be required. However, the turnaround time and deadline to submit this paperwork will differ, and your deadline dates will be specified in the letter and email that are sent to you:
- Offers made on February 7, 2025: You will have 2 weeks to submit the required paperwork in the manner described in Step 3, above.
- Offers made February 10-June 30, 2025: You will have 7 days to submit the required paperwork in the manner described in Step 3, above.
- Offers made on or after July 1, 2025: You will have 3 days to submit the required paperwork in the manner described in Step 3, above.
Exceptions to deadlines can be made if there is a language barrier; the parent must contact the office before the deadline to request an extension.
