Enrollment FAQs

2024-2025 School Year

January 22, 2024. All applications for school year 2023-2024 must be submitted through the Apply Philly Charter (applyphillycharter.org) by Monday, January 22, 2024 to be included in the lottery.

2023-2024 School Year

Applications are still being accepted for the 2023-24 school year through the Apply Philly Charter website. Please visit applyphillycharter.org. All applications received will be added to the post-lottery waitlist.

Yes. Only Philadelphia residents may enroll at a KIPP Philadelphia Public School.  All students must provide proof of Philadelphia residency as part of the enrollment process.

No. KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools are tuition-free, open-enrollment, college-preparatory public charter schools. There is no cost to families to attend.

Go to applyphillycharter.org on your phone, tablet or computer.

Yes. You will need to submit a separate application for each student.

2023-2024 School Year

All students must be five years old by September 1, 2023 to enroll in Kindergarten.

2024-2025 School Year

All students must be five years old by September 1, 2024 to enroll in Kindergarten.

You will receive a confirmation email from Apply Philly Charter.

If more applications are received than there are seats available, the school 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 is otherwise eligible to attend the school. The application window for enrollment for the 2023-2024 school year is September 23, 2023 through January 23, 2024.

The lottery for the 2024-2025 school year will be conducted on February 9, 2024.  The lottery will be conducted by the school on the Apply Philly Charter system.

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 random lottery number to highest. The lottery will then offer seats to applicants in the second, third, etc. priority groups in order of random 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 random lottery number second.

Yes, however, not all of the seven schools are subject to the same sibling preference policies. KIPP North Philadelphia Academy and KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy (KDCA) operate under their own separate charters.  KIPP Philadelphia Elementary School (KPEA) and KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy (KPPA) are under the same charter so they have sibling preferences.  KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Charter School (KWPP) and KIPP West Philadelphia Elementary Academy (KWPEA) are under the same charter so they have sibling preferences starting the 2020-21 school year.

Sibling preferences can only be applied to schools within the same charter, thus we cannot apply sibling preferences across the four charters.

If you are applying to KIPP Philadelphia Elementary School (KPEA) or KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy (KPPA):

A student applying to these two schools (KPEA and KPPA) who ALSO has a brother or sister currently attending one of these two schools WILL receive preference in KPEA’s or KPPA’ lottery.

Example #1:  Malcolm completes an application to attend Kindergarten at KPEA in school year 2024-2025. Malcolm has an older brother currently enrolled at KPPA in 5th grade during school year 2023-2024. Since Malcolm has a brother or sister currently attending KPEA or KPPA, he will receive preference in KPEA’s lottery.   

Example #2:  Marcus completes an application to attend 6th grade at KPPA in school year 2024-2025. Marcus has a sister currently attending 7th grade at KWPP.  Marcus will NOT receive preference in the KPPA lottery since KWPP is not included in the same sibling preference policy as KPPA.

If you are applying to KIPP West Philadelphia Elementary Academy  (KWPEA) or KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory Academy (KWPP):

A student applying to these two schools (KWPEA and KWPP) who ALSO has a brother or sister currently attending one of these two schools WILL receive preference in KWPEA’s or KWPP’s lottery.

Example #1:  Deaysia  completes an application to attend Kindergarten at KWPEA in school year 2024-2025. Deaysia has an older brother currently enrolled at KWPP in 5th grade during school year 2023-2024. Since Deaysia has a brother or sister currently attending KWPEA or KWPP, he will receive preference in KWPEA’s lottery.   

Example #2:  Marcus completes an application to attend 6th grade at KWPP in school year 2024-2025.  Marcus has a sister currently attending 7th grade at KNPA. Marcus will NOT receive preference in the KWPP lottery since KNPA  is not included in the same sibling preference policy as KWPP.

If you are applying to KIPP DuBois Collegiate Academy (KDCA):  

A student applying to KDCA ONLY receives preference if he or she has a brother or sister currently attending KDCA. Having a sibling currently enrolled at KPEA, KPPA, KWPEA, KNPA or KWPP will NOT increase a student’s position in the KDCA lottery.

Example #1:  Lila submits an application to attend 9th grade at KDCA in school year 2024-2025. Lila has an older sister currently enrolled at KDCA in 10th grade.  Since Lila has a brother or sister currently attending KDCA, she will receive preference in KDCA’s lottery.   

Example #2:  Brittany completes an application to attend 9th grade at KDCA in school year 2024-2025. She has a younger brother currently enrolled in 1st grade at KPEA.  Brittany will NOT receive preference in the KDCA lottery since KPEA is not included in the same sibling preference policy as KDCA. 

If you are applying to KIPP North Philadelphia Academy (KNPA):  

A student applying to KNPA ONLY receives preference if he or she has a brother or sister currently attending KNPA. Having a sibling currently enrolled at KPEA, KPPA, KWPP, KWPEA or KDCA will NOT increase a student’s position in the KNPA lottery.

Example #1:  Josh submits an application to attend Kindergarten at KNPA in school year 2024-2025. Josh has an older brother currently enrolled at KNPA. Since Josh has a brother currently attending KNPA, he will receive preference in KNPA’s lottery.   

Example #2:  Jayla completes an application to attend 1st grade at KNPA in school year 2024-2025. She has an older sister currently enrolled in 3rd grade at KPEA. Jayla will NOT receive preference in the KNPA lottery since KPEA is not included in the same sibling preference policy as KNPA. 

Yes. 

KIPP Dubois Collegiate Academy has zip code preference for 19131 and 19139.  Students living in these zip codes will be selected for KDCA seats ahead of students living in other areas of Philadelphia.

KIPP North Philadelphia Academy also has zip code preference for 19121 and 19132.  Students living in these zip codes will be selected for KNPA seats ahead of students living in other areas of Philadelphia.

KIPP Philadelphia Octavius Catto Academy has zip code preference for 19104, 19131, 19139, 19142, 19143, 19151, and 19153. Students living in these zip codes will be selected for KPOC seats ahead of students living in other areas of Philadelphia.

KIPP Philadelphia Preparatory Academy, KIPP Philadelphia Elementary Academy, KIPP West Philadelphia Preparatory and KIPP West Philadelphia Elementary Academy do not have zip code preference as part of their charter.

Sibling is defined as a biological or legally adopted brother or sister residing in the same household. Cousins, nieces, nephews and unrelated children sharing an address with the applicant are not considered siblings.

Students not selected during the Lottery are placed on a waitlist.   KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools will notify families in February of their waitlist position.   As seats become available, KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools will offer admission to waitlisted students in the order in which they were randomly assigned during the lottery process.

Spots become available when either 1) current students elect not to return or 2) students selected during the lottery process decline their position.  Students are often selected from the waitlist between March and August as positions become available.  For this reason, it is very important that we have accurate contact information for all waitlisted students.  If we contact you and are unable to reach you, we will move on to the next name on the waitlist.  Please make sure to contact your KIPP Philadelphia Public School if your telephone, email, or mailing address changes.

Yes. Your student’s waitlist number may increase (student moves down the list) if KIPP Philadelphia Public Schools (KPPS) receives applications after the lottery from students with siblings currently attending a KPPS school (please see question #10 for a description of our sibling preference policies).  Conversely, a student’s waitlist number may decrease (more likely to be accepted) as students listed above him/her enroll or withdraw from the waitlist.   We encourage families with students currently enrolled at a KIPP Philadelphia Public School to submit applications for any new siblings wishing to attend by the January deadline as there are few, if any, waitlist changes once the lottery is completed. Please contact your school directly for updated waitlist information.

Yes. Families are still encouraged to submit an application; however, your student will NOT be included in the February lottery. Applications received after the January deadline (assuming no sibling preference) will be added to the bottom of the waitlist in the order in which they were received. Please see question #2 above for additional deadline information.