Lottery NOW OPEN

Lottery FAQ
 

1. What is the lottery?

A lottery application must be completed and submitted to Peace Valley Charter for all students interested in attending Peace Valley Charter. Applications are submitted electronically via a Google Form. 

 

A charter school is a public school that must, as a condition of its charter, have an open enrollment policy. Charter schools have a cap or limit as to the number of students they can accept. If the number of applications to a charter school exceeds the capacity of the school, all applicants will have an equal chance of being admitted through a random selection process or lottery.

 

2. Who can apply for the lottery?

Any family who is interested in enrolling their child for the 2026-2027 school year. The State of Idaho requires that your child be 5 years old by September 1st of the year they start kindergarten (please refer to Idaho Code Statute 33-201). Proof of birth date is required prior to all enrollment. 

 

3. How can I apply?

Complete the Lottery Application Form 2026-2027 → for each child you wish to submit for the lottery.

 

4. What are the school boundaries?

A map of Peace Valley Charter’s boundaries can be found here.  This map is used to determine lottery priority and bus routes. (Please see question 6 for priority group.)

 

5. When is the lottery?

The Peace Valley Charter School lottery is open from January 7, 2026 to March 4, 2026. Names will be pulled for available seats on March 6, 2026. Offers will be sent out the following week.

 

6. Are there enrollment preferences / priority groups in the lottery?
Yes. If a grade has more applicants than available seats, students are placed into priority groups. Students are randomly selected from the highest priority group first, then the lottery proceeds to the next group until seats are filled.  
 

Our lottery follows Idaho Code Section 33-5206. The priority order is:

A. Children of Founding Families
B. Children of Staff and Siblings of Currently Enrolled Students

C. Children Within School Boundaries

D. Children Outside School Boundaries

 

7. What happens if a student is not selected in the lottery?

Students who are not selected in the lottery are automatically placed on the waitlist for their grade.
 

If a family has multiple children applying, and at least one child is officially enrolled for the upcoming school year, the school may apply sibling preference weight for the other siblings within the lottery priority order. Siblings do not skip the lottery and are not placed on a separate unlimited priority list.
 

When a seat becomes available, the school will contact the next eligible student on the waitlist in order of priority and random selection results.
 

Waitlists do not roll over automatically each year. To be considered for the next school year’s lottery, families must submit a new lottery application before the deadline.

 

8. Do returning families need to apply for the lottery?

No — returning students do not enter the lottery.
If a student was enrolled at our school during the current school year, they do not need to submit a lottery application again.
 

Returning families must complete the annual re-enrollment form in February to confirm their student's seat for the next school year.
 

However, if a returning family has a new child who has never been enrolled at our school before, that child must submit a lottery application and will be placed into the appropriate priority group. (Please see Q6 for priority group)

 

9. Is kindergarten full day or half day ?

Our Kindergarten program runs from 8:20 AM to 1:00 PM.
Drop-off window: 8:05–8:20 AM
Pick-up window: 1:00–1:15 PM
 

Our shorter Kindergarten day is intentional — designed to support a gentle transition into formal schooling, protect early childhood rhythms, and honor Waldorf principles of imagination, movement, play, and whole-child development.
 

We also understand that some families need extended childcare due to work and family schedules. For this reason, we offer optional aftercare programs for an additional fee, with flexible pick-up times based on the program selected.

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10. What childcare options does the school offer, and what are the fees?

We offer two optional childcare programs managed through Brightwheel:

Kindergarten Play Garden & Aftercare

​Information can be found here on both programs →​

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11. What are the arrival and dismissal times?

Arrival: 

• K–8: 8:05–8:20 AM
   

Dismissal:

• Kindergarten: 1:00 PM (pick up 1:00–1:15)

• 1–3 grade: 2:50 PM (pick up 2:50–3:05)

• 4–8 grade: 3:30 PM (pick up 3:30–3:45)

• Aftercare: optional, until 6:00 PM

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More school information can be found under Parent Resources →