ENROLLMENT
Thank you for your interest in enrolling your child in Orlando Science Schools! Orlando Science School is a STEM-focused, tuition-free, public charter school serving grades K-12.
Orlando Science School was named the #1 Best Public High School in the Metro Orlando Area by U.S. News and World Report 4 years in a row and named the #1 Best Charter Middle & High School in Florida by Niche.
IMPORTANT: We have implemented an Online Application process that encompasses our entire school system. In this new format, you will see contact information for Orlando Science Charter School East Campus and also our other system schools of Orlando Science School, Seminole Science Charter School and Osceola Science Charter School. Please disregard the information for the other system schools if you are only interested in applying to Orlando Science School.
If, however, you are wanting to apply to more than one school in our system (e.g. Osceola Science AND Orlando Science) you may do so very easily by putting one as your First School of Choice and the other as your Second School of Choice within one Online Application. Your student will then be included in the Lottery Drawing/Waitlist for both of the selected schools according to the choice order submitted.
Click Below to apply for the CURRENT year 2024-2025 |
Click Below to apply for the NEXT year 2025-2026 (Application opens October 1st, 2024) |
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LOTTERY DRAWING
Applicants are welcome to view the Lottery Drawing though it is not required and will not influence the chance for enrollment.
Viewing Options:
VIRTUAL – The Lottery Drawing will be broadcast virtually. If you submitted an online application within the Online Application window shown above, you will be receiving a direct link to the Webinar via email. Please check your Spam/Junk folder if unable to locate in your main inbox. During the Lottery process, all applications submitted during the Open Application Window will have equal opportunity in the drawing. After capacity is reached, the Waitlist formed for each grade will be used to enroll any additional seats that come available.
An email will be sent to those selected during the Lottery within two weeks from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The email will contain instructions regarding the enrollment process. It is imperative the instructions are followed precisely.
Questions?
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (K-8)
AGE REQUIREMENT Incoming Kindergarten and Grade 1 students must meet the minimum age requirements as specified in Florida Statute.
RESIDENCY Students who currently reside in Orange County will be given priority. Applicants must provide verification of Orange County residency at the time of enrollment. Exceptions may be made for those in the process of relocating to Orange County on a case-by-case basis with the deadline to submit verification no later than one month following the Lottery Drawing.
Please refer to the Controlled Open Enrollment section below for more details.
ADMISSION POLICY The school is open to any student who is eligible to attend traditional Orange County Public Schools and submits a timely application. The school will admit students of any race, color, national origin, religion, or gender.
The deadlines for Open Enrollment, Online Applications, Lottery Date, and Open Houses will be publicly announced on the school website and available through the front office.
If the school receives more applications than the available spots, a lottery will be held.
As provided for in Florida’s Charter School Legislation, the school will give enrollment priority to the following student populations:
1. Students who are siblings of a student currently enrolled in the school, 2. Students who are the children of an employee or founding governing Board Member of the school, and 3. Students who are currently attending within the Orlando Science School System once they become Orange County residents (Seminole Science Charter School and Osceola Science Charter School)
If students in these categories exceed vacancies, a Lottery will be held.
Students with an active or pending expulsion on their record, an expulsion which occurred within the past 12 months, or an expulsion that occurs prior to the start of the application school year are not considered for enrollment at the school.
Failure to disclose an expulsion on a student’s application and/or enrollment form violates the Terms and Conditions of the form and will result in immediate dismissal of the application and/or withdrawal of the student.
If a student is offered enrollment, and they have an expulsion on record which occurred within the past 3 years, documentation of the expulsion will be required for review by the campus administration prior to finalizing the enrollment. Additional disciplinary documentation may also be requested to support the final enrollment determination.
RE-ENROLLMENT Once a student has gained admission to Orlando Science School, they are not required to complete Online Applications or Lottery procedures for each following year. Existing students receive a Re-Enrollment form on which they indicate whether they intend to return for the following school year.
Students who specify on their Re-Enrollment form that they intend to return will be saved a seat.
Students who withdraw from the school are required to reapply and go through the Lottery and Waitlist process to try and gain readmission. |
OPEN ENROLLMENT WINDOW & ONLINE APPLICATION
We are currently accepting applications for Kindergarten through 6th Grade for the 2024-2025 school year.
Online Applications received during the Open Application Window will be included in the Lottery Drawing. Online Applications submitted following the Open Application Window are still accepted and encouraged and will be added to the Waitlist as needed.
Duplicate entries are removed prior to the Lottery Drawing process ensuring each student only has one application being considered during the drawing.
Upon successful completion of the Online Application, you will receive an on-screen confirmation, as well as an email confirmation. You will also be able to revisit your account Dashboard at any time to view your submissions. If you do not receive confirmation, please check your Spam folder or try to resubmit using a different browser or device. A successfully submitted application will show under "Submitted Forms" in your PowerSchool Dashboard. No further communication will be sent until a spot comes available for your student.
Please Note: Online Applications remain valid only for the school year for which they were submitted. If your student is not drawn in the Lottery, or selected from the Waitlist, please remember to resubmit an Online Application for the following school year when it comes available in the Fall.
OPEN HOUSES Open Houses provide an opportunity for families to explore the campus, meet students and staff, and attend a presentation that will highlight up-to-date information regarding the school’s programs. Dates and times of upcoming Open Houses can be found in the graphic above. Links to any Virtual Open Houses will be shared directly via email.
K-8 Orlando Science Charter School - East Campus
TOURS Campus tours are included as part of the Open House events. Individual tours are only available to families whose students have been offered a seat during the enrollment process.
WAITLIST POLICY Students who are not drawn in the Lottery will remain on the Waitlist until the end of the applying school year. Any positions that open following the Lottery will be offered first to waiting Siblings then to students on the Standard Waitlist.
The number of students on the Waitlist varies from grade to grade and year to year based on the movement of existing students and capacity changes. A student’s Waitlist position can be monitored by visiting the snapcode link sent out within one week of the Lottery Drawing. The snapcode link is unique to each student and reflects the most up-to-date Waitlist information. The snapcode link for those applying outside the Online Application Window will be sent within one month of application submission.
SIBLING POLICY The Sibling Policy is strictly reserved for siblings. Extended family members, friends, etc. do not qualify for Sibling preference. The only exception is in instances of Educational or Legal Guardianship being awarded to the parent of an existing student for a student who is not a sibling.
Existing Students For students currently enrolled with Orlando Science School, should the family wish for another sibling to begin attending the school, they provide that information on the annual Re-Enrollment form and complete the Online Application for the new student. Open seats will be offered first to waiting siblings, then to students on the Standard Waitlist.
New Enrollees When submitting an Online Application, be certain to complete the application for all children within the same family from the same PowerSchool account. Also include the sibling details in each application in the appropriate Sibling section. By doing so, members of the same family will be linked in order to easily identify them for sibling priority should one or more be offered enrollment.
While we would like to enroll all siblings at the same time, it is sometimes not immediately possible due to capacity restrictions for each grade. |
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SEAT AVAILABILITY FOR 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR Below is the seat availability by grade level for the upcoming school year. The majority of the school’s vacancies are filled during the annual lottery drawing held each January. Additional openings may occur throughout the year. Interested families are encouraged to submit an Online Application, via the link at the top of the page, in order to have their student added to the Waitlist for any potential future openings and to be included in the lottery drawing. A new application is required each year.
Updates to the table are made every 12 weeks.
Updated: 9/25/2024 |
CONTROLLED OPEN ENROLLMENT The School has implemented a Controlled Open Enrollment Plan as of the 2017-2018 school year in compliance with State regulations. The school will allow a parent from any school district in the state, whose child is not subject to a current expulsion or suspension, to enroll his or her child in and transport his or her child to our school provided that we have not yet reached capacity, subject to the maximum class size which is mandated by the State of Florida. The school would be considered ‘not at capacity’ if all in-county applicants have been offered a spot but vacancies still remain. At that point, out-of-county applicants would be contacted.
Transportation service is not currently available.
Students who currently attend Orlando Science School and move out-of-county will have the option of remaining enrolled as Transfer students.
Transfers will remain in effect unless:
If any of these occur, the student will be withdrawn. |