Foundation Academies is Trenton’s premier K-12 free public charter school.
Join us in building bright futures for Trenton’s children
Enrollment at FA
FA is a public charter school open to all scholars. The random lottery process ensures that scholars are selected without regard to academic ability, gender, race, religion, national origin, household income, or disability/special needs of the students or the parents/guardians. Priority is given to Trenton residents and siblings of currently enrolled scholars.
The lottery for Kindergarten, 6th, and 9th-grade admissions for the 2026-27 school year was held on February 18, 2026, at 3 PM. The lottery results are available below.
Apply to enroll your scholar today
and join us in building bright futures
for Trenton’s children.
Apply to enroll your scholar today
and join us in building bright futures
for Trenton’s children.
Apply to enroll your scholar today
and join us in building bright futures
for Trenton’s children.
How to Apply
-
To be eligible for the random admissions lottery held annually in March, your online application must be completed and submitted by the application deadline.
For 2026-27, applications open November 12, 2025. The deadline to submit an application is January 23, 2026.
Our Admissions Lottery will be held shortly after applications close. If our staff needs more information about your application, they will contact you using the information listed. Please make sure your application has the correct phone number and email address.
-
New students, students currently on the FA Wait List AND siblings of current students must complete and submit the online Application by January 23, 2026. Applications are available in both EN and ES. Begin the application by following the instructions to create or login to a Schoolmint account. This account is how you will learn results of the admissions lottery and where your child ranks on the Wait List. Please provide all the information requested. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL BE DISCARDED. Submit ONE application per child. Submitting more applications DOES NOT increase the chances of enrollment. DUPLICATE APPLICATIONS WILL BE DISCARDED.
-
Before the admissions lottery, FA will confirm what seats are available in each grade for the upcoming school year. FA typically has about 140 open seats for new kindergarten students each year. Other applicants usually are placed on a Wait List until a space becomes available. If space is available in your requested grade, FA will provide information about watching the computerized, random admissions lottery event.
Our 2026-27 admissions event, featuring the automated randomized lottery, will be held live on the FA youtube channel. Viewing the lottery is not mandatory and has no effect on your child’s application.
-
If no space is available in your requested grade, FA will place your child on a WAIT LIST. You will NOT hear from FA but you can learn your child’s position on the Wait List any time after February 12, 2026 by logging into your SchoolMint account. Any applications received throughout the year after the admissions lottery deadline are placed on the Wait List, behind those who applied by the deadline in the order received.
-
If FA is able to admit your child for the 2026-27 school year, our staff will contact you. Please be sure your contact information is accurate on your application. You will ONLY be notified if FA has space to accept your child for the 2026-27 school year. If your child was selected in the admissions lottery, FA will provide an enrollment packet and discuss how to complete the process. NOTE: Submitting an application DOES NOT ENROLL your child at FA. You must provide required information BY THE DEADLINES LISTED IN THE ENROLLMENT PACKET for your child to be enrolled at FA for the 2026-27 school year.
-
Selection in the lottery does not automatically guarantee enrollment as a Foundation Academies scholar. To officially enroll, families MUST submit the completed enrollment packet by the deadline listed on the enrollment letter, before classes begin in August 2026. Foundation Academies staff will assist families with the process and documents required to finalize enrollment. NOTE: If your information is not submitted on time, your child’s space may be given to another applicant on the Wait List.
FAQs
-
No. Current FA scholars are automatically re-enrolled for the upcoming school year. We are asking families to submit an Intent to Return form by the deadline to help FA determine whether any grades will have openings.
-
FA students can live anywhere in New Jersey. Trenton residents and siblings of currently enrolled scholars get priority for admission. If spaces remain after all eligible Trenton students are admitted, applicants living outside our city selected by lottery, may be admitted.
-
Yes! You must submit a separate application for EACH child.
-
Yes. For admission to our Elementary School, your child MUST be at least 5 years old by October 1. For admission to Foundation Academy Collegiate, students must be under the age of 20, per the State of New Jersey’s maximum age for public school enrollment.
-
No. Families must apply for each sibling of a current FA scholar. Siblings are given preference in the lottery, so if space is available in the sibling’s requested grade, the sibling is automatically admitted. However, if there are more sibling applicants than available spaces, the siblings are given priority on the Wait List. Siblings are children who live in the same household as the current Foundation Academies student.
-
No. Only ONE application per student will be accepted. Duplicate applications for the same student will be discarded.
-
No. The wait list DOES NOT roll over. You must SUBMIT A NEW APPLICATION for the school year for EACH CHILD you wish to enroll.
-
Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we receive, FA staff cannot respond to every applicant.
You would ONLY be notified IF spaces are available for your child’s grade level and provided information about the lottery.
If you have not been notified, it is likely FA has no space in your requested grade and your child has been placed on the Wait List.
-
If your child is placed on the Wait List, we will let you know if space becomes available at any time during the year.
When a space becomes available, FA staff will contact families on the Wait List in the order their applications were drawn during the admissions lottery. Should you be contacted, it is important that you respond QUICKLY – so please ensure we have your most up-to-date contact information.
If you fail to respond, the space becomes available to the next child on the wait list.
-
Beginning the day after the admissions lottery, you may log into your SchoolMint account to see your child’s position on the waiting list.
-
No. Bus transportation eligibility is determined by the Trenton Board of Education. If your child lives more than 2 miles from our West State Street facility or more than 2.5 miles from our Grand Street facility, you may apply for bus transportation. Detailed application information will be provided during the enrollment process.
-
Yes. All families will receive information about applying online for free or reduced priced lunches. Families must apply online, and will be notified of acceptance into the program within approximately 7-10 days. Even if your child qualified for free/reduced lunches last year, you need to reapply each year.
NOTE: Families are responsible for payment until FA receives notice applications have been approved.
-
