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Random Lottery Selection Process

Admission Overview

The Hmong American Immersion School (HAIS) is a tuition-free public charter school authorized by the Appleton Area School District in Appleton, WI. Transportation is not provided for charter schools. Parents will need to transport their students to and from HAIS. Any family interested in enrolling their student at HAIS will need to submit a charter school application form. Application for admission to HAIS is voluntary. Students who do not wish to attend or are not admitted into HAIS may attend their neighborhood schools or seek enrollment in another AASD school per AASD Board policy.

The admission process includes: Informational Session and Tour (optional) → Application → Acceptance → Enrollment → Registration

Requirements for Admission

  • Must be a student enrolled in or open-enrolled into the Appleton Area School District.
  • Must be a 4K, 5K, first, second, third, fourth, or fifth grade level student (Must be 4 years old on or before September 1 in order to enter 4K and 5 years old on or before September 1 in order to enter 5K).

What is a Lottery?

A lottery is a random selection process by which applicants are admitted to a charter school to ensure that all applicants who submitted their application by the deadline do not have an enrollment priority, and everyone has an equal chance of being admitted. 

Why is there a Need for a Lottery?

The goal is to maximize open enrollment and promote equity in student admissions by ensuring that schools do not unlawfully discriminate or otherwise exclude eligible students. Laws and regulations applicable to charter schools require schools to utilize a lottery system as a random selection process when the school has more applicants than it has available spaces. 

Lottery Overview

All applications submitted by the application deadline in February will be eligible for the lottery process. HAIS will have seats available in each grade level, K4 through 5th Grade. If there are fewer applicants than seats, all applicants will be offered enrollment until all seats are filled. If there are more applicants than seats, a lottery process will be used. 

Lottery Preference

Regardless of whether there is a lottery or not, HAIS will give enrollment preference to students in the order as follows: 

  1. Currently enrolled in the charter school in the previous year.
  2. Siblings of students enrolled in the charter school.

If a student is offered enrollment, all siblings of that student will be offered enrollment in their respective grades if space is available. If space is not available, then the siblings would be placed on top of the waitlist for that given grade.

Note: A sibling is defined as biological siblings that share parents, siblings that share a single parent, siblings that share a parent through marriage, children who share a parent through adoption or guardianship, siblings who reside in different households, or foster children.

  1. Children of full-time staff (not to exceed 10% of the overall enrollment).
  2. On the waiting list from the previous year. The waiting list carries over from year to year and does not expire.

Lottery Expectations

The lottery will be conducted under the following conditions: 

  1. Use a human randomization method instead of a computer -generated randomization method.

  2. Take place at a public location and at a time that allows for the public to attend.
  3. Students or families are not required to attend the lottery to receive an enrollment offer.
  4. Maintain accurate records: 
    1. Number Caller: Draw the number, announce it aloud, and pass the number to the Number Verifier
    2. Number Verifier: Verify the number drawn and confirm that the number drawn matches the number for the applicant on the lottery tracking document
    3. Number Recorder: Keep a record of the drawn numbers on a lottery tracking document
    4. Sibling Identifier: Cross-reference with any lower/upper-grade siblings. If a sibling is selected, the Sibling Identifier promptly informs the Number Verifier and Number Recorder, who record the sibling in the last available seat (potentially moving another student to the waitlist). 
  5. Record and keep on file for one calendar year.

Lottery Process

If there is a lottery, HAIS will utilize a human randomization method and the procedures will be as follows:  

  1. Administration and the HAIS Board will determine enrollment priorities based on established enrollment preferences to offer available seats to students at each grade level who meet the criteria prior to conducting the lottery. Students who meet preference will be offered a seat and their names will be removed from the lottery.

  2. Students who do not meet preference will be sorted by grade level and family to generate a lottery tracking document. Each applicant or family group will have a numbered ticket attached to it. Applicants of the same family will receive the same ticket number, but each student will receive a ticket. 
  3. Applicants will be notified via email that a lottery is required, when and where it will take place, and assigned a numbered ticket.
  4. Duplicate tickets of all applicants will be placed in a drum or similar container. 
  5. An Assistant Superintendent of the AASD will draw numbers from the drum or similar container and the number and name of the student will be written down in order, until the maximum seat is reached for each grade level.
  6. Numbers will then be drawn to form a waiting list.  The names of the students will be recorded for the waiting list in the order that they are drawn.
  7. Administration will notify families via postal mail and email of an enrollment offer with a deadline to accept enrollment. If there is no response to accept the offer of enrollment then the offer will be rescinded and offered to the next student on the waiting list for that grade level. 
  8. Administration will notify families of placement on the waiting list if not selected through the lottery. 

This concludes the lottery process. 

Waiting List

After the waiting list is created through the lottery process, any additional applications outside of the application window will be added to the bottom of the class list or waiting list on the date the information is received. The school will inform families on the waiting list of their respective position on the list. HAIS administrative staff will maintain accurate records of the order of the waiting list and will consistently update it as students are admitted.

Parents/guardians will be able to contact the school and receive a timely answer as to their child/student’s position on the waiting list. If there is no lottery, any applications received after February 21st will be placed on the waiting list in the order they are received if no seats are available. The waiting list carries over from year to year and does not expire.