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Admission

How to Apply

Orientation & Lottery Application

Prospective families of Chinook Montessori Charter School are guided to complete the following enrollment process: 

1. The first step in the lottery process is to visit Chinook and attend an orientation. During the orientation, the parent(s) or guardian(s) will learn about the school philosophy, how Chinook operates, and the history of the school. After observing the school, a parent or guardian fills out an orientation verification form prior to leaving the school.  Attending an orientation is required to participate in the lottery.  Plan to spend about 30 minutes visiting the school. The application will be available starting January 30th.

Orientation Dates for 2025-2026 School Year:

  • Thursday, January 30, 2025, 8:30am-11:15am and 1:00pm-2:30pm 
  • Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 8:30am-11:15am and 1:00pm-2:30pm
  • Friday, April 4, 2025, 8:30am-11:30am

A proxy may be established for families not currently in the Fairbanks area. Military families are supported by Georgia Sandgren (907) 452-2000 x 11340), the Military Student Support Coordinator for the FNSBSD.

2. Once completed, the lottery application will be reviewed to ensure all information (orientation verification form completed, contact information, etc.) is complete. Applications are completed online through the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District’s Online Lottery Application Portal via the Student Information Systems Centralized Application Portal (CAP).  General information about the FNSBSD online lottery process can be found at https://www.k12northstar.org/lottery. 

If more students apply than can be accommodated (grade levels K-6 is limited to 16 students and grades 7-8 is limited to 22 students), applicants will be drawn by lottery for admission. Due to the course requirements, new 8th graders are not admitted into Chinook. 

The application period is from January 30, 2025 to April 10, 2025. 

3. The lottery date is April 15. If April 15 occurs on a weekend, then the lottery occurs on the closest weekday date. The lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will be completed through the district online lottery program (CAP) and will run on April 15th.

4. On April 15, you can log in to the lottery program to check your child’s place on the waitlist. Chinook will call families to offer available spots. Parents have 48 hours from Chinook's contact to accept the spot. If a placement is offered, the student and family must attend an interview with at least one teacher to help make sure Chinook is a good fit for your family. 

 If you miss the deadline for the 2025-2026 school year lottery, please use the lottery system to add your child to the waitlist.

Admission & Selection Process

Admission Criteria 

Chinook Montessori Charter School is a school of choice. A student enrolling at Chinook must be within the age of five and fourteen and a resident of the FNSBSD. In order to be eligible to apply to attend kindergarten, children must be five years old on or before September 1st. Children must be 6 years old on or before September 1 to attend 1st grade. A copy of the child’s birth certificate, proof of immunizations, or a waiver, is required for each student enrolling. Chinook may, upon written notice to the FNSBSD, decline to accept students who have been determined, after due process, to have violated FNSBSD Policies 1042.61 (Firearms and Other Guns) or 1053.3 (Alcohol and Other Drug Violations). 

All parents who enroll students in the school must agree to contribute at least fifteen hours per trimester either at the school site or from home. Parents choose from a wide variety of ways to be involved. 

Attending Chinook is a long-term commitment. Students applying should intend to complete their entire elementary and middle school program at the school. Prior to the application process, parents and students must attend an orientation meeting about the philosophy, curriculum, and day-to-day operation of the school. At this time they also observe the school in session. Parents and students then complete an application form and their name will be placed in the lottery.  

After the lottery, if a placement is offered, the student and family must attend an interview with at least one teacher. 

In the event that attending an informational meeting is not possible, for example, in the case of a military relocation or a family preparing to move into the area, a proxy may attend in place of a parent or guardian.  Please call or email the school to establish this proxy.

Selection Process 

The school strives to enroll all students who meet the admission criteria and turns in their application five business days before the lottery drawing held on April 15 (or the closest weekday to that date). As per AS 14.03.265 (b) the school shall strive to enroll all eligible students who submit a timely and accurate application. In the event that the number of students applying exceeds the capacity of the program, grade level, or building, families who meet the above criteria will be selected by lottery. The lottery determines the waiting list for the following school year. New waitlists are created each year.  All unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply the following year. When there are openings in the school, the waiting list is used to fill the vacancies. 

We have a Sibling Waitlist and a General Waitlist. Once a student is admitted into the school, their school-aged siblings are placed at the bottom of the Sibling Waitlist. The General Waitlist is compiled from the lottery. When school is in session, the Sibling Waitlist is updated at time of sibling attendance or at the end of each school year, whichever comes first. New families joining Chinook will be added to the sibling list for the upcoming year if admittance to the school occurs prior to July 1st.

In subsequent years all students who have previously attended Chinook are automatically re-enrolled in the program.  Parents or guardians are expected to notify the school of any change in enrollment plans, prior to our lottery, for the upcoming year. 

Entering five-year-old students who already have siblings enrolled in the school are given admission preference. Siblings are defined as permanent, immediate family members, of kindergarten through seventh grade, who are living in the home. If a student withdraws from Chinook Montessori Charter School to attend another school, they are required to complete the application and lottery process again if they wish to return. The student loses the ability to use sibling preference. Per FEA and ESSA contracts, children of Chinook teachers and staff are given enrollment preference.

During the lottery process, or whenever student spots open during the school year, we identify the grade level and gender of the position open. Openings will be filled to accommodate the grade and gender space available in the class to keep grade level and gender balance in each classroom. First, we check the sibling waitlist. If there is not a sibling that fits the opening, we move to the general waitlist.

In order to maintain balanced multi-age classrooms and keep classroom enrollment stable, Chinook strives to fill precise openings based on: 

  • Grade level balance  
    • We have 16 students K-6 and 22 in 7th & 8th grade.
  • Gender balance  
    • We have 8 females and 8 males in K-6 and 11 females and 11 males in 7th and 8th grades. When filling open positions with a sibling, we will allow deviations from the 50:50 ratio by 1, in order to admit a sibling. 

Nondiscrimination Disclosure

Chinook does not discriminate toward any individual as defined in FNSBSD Policy 1011 nor does it require any student to attend the program.  Chinook Montessori Charter will not discriminate by race or special needs or other inappropriate criteria. No student shall be denied participation because of a learning disability, handicapping condition, or special needs.