The Hoboken Charter School is a public school open to all students. There are no admissions tests. Enrollment is determined by a random lottery held in public in January each year for the following school year. If there are more applications than spots available in a given grade, a waiting list is created. Admissions policies and procedures are monitored by the State Department of Education and the Hoboken Charter School Board of Trustees. For more information about laws and regulations governing charter school operations, consult the following links:

New Jersey Public Charter Schools Association

New Jersey Department of Education Charter Schools

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Applying to the Hoboken Charter School

2025-2026 Lotterease Application Portal is now open. The Lotterease portal will remain open through 5:00 p.m. sharp on Thursday, January 9, 2025.   Lottery results will be posted on the website by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025. Please do not call the main office for results.  

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1. Please complete the parent registration and add your child/children’s information to apply. Make sure to select the correct year for the application. Please review the following carefully: 

   • Step-by-step instructions on registering a new account with Lotterease

   • Please click here to create your Lotterease Parent /Guardian New Registration Account

2. It is critical that each applicant review their application for any errors before clicking on the submit button.

 

Please note that duplicate submissions or misrepresented information will result in the disqualification of an applicant.

Many of your questions can be answered by reading Lottery Questions and Answers below.

Also, please review the Lottery Policy and Procedures at this link: Lottery Policy and Procedures​
 

2024–2025 RESERVE POOL APPLICATION
Reserve Pool Google Applications are available here.

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Please click here for Open House information.

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 Virtual Open House Sign Up Form  

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Lottery Questions and Answers

1. When is the lottery application due? January 9, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.

2. When is the Hoboken Charter School lottery taking place? The lottery will take place on January 23, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.

3. When is my lottery number issued? The lottery number is issued within a half-hour after the submission of your completed registration/application. Each applicant will be assigned a unique number, with the exception of twins, who will receive one number. The unique numbers will be assigned by Lotterease. These numbers will be emailed to the address provided during the registration process with Lotterease. Please look in your spam/junk folders for communication if you don’t receive it. If you do not receive it within the half-hour, please get in touch with Maria Nunez at 201-963-0222 ext. 217.

4. What if I forgot my child’s lottery number? Please log in to your Lottearease account to retrieve it.

5. What if I don’t get admitted to the lottery? You will remain on a waitlist while spots are offered to the people admitted. Keep in mind that families frequently apply to more than one school and may not take the spot that is offered to them. If you did not get in at the lottery, it does not mean that you will not be offered a spot at some point in the future.

6. How long will people have to make up their minds about taking a spot that is offered to them? Families admitted to the lottery will have a two-week period to respond. Families admitted after the lottery date will be given 24 hours to accept the spot. The school will use the contact information provided on Lotterease to contact you if your child receives a spot. If we do not reach you for a response within 24 hours of notification, we will offer the spot to the next person on the waitlist; therefore, it is imperative that you keep your contact information current in Lotterease. 

7. I got in the lottery. What are the next steps? If you are ready to accept the spot, you must sign a “Letter of Intent.”  Please note that the registration is not complete until all the required documentation is submitted. Failure to submit the documentation by the due date may result in losing your placement at HCS.

8. If someone is not present at the lottery, how and when will they find out whether they were admitted or placed on a waitlist? Please do not call the main office for lottery results.

   • If they are accepted, they will receive a phone call from the school office. You are responsible for updating your telephone number or email address in your Lotterease account.

   • Please check the website for the lottery results. They will be posted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 24, 2025.

9. If I’m on the waitlist, and I really want to get in, how often should I call to check on my status? As often as you’d like, but monthly would seem sufficient.  

10. Once I’m on the waitlist, can my position change for the better? Yes. As people above you decline spots for whatever reasons, your status may improve.

11. What happens to applications received after the deadline? Applications received after the deadline goes into the reserve pool waitlist.

    • Hoboken Resident Sibling Waitlist

    • Out-of-District Sibling Waitlist

    • Hoboken Resident Waitlist

    • Out-of-District Resident Waitlist

12. Once I’m on the waitlist, can my position change for the worse? Yes. If someone in a higher priority group, as listed above, applies, they will be granted priority status.

13. If I don’t get in this year, do I need to reapply for next year? The State Department of Education requires charter schools to eliminate all waitlists and to lottery only new applications each year.

14. Who qualifies for the weighted lottery? The NJ Department of Education has authorized Hoboken Charter School’s request to provide a 3:1 application weight in the school lottery to economically disadvantaged students applying to the K-8 program with proof of certain forms of public assistance. The child qualifies for the weighted lottery if the child resides in a public housing unit or a Section 8 housing unit or if the child or legal guardians receive SNAP/TANF benefits.    

15. How does Hoboken Charter School determine sibling status? Hoboken Charter School determines sibling status as sharing a legal guardian, including through the marriage of legal guardians.

16. What if I have questions that are not answered here? You can call the school office at 201-963-0222, ext. 217, and ask to speak to Maria Nunez.