Enrollment Policy

General Policy Statement

The Boston Day and Evening Academy (BDEA) is an innovative public high school whose mission is to serve students who are overage for grade level, many of whom have experienced life challenges that have impeded their education. Working with experienced faculty in an environment that blends strong academics and support, students are given the opportunity to earn a Boston Public Schools diploma and to reach their fullest potential through a competency-based curriculum that inspires critical and creative thinking, independent learning, and active citizenship. Students applying to any of BDEA’s programs must be at least 16 years of age and no older than 23.

Initial Application Process

The application process at Boston Day and Evening Academy begins with a call to the admissions manager at the school. Our conversation will help us begin to get to know you and will give you the information you need to start the process. You will need to be enrolled in Boston Public Schools before you can apply to BDEA, so if you are not currently a BPS student, you can register at any of the Family Resource Centers in Roxbury, Dorchester or Hyde Park. (http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/node/164) Applications for BDEA can be obtained from our Admissions Page or directly from the school and are received on a rolling basis, year round. Once you are accepted to the school, and if there are open seats in your program, you will be assigned to a mandatory one-week orientation. If the program you are applying to is full at the time of acceptance, you can choose to be added to the wait list for lottery. When necessary, BDEA will hold a lottery on the first business day of each month from September through August.

BDEA, in accordance with its nondiscrimination and zero tolerance policy, does not discriminate in its programs, activities, facilities, employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, disability, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, athletic performance, special need, proficiency in the English language or a foreign language, or prior academic achievement, and does not tolerate any form of discrimination, intimidation, threat, coercion, and/or harassment that insults the dignity of others by interfering with their freedom to learn.

Timeline for accepting students and reporting pre-enrollment figures
Boston Day and Evening Academy follows all reporting deadlines as set forth by the state’s Charter School Office. Due to the transient nature of the school’s population in all programs, students are able to enroll in any program through the 15th of April in any given school year. The school submits a pre-enrollment report to the charter school office on the date, usually in mid-March, set by the DESE.

Eligibility Criteria

All applicants to the Boston Day and Evening Academy must be residents of Boston at the time of application. Proof of residency may be required. Applicants that do not meet the eligibility requirements will be notified in a timely manner in writing by the school informing them as to why they did not meet these requirements.

Day Program
• Students must reside in the City of Boston and meet all other residency requirements of the Boston Public Schools
• Preference is given to siblings of students currently enrolled in BDEA
• Students have reached the age of 16 or above by September 1 of the year they enroll
• Students have not yet attended ninth grade, or have zero (0) or few high school credits
• Student, or parent/guardian must sign school compact

Evening/Distance Learning Program
• Students must reside in the City of Boston and meet all other residency requirements of the Boston Public Schools
• Preference is given to siblings of students currently enrolled in BDEA
• Students must be between the ages of 16 and 23
• Student or guardian must sign school compact
• Students must have already attended high school

Lottery System

BDEA offers three distinct programs (Day, Evening, Distance Learning) to serve the needs of different cohorts of students, with the commonality that they are all overage for high school and at risk of dropping out. The Day program has a total of 200 seats, and the Evening /Distance Learning program has a total of 150 seats. Space available in each group will be determined annually based on enrollment.

Because BDEA is a “second-chance” high school and must take advantage of a student’s motivation to re-enter the public school system when they are ready to do so, the school will conduct lotteries on the last business day of every month August through September. If it is necessary for the school to hold a lottery, an individual not affiliated with the school will be asked to draw names. At least one week’s notice will be given prior to each lottery drawing.

Applications are received throughout the year with the deadlines for monthly lotteries being the last business day of the previous month from September through August,
A schedule listing application deadlines will be included with all recruitment literature, on the web site, and in all notices.

Siblings of students who are already in attendance at the school at the time of application to BDEA have preference for admission over non-siblings. BPS students will receive second preference in admission.

Students must respond to the school with their intention to attend within one week of notification by the school. Actual dates of enrollment are impossible to predict as they are influenced by the process of transferring student records from BPS. BDEA works to enroll students as quickly as possible after notification from the student of intent to enroll.

Waiting List Policy

The school’s policy on names that have not been drawn for admission is to number them in order in which they were drawn, and to admit students in that order when space becomes available. Once a wait list has been established, names drawn in subsequent lotteries will be added to the bottom of the list in the order in which they were drawn.

Wait listed students will be informed of an offer of admissions through phone contact and written notification. Students who have declined an offer of admission will be sent a letter confirming that they have declined the offer of admission. The Boston Day and Evening Academy’s policy on the Wait List is that it rolls over from year to year. Students who wish to remain on the wait list will be asked to update their information each August.

Recruitment

It is important to note that the school’s mission is to serve students who have not been traditionally successful in school. BDEA uses several methods – both traditional and non-traditional – to recruit potential students.

Students in the Day Program are recruited in a variety of ways:
• Citywide Showcase of Schools
• Visiting each Boston Middle School and meeting with Principals and guidance counselors
• Outreach to community centers and Family Resource Centers
• Direct contact with parents recommended by the Boston Public Schools
• Word of mouth – parents, alumni, and current students
• Lists of overage 8th graders generated by referrals from the Department of implementation

Students in the Evening Program are recruited as follows:
• Citywide Showcase of Schools
• Referrals from other BPS High Schools
• Referrals from community centers and Family Resource Centers
• Word of mouth – parents, alumni, and current students