FAQ
Who can apply to Discovery Charter Schools?
Any child residing in the state of California can apply to Discovery Charter Schools. You must submit a separate application for each school.
Is there tuition?
No. Discovery Charter Schools are public schools in the state of California and are free to attend.
How many school sites do you have?
The Discovery organization currently has two schools. The Discovery Phoenix Campus is located on Teale Avenue in the West San Jose area (off of San Tomas Expressway & Payne Ave.) The Discovery Falcon Campus is located on Sunset Glen Drive in the South San Jose area (off of Santa Teresa Blvd. & Chesbro Ave.)
Does Discovery Charter School do additional annual fundraising?
Like most public schools, Discovery asks for monetary donations to support our program, but it’s important for you to know that no child or family will ever be excluded from any school activity due to an inability to pay or lack of participation in the fund drive. While we strive for 100 percent participation in the fund drive, we understand that some families will choose to not participate, and for some of our families that this is due to the family’s economic situation. The names of families who do not participate in the fund drive are never made public and are also never shared with teachers or other staff members, including the Director and Executive Director.
All donations to Discovery Charter School are tax-deductible.
Love the philosophy but worried about the commitment? Think this would be a great fit for your child and family, but not sure you can meet the volunteering requirements?
We recognize that we ask a lot from our families, and if our model of parent partnership creates a hardship for your family now or any time after enrollment, we will work with you individually to find a mode of involvement that works for you. We have many working parents, single-parent families, and parents who must work during the school hours who we work with to find ways of involvement that benefit their child, their classroom, and our school but also are compatible with their schedules.
We will never turn a child or family away from our school due to a parent’s inability to meet the agreements for volunteering. We are committed to building a school community that is inclusive of all types of families, and socio-economic, racial, and ethnic diversity is highly important to us.
What happens during the open enrollment period?
Discovery sets the open enrollment dates yearly. The open enrollment period for the 2022-2023 school year will begin December 01, 2021, and extend through February 28, 2022. During this defined period all applications received are weighted equally. Should the number of students applying for any grade level exceed the expected capacity for that grade, an Admissions Lottery shall be conducted for the open enrollment period applicants for the oversubscribed grades. There are preference categories that determine positions within the Lottery.
Does submitting an application guarantee my child a spot at Discovery Charter Schools?
No. If there are too many applications for a specific grade level, then enrollment is determined by an Admission Lottery.
What are the Admission Lottery Preference Categories?
Discovery Homeschool Program—Enrollment preferences shall be given in the following order:
- Currently enrolled students of Discovery Charter School Phoenix Campus or Discovery Charter School Falcon Campus
- Siblings of currently enrolled students at Discovery Charter School Phoenix or Discovery Charter School Falcon
- Children of Discovery employees
- Residents of San Jose Unified School District
- All other California residents
Discovery Phoenix Campus—Enrollment preferences shall be given in the following order:
- Siblings of currently enrolled students at Discovery Phoenix Campus
- Children of Discovery employees
- Students who are currently enrolled in or who reside in the elementary school attendance area of the public elementary school in which Discovery is located (for purposes of the Charter School Facility Grant Program).
- All other residents of Moreland School District
- California residents who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals as determined by federal guidelines*.
- All other California residents
Discovery Falcon Campus—Enrollment preferences shall be given in the following order:
- Siblings of currently enrolled students at Discovery Charter School Falcon, including siblings of students from the Home School classes.
- Children of Discovery employees
- Home School families who desire to move back to Discovery Falcon, providing their most recent previous enrollment was at Discovery Falcon Campus.
- Residents of San Jose Unified School District students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals as determined by federal guidelines*.
- Students located outside the San Jose Unified School District who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals as determined by federal guidelines*.
- Residents of San Jose Unified School District.
- All other California residents.
*Following admission, the Discovery Charter Schools registrar will conduct an audit of the records of students who utilize this preference. Any student who utilizes this preference but is not eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals will forfeit admission and be placed at the end of the waitlist.
Below are the Federal guidelines for free and reduced-price meals. If your family falls in one of these categories, you may select “yes” in the appropriate area on the Falcon Campus Application for Enrollment. If your child is offered a position at the school using this category, you must provide proof before your child will be accepted. Information and the application for free/reduced-price meals will accompany the student’s offer packet.
Federal guidelines for free and reduced-price meals for July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.
|
|
Free Eligibility Scale for Lunch, Breakfast, and Milk |
Reduce-Price Eligibility Scale for Lunch and Breakfast |
||||||||
|
Household Size |
Year |
Month |
Twice per Month |
Every Two Weeks |
Week |
Year |
Month |
Twice per Month |
Every Two Weeks |
Week |
|
1 |
$16,744 |
$1,396 |
$698 |
$644 |
$322 |
$23,828 |
$1,986 |
$993 |
$917 |
$459 |
|
2 |
22,646 |
1,888 |
944 |
871 |
436 |
32,227 |
2,686 |
1,343 |
1,240 |
620 |
|
3 |
28,548 |
2,379 |
1,190 |
1,098 |
549 |
40,626 |
3,386 |
1,693 |
1,563 |
782 |
|
4 |
34,450 |
2,871 |
1,436 |
1,325 |
663 |
49,025 |
4,086 |
2,043 |
1,886 |
943 |
|
5 |
40,352 |
3,363 |
1,682 |
1,552 |
776 |
57,424 |
4,786 |
2,393 |
2,209 |
1,105 |
|
6 |
46,254 |
3,855 |
1,928 |
1,779 |
890 |
65,823 |
5,486 |
2,743 |
2,532 |
1,266 |
|
7 |
52,156 |
4,347 |
2,174 |
2,006 |
1,003 |
74,222 |
6,186 |
3,093 |
2,855 |
1,428 |
|
8 |
58,058 |
4,839 |
2,420 |
2,233 |
1,117 |
82,621 |
6,886 |
3,443 |
3,178 |
1,589 |
|
For each additional family member, add: |
||||||||||
|
|
$5,902 |
$492 |
$246 |
$227 |
$114 |
$ 8,399 |
$700 |
$350 |
$ 324 |
$ 162 |
If I find out about Discovery Charter Schools after the Enrollment Period (or after the Lottery) can I still submit an application?
Yes. Discovery still accepts enrollment applications. We encourage you to apply to our schools. Applications submitted outside the Open Enrollment Period will be put on the wait-list in the order in which they are received. Applications are only available online.
If I enroll my child at a Discovery Charter School, can I change my mind?
Yes, you can. Filling out and returning an enrollment form does not commit you to a decision. As at any public school, you are entitled to withdraw your child at any time. You should be aware that once you withdraw or say "no" (to an offered space) Discovery policy is to automatically drop/withdraw you from the attendance or school wait-list and offer the spot to the next waiting family.
What if I want to have my child repeat a grade or skip a grade?
Grade Level Retention (repeating a grade) and acceleration (skipping a grade) are decisions that need to be made by your child's current school. You may not enroll your child in the same grade level that they are currently in, or skip a grade. If you feel your child needs to be retained or accelerated and their current school is not supportive of this decision, then you may discuss this with Discovery's Executive Director after your child is enrolled at the appropriate grade level.
We have been trying to get into Discovery for many years now and each year we have attended the required Open House and Information Meetings. Is it possible to get an exemption when reapplying to Discovery?
Our talks and tours change from year to year so we feel it is beneficial for our potential parents to attend the Information Meeting and Open House each year until their child is admitted.
I applied last year and didn't get in. Do I need to reapply?
Yes. We do not carry over applications from year to year. You will need to reapply each year until you have been offered and accepted a spot. Once enrolled in a Discovery program, you do not need to re-enroll each year.
How can I get more information about Discovery?
During our Open Enrollment Period, we hold several Information Meetings. We also require that you attend an Open House at each campus you apply to see Discovery in action. Attendance at these mandatory meetings provides information concerning Discovery and our program so you can make an informed and educated choice for your family.
Do I need to attend an Information Meeting?
Attendance at a school information meeting is required for an application to be considered complete. (Except for returning Discovery families.)
PLEASE NOTE: you may submit your child's application for enrollment at any time during the open enrollment period. You need NOT wait to attend the required meeting to submit the application. However, your child's application will not qualify for the lottery if attendance at both the information meeting and the open house is not verified. (For verification purposes, please don't forget to "sign-in" at the meeting.)
Do I need to attend an Open House?
Attendance at an Open House (tour) at each campus that you apply for is required for an application to be considered complete. (Except for returning Discovery families.) Families moving from one Discovery campus to another are asked to attend an Open House at the new campus as part of the enrollment process.
PLEASE NOTE: you may submit your child's application for enrollment at any time during the open enrollment period. You need NOT wait to attend the open house to submit the application. However, your child's application will not qualify for the lottery if attendance at both the information meeting and the open house is not verified. (For verification purposes, please don't forget to "sign-in" at the open house.)
What is the age requirement for Kindergarten at Discovery?
Your child must turn 5 years of age on or before September 1, 2022, to be age-eligible for Kindergarten at Discovery for the Fall 2022 school year.
What is the age requirement for Transitional Kindergarten at Discovery?
Your child must turn 5 years of age between September 2, 2022, and February 2, 2023 (inclusive) to be age-eligible for our Transitional Kindergarten program for the 2022-2023 school year.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK)
Discovery’s Transitional Kindergarten program takes place on the Discovery Falcon campus only.
Discovery Phoenix Campus — What do I need to do if my child resides out of the Moreland School District Boundaries?
There is no district-to-district transfer required (nor is a transfer required from a Moreland school to Discovery.) Simply fill out the Discovery Charter School Phoenix Campus application and turn it in. Should your child be accepted, our office staff will notify your old school/district.
Discovery Falcon Campus — What do I need to do if my child resides out of the San Jose Unified School District Boundaries?
There is no district-to-district transfer required (nor is a transfer required from a San Jose school to Discovery.) Simply fill out the Discovery Charter School Falcon Campus application and turn it in. Should your child be accepted, our office staff will notify your old school/district.
How do I get my other questions answered?
We would be happy to answer any other questions you may have. Please email us for more information.