The Butler Academy application deadline for 2023-24 enrollment for scholars in kindergarten through 7th grade is Wednesday, March 1. A drawing for admissions will be held Thursday, March 2. Families will be notified of the results immediately afterward.
“Both as a parent and as an educator, I am fully aware that a one-size-fits-all approach to our children’s education is folly,” said Venesa Reyes, Butler Academy co-founder and Vice President of Operations, who manages the school’s enrollment process. “It’s why 86% of parents nationally report wanting more school choice options and why we are deeply committed to doing all we can to ensure that our enrollment process is as equitable and transparent as possible.”
Through last year’s applicant drawing, Butler Academy’s lower school and middle school enrolled 288 students from seven counties and 13 area communities in kindergarten through 6th grade, with a waitlist in every grade.
The school opened in 2020 serving kindergarten through 4th grade and is adding one grade per year until, in 2028, it will serve kindergarten through 12th grade.
Butler Academy is a tuition-free public charter school in Hartsville with a mission to create an enthusiastic culture of learning in which every student is expected and positioned to succeed academically. While it does not discriminate based on ethnicity, national origin, gender, disability, intellectual ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, race, creed, religion or ancestry, or any grounds that would be unlawful if done by a school, enrollment is limited to South Carolina residents and by the number of seats available in each classroom.
In addition to a commitment to small class sizes, other distinctions of the school include its year-round academic calendar, its emphasis on social and emotional development, its growth-focused learning community, and its strong culture of CAN: I Can. You Can. WE CAN. This year, the first time the school was eligible to be rated by the South Carolina Department of Education, Butler Academy received an EXCELLENT rating, the highest rating available.
To ensure enrollment fairness, applicants are selected through a public random drawing facilitated by the Lotterease electronic lottery system. All applications drawn after the school reaches capacity in any grade level will be placed on a waitlist for each respective grade level, in order in which they are drawn. Butler Academy’s waitlist does not carry over from year-to-year. To ensure an equal enrollment opportunity for all prospective scholars from one year to the next, families who remain on the waitlist must reapply if they would like to be included in the drawing for a subsequent school year.
While currently enrolled scholars do not need to re-apply, siblings of enrolled students must apply and will receive Preference Group status during the lottery process. Additional information about enrollment at Butler Academy is available at https://www.butleracademy.us/apply/.
