Plato Academy Schools Enrollment Process

Plato Academy K-8 Charter Schools Enrollment Process

Plato Academy Charter Schools are public charter schools that do not charge tuition. Below you will find information about our application process. As demand for a Plato Academy education has increased, we have responded in order to accommodate as many families as possible by increasing our enrollment through the addition of new schools. Please complete an application for each and every location for which you have an interest.

Students will be admitted to Plato Academy Schools regardless of race, gender, religion, or ethnic or national origin. Plato Academy Charter Schools are public charter schools that do not charge tuition. Students that submit completed applications during an open application period will be selected for enrollment either on a first come-first serve basis (when there are more seats than student applications received during the open application period), or through a lottery process (when there are more student applications than seats available during an open application period).

The following students, when eligible*, are provided enrollment preference and are allowed to bypass a lottery if one is held in the following order of priority:

Students who remain enrolled at the same Plato Academy Charter School from the previous year.
Applicants who are the children of an employee of the charter school.
Applicants who are siblings of a student enrolled or accepted in the charter school.
Applicants who are the children of a member of the governing board of the charter school.
Applicants who successfully completed the Florida Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program provided by Plato Academy during the previous year.

Pursuant to FL statue 1002.31 students residing in the district will have priority over those residing outside the district. Note: A charter school may be exempt from the requirements of s. 1002.31 if the school is open to any student covered in an interdistrict agreement and any student residing in the school district in which the charter school is located. Any eligible student shall be allowed interdistrict transfer to attend a charter school when based on good cause. Good cause shall include but is not limited to, geographic proximity to a charter school in a neighboring school district.

If there are fewer seats available than there are priority preference applications, a lottery will be conducted among each priority group where there are more applications than seats available and continued thereafter for each priority group in the order of the preferences above until all preference priority applicants have been assigned a wait list number. Students’ names per group will be randomly drawn and numbered sequentially as chosen and recorded in that order. Available seats are filled first and remaining students are placed on a waiting list in the order of their drawing. After any priority lotteries are conducted a general lottery will be conducted. Plato Academy lottery drawings are open to the public and all lottery dates and locations will be posted on the website. Students will be notified of their admission status shortly after the lottery date via e-mail and/or telephone.

*For children of non-founding board members and Plato Academy Voluntary PreKindergarten students priority preferences will not apply until the third year of school operations.

Please note that the placement of your student on Plato Academy’s wait list will not impact or interfere with your students’ enrollment at any other Pinellas County public or charter school, and it will be your option to accept or decline an invitation should a seat become available at Plato Academy. Enrollment is contingent on student interest, availability of qualified staff, and facilities.

Pinellas County
Open Enrollment for kindergarten 2022-2023 will be October 25, 2021, through November 5, 2021. A lottery will be conducted on November 12, 2021, at 8:30 am at Plato Academy Clearwater corporate office located at 2045 Palmetto Street Clearwater, FL 33765. Need not be present, email notifications will be sent to all applicants. For grades 1st-8th, applications will be accepted and processed as noted above.

Capacity
Plato Academy Clearwater: 649
Plato Academy Palm Harbor: 382
Plato Academy Largo: 382
Plato Academy Seminole: 382
Plato Academy Tarpon Springs: 382
Plato Academy St Pete: 382
Plato Academy Pinellas Park: 573

Pasco County:
Open Enrollment for kindergarten 2022-2023 will be October 25, 2021, through November 5, 2021. A lottery will be conducted on November 12, 2021, at 8:30 am at Plato Academy Clearwater corporate office located at 2045 Palmetto Street Clearwater, FL 33765. Need not be present, email notifications will be sent to all applicants. For grades 1st-8th, applications will be accepted and processed as noted above.

Capacity
Plato Academy Trinity: 524

Hillsborough County:
Open Enrollment for kindergarten 2022-2023 will be October 25, 2021, through November 5, 2021. A lottery will be conducted on November 12, 2021, at 8:30 am at Plato Academy Clearwater corporate office located at 2045 Palmetto Street Clearwater, FL 33765. Need not be present, email notifications will be sent to all applicants. For grades 1st-7th, applications will be accepted and processed as noted above.

Capacity
Plato Academy Tampa: 431

Hillsborough County

Open Enrollment for kindergarten 2023-2024 will be October 31, 2022, through November 13, 2022. A lottery will be conducted on November 18, 2022, at 8:30 am at Plato Academy Clearwater corporate office located at 2045 Palmetto Street Clearwater, FL 33765. Need not be present, email notifications will be sent to all applicants. For grades 1st-8th, applications will be accepted and processed as noted above.

Capacity
Plato Academy Tampa: 481

For any questions concerning enrollment please contact Rina Psomas, Director of Admissions, at school@platoacademy.net

Applications on this page are only for grades Kindergarten – 8th grade

For Early Learning – Pre-K or VPK inquiries please email the applicable school’s Early Learning Director at the email listed below. Applications for Pre-K and VPK are coordinated through the Early Learning School Directors only.