PACT Charter Schools

Lotterease is an independent automated lottery system that PACT uses to manage the lottery and waitlist. Because Lotterease is independent, school staff cannot manipulate or adjust the lottery outcome; they must work within the system's requirements. All activity related to your application is tracked in a history log you can view anytime by logging in to the parent portal. When you see the Lotterease seal on a school website, you can be confident your application is included in the lottery fairly and transparently.

Enrollment at PACT is open to all students who reside in Minnesota. PACT is a tuition-free public charter school with no application fees. Because PACT receives more applications than there are seats in most grades, we hold a lottery that creates a waitlist from which enrollment offers are made throughout the school year as space becomes available. Applications received by the November 1 deadline are included in the Enrollment Lottery held on the first Monday in November; applications received after the deadline are added to the waitlist. Families must reapply each year by the lottery deadline for any student who was not enrolled.

Kindergarten: Children must be five years old by September 1 to enter kindergarten. Priority is given to applicants with preference status who apply before the lottery deadline.

First Grade: Be six years old by September 1, or have completed a qualified kindergarten program. Mid-year transfers must meet the age requirement or be currently enrolled in first grade elsewhere.

Under Minnesota law governing charter schools, enrollment preference is given to siblings of currently enrolled PACT students. The sibling must be related by blood, marriage, or adoption; a foster child of a currently enrolled student's parents is also eligible. Children of PACT employees working 480+ hours per year also receive enrollment preference.

PACT's lottery results fluctuate, especially in the first few weeks after the lottery. Movement occurs as families across the K-12 population accept or decline positions, which can change a family's preference status by adding or losing sibling preference. Currently enrolled families take precedence since they already have a student at PACT, and employees also receive preference. Early lottery results and waitlist positions are often not indicative of final placement and should not deter you from applying to the waitlist.

In-Person applications open September 1 for the following school year; Online applications open December 1. Applications are accepted year-round, and offers are made as seats open.

Every effort is made to notify families of their waitlist position within 30 days of the Enrollment Lottery via Lotterease. Offers are made from the enrollment list in sequential order. After that, texts and emails are sent as seats become available. You have four calendar days to accept or decline an offer; after that, we contact the next family on the list. To be sure emails don't go to spam, add pact_charter_school@lotterease.com as an approved sender.

Texts and emails are sent after the Enrollment Lottery, and calls follow as seats open up. You have four calendar days to accept or decline an offer; after that, we contact the next family on the list. PACT is not responsible for emails, texts, or calls that are missed and result in a missed deadline.