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Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now closed. Acceptances were drawn by lottery on March 6, 2024.

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How to Apply to Brooke Charter Schools

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is now closed. The deadline to apply was February 29, 2024. We encourage families to review the Frequently Asked Questions below to learn more about our school or e-mail apply@ebrooke.org with any additional questions.

Brooke Charter Schools is a network of tuition-free, public charter schools providing an academically rigorous education to students from Boston and Chelsea. Admission is based on a random lottery. There are no admissions applications or interviews, and there is no tuition fee. All students in Boston Public Schools and Chelsea Public Schools—including English language learners, limited English proficient students, and special education students—are encouraged to apply through the lottery.

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Kindergarten At Brooke

Why Choose Brooke?

You should consider enrolling your child at Brooke if you are looking for a productive, joyful classroom where great teachers nurture and hold every single scholar to high expectations.

Not only do we support student learning through small class sizes, rigorous academics, longer school days and years, consistent school uniforms, and nightly homework, but – above all – our model prioritizes great teaching.

We strive to create classrooms where each Brooke staff member would be proud to send our own children, where teachers know and challenge every individual student and forge strong relationships with families, and where we uphold a Culture of Achievement, which encourages students to identify as scholars and love learning.

College isn't something easy. You need to have patience and pride in what you’re learning, and you need to take it seriously because it affects your future. Right now I’m working on my grades. It isn't just a number, it’s my education and how I will live my life and be somebody.

Josh Vilarson Brooke High School Class of 2024

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do I need to complete a separate application for each of my children?

Yes. Each child needs his/her own application.

Do I need to complete a separate application for each of the Brooke Charter Schools?

No. We only need one application for all schools. Upon acceptance, you will be assigned to one of our K-8 campuses.

Do I need to provide proof of residency with my application?

No. You will need to show proof of residency upon acceptance to Brooke Charter Schools to maintain residential preference. We must give lottery preference to residents of Boston and Chelsea. Proof of residency can be a copy of your lease, mortgage, utility bill, pay check/stub, bank account statement or identification card. Bills, pay stubs, and account statements must be issued within the past 90 days

How will I know if my child has been accepted?

We host our public lottery in early March each year at our Brooke Mattapan campus. You are welcome to attend, but families in attendance will not receive preference. After the lottery, you will receive an electronic notification through your online application account on SchoolMint, as well as a phone call from the school with your admission status or your waitlist number if you are not admitted for the upcoming school year. Afterward, you can continue to track your child’s status via their SchoolMint account.

If one of my children is accepted, and I have another child on the waitlist, will they be given sibling preference?

Yes, but this does NOT mean that the sibling will automatically be admitted. Once a child has accepted a seat at one of our schools, his or her siblings on the waitlist will be given sibling preference, which will likely move them closer to the top of the waitlist for their grade, among siblings currently waiting for admission. There are siblings at the top of the waitlist for most grades because siblings are only admitted if a spot is available in that grade.

What do I do if my child has been accepted?

If your child is awarded a seat in our lottery, you have one week to accept or deny your seat. Once you have accepted your child’s seat, we will follow up with you regarding required documents and enrollment paperwork.

How old must my child be to enroll in K2?

To apply to kindergarten, students MUST be 5 years old or older on September 1.

Are students provided with transportation to and from school?

Yes. School buses are provided for all students in grades K2-5 who live more than 1 mile from the school and for students in grades 6 who live more than 1.5 miles from the school. Students in grades 7 and above who live more than 1.5 miles from the school will be provided with an MBTA pass. Brooke also provices a shuttle service for students living in East Boston and Chelsea to our 8th Grade Academy and high school campus in Mattapan. Door-to-door bus transportation will also be provided to any students that require it based upon their Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or 504 plan.

What are your school hours?

The school hours vary by campus. We encourage you to look at the individual campus’s Student & Family Handbook for details on their schedule.

Why do school days end early on Wednesdays?

Most of our campuses have an early dismissal on Wednesdays. We believe that building great teachers will close the achievement gap. To support this philosophy, our teachers participate in intensive professional development on Wednesdays to reflect on their practice and build their skills in the classroom to ensure they are providing your child with the best education possible.

Do you offer after-school programming?

After school options vary from school to school. Some schools host in-school after-school options while others have relationships with local community organizations. You should contact the campus at which you are admitted to learn more about the after-school options available to you.

What is Brooke’s mission?

Our mission is to provide an academically rigorous education to students from the cities of Boston and Chelsea to ensure they are prepared to attend and succeed in college.

What am I committing to if I send my child to Brooke?

As a parent, you are committing to the following things if your child attends Brooke:

  • Attending new parent orientation sessions before the school year.
  • Attending at least two parent-teacher conferences during the year.
  • Ensuring that your child arrives to school on time and in uniform each day that he or she is not sick.
  • Supporting our behavior management system by reinforcing school expectations at home.
  • Completing life work (our name for homework) every night with your child if your child is in kindergarten, first, or second grade and ensuring that your child completes their homework if your child is in third grade or above.
  • Staying in close communication with your child’s teacher so you can work together to support your child’s education.

What if I want to learn more?

If you want to learn more about our school, we encourage you to continue to explore our website. Also, if you are admitted to the school, you will attend new parent orientations and will learn much, much more about our school.

If you are accepted and attend the information session and decide this is not the right match for you, you will inform us that you want to decline your spot (even if you have already accepted your spot) and we will call the next parent on the wait list.

What if I want a tour of the school?

We only offer school tours to parents of admitted students. We have thousands of applicants each year and we don’t want to disrupt instruction by allowing tours for all those parents. Instead, if you are admitted, you will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the school and an opportunity to ask as many questions as you would like of the school administration.

How do Brooke scholars perform on the MCAS and PARCC?

Our students have some of the top scores in the state on the MCAS. Please look at the results page on our website to learn more.

What if I am not sure if I want to apply or not?

If you are not sure if you want to apply, we suggest you go ahead and do it. If you don’t apply and decide after the application period is over that you wish you had, there is nothing that we can do to help you. But if you apply and you do receive a spot, you can always change your mind later. You will get a lot more questions answered and a lot more information about our school before you have to enroll your child. Plus, you can decline your spot any time during the process, so please don’t feel like this application is a final commitment.

What should I do if I have questions about the application?

If you have questions about the application or your eligibility to apply, you may call any of our school main offices. If you prefer to email, you may contact us at apply@ebrooke.org. You are also welcome to stop in and ask your question in person; our schools are open every day.

Our Non-Discrimination Statement

The information collected on the application will be used to determine eligibility for enrollment and to collect general information. It will not be used to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, ethnicity, 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.

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