FAQs- Enrollment & Attendance

Who can enroll in AZVA?
According to new Arizona regulations, students must reside in Arizona and meet the age requirement in order to be eligible to enroll in AZVA. Additionally, at least 80 percent of our new students for 2008-2009 must have been enrolled in and attended a public school (including charters) during the 2007-2008 school year. Up to 20 percent of our 2008-2009 new student population may be made up of students who did not attend a public school during the 2007-2008 school year. New kindergarten students must have a sibling who is enrolled in and attending AZVA to be eligible.

Since Arizona regulations allow us to accept many more students who previously attended public schools during the 2007-2008 school year than students who did not, it is in your best interest to indicate on the application the public school your child was enrolled in during the 2007-2008 school year. Admission to AZVA is based on completion and submission of all enrollment forms and materials within state guidelines.

During open enrollment, a lottery will be used to place students within the school if there are more applicants than open slots. Students will be placed on a waitlist based on lottery selection. After open enrollment, if there are available slots, students will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Should the need for a waitlist emerge, a waitlist application will be date-stamped when all paperwork and placement test results are received. Siblings of AZVA students receive admission preference. The AZVA 2008-2009 open enrollment term begins March 17 and ends April 17.

I just moved to Arizona, and my child attended a public school in another state last year. Will my child be eligible to be considered for the “80 percent or greater” category for enrollment?
Yes. All students who attended a public school last year, even if the public school is outside Arizona, will be considered for enrollment eligibility. Please indicate the name and location of the public school your child attended last year on the application form.

My child attended an "early kindergarten" program at a public school last year. Is my child eligible to be considered for the “80 percent or greater” category for enrollment?
Yes, as long as the program was publicly funded. Make sure you list the public school your child attended last year on the application form.

My child was enrolled in a public school "enrichment program" last year on a part-time basis and homeschooled on a part-time basis. Is my child eligible to be considered for the “80 percent or greater” category for enrollment?
Yes, as long as your child was formally enrolled in the public school program last year. If you enroll your child in AZVA, you will no longer be a homeschooling parent—you will be a public charter school parent. You may want to consider this distinction when making an enrollment decision. Also, AZVA does not permit dual enrollment. This means your child will not be able to participate in public school enrichment programs outside AZVA.

What if my child is placed on the waiting list for the 20 percent who did not attend a public school during the 2007-2008 school year?
AZVA will contact families on the waitlist as additional slots become available, which will happen as more students enroll who attended a public school during the 2007-2008 school year. AZVA will continue to enroll new families until the overall school enrollment cap is met.

I would like to enroll my child in AZVA and another public school. Does the AZVA program allow for this kind of dual enrollment?
The AZVA program is a full-time, comprehensive academic program, and as such, it does not lend itself to dual enrollment.

Does AZVA accept students who have been expelled from another Arizona public school?
Pursuant to statute, the Arizona Virtual Academy is a public school and does not have to accept students who have been expelled from another Arizona public school. Students who have been expelled from an Arizona public school and submit an enrollment application to AZVA will be considered on an individual basis. Parents are responsible for informing AZVA if their students have been expelled from school upon initial submission of the enrollment application.

How many of my children can I enroll in the Arizona Virtual Academy?
Because the Arizona Virtual Academy provides all of the lesson plans and materials needed for K-12, many parents find it easy to enroll multiple children in the program. We currently have families with as many as five children in the program being guided by one learning coach in conjunction with the support of AZVA teachers.

What does it cost to attend the Arizona Virtual Academy?
Because AZVA is a public charter school program, there is no tuition. AZVA loans students a computer system and provides all instructional materials for the program. However, students and families will be responsible for providing some consumable materials (such as printer ink and paper).

Are there any attendance requirements?
Yes. According to state law, AZVA is required to offer 180 days of instruction in the 2008-2009 school year. Additionally, statute requires a minimum number of instruction hours per grade level. Contact our office for specific by-grade attendance requirements. AZVA students may log instructional time anytime during the day and on any day of the week.

Can I take a vacation during the school year?
The school calendar includes school "holidays" or vacation time. Whenever possible, family vacations should align with school vacation days. If a student skips a day during the week, he or she will be marked absent. Vacation is not an approved reason for absence in the state of Arizona.

Parents can apply for "Educational Leave of Absences" during the school year. Requests must be submitted to the Head of School 10 days before the absence. Leave will be approved based upon consistent student progress and attendance. No educational leave will be granted during any of the testing windows for state-mandated testing.

My neighbor's kindergarten student just enrolled in AZVA. I tried to enroll my five year old in AZVA as a kindergarten student and was told she is not eligible. Why?
Kindergarten students are only eligible to enroll in AZVA if they have a sibling enrolled in and attending AZVA during the 2007-2008 school year.

What about four-year-old kindergarten?
AZVA doesn't offer a four-year-old kindergarten program. Children must be age five on or before December 31 in order to participate, and they must have a sibling already enrolled.

Does AZVA offer full- or half-time kindergarten?
Kindergarten is half-time. Students will study language arts, math, and history.

Didn't find the answer to your question? Try one of our other FAQ pages:

• General FAQ
• Technical FAQs
• Testing & Assessment FAQs