Admissions Overview
26-27 Lottery is complete
Join the waitlist!
Welcome and thank you for your interest in becoming a part of the Telra Institute family. Telra is a nonprofit tuition-free public charter school authorized by the State of North Carolina. We adhere to an open admissions and enrollment policy.
Here's how the process works:
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Submit an online application
(it takes just 5 minutes on your smartphone or computer)
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Receive acceptance/ waitlist notification
Wait for the lottery results and offers. Applications received after the lottery are added to the wait list in the order they are received after applying any applicable admission preferences.
or
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Complete enrollment
by submitting documents
FAQ's
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What's next if my child is admitted?
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What are the documentation requirements?
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Does Telra use admissions screening?
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Why did my child move backward on the waitlist
Who can apply?
We invite applications from all children who meet AGE and RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS:
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AGE - ​A child who reaches the age of five years on or before August 31 qualifies to enter Kindergarten. Limited exceptions apply.
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NORTH CAROLINA RESIDENCY - Attendance is open to applicants from any county or school district area as long as the child's primary residence is in the state of North Carolina.
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DOCUMENTATION - Documentation is not required at the time of application, but if your child is admitted, proof of eligibility must be provided to complete enrollment.
Should I apply?
We want every child to find the best school environment that helps them realize their potential. We invite you to review Choosing A School to learn what makes Telra special.
When do I apply?
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We want every child to have an equal opportunity to attend our school. All applications received during Open Enrollment will be given equal consideration. The order in which Open Enrollment applications are submitted has no bearing on chances for selection.
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You can also apply after the Open Enrollment period. However, late applications will be only be considered after the Open Enrollment applications are processed (see below).
How are students selected?
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When the Open Enrollment period ends, we compare the number of applications we received to the number of available seats in each grade and section.
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If more seats are available than applicants, we accept all eligible children who applied during Open Enrollment.
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If we have fewer seats available than applicants, a computerized lottery will take place to determine which students get a seat and which students are placed on the waiting list.
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Admissions preferences can provide an advantage in the lottery. We urge parents to review them and learn if any apply to your child. The application form will give you the opportunity to claim any relevant admission preferences.
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Children who apply after Open Enrollment closes are processed in the order their applications are received and placed on the appropriate list - admitted or waitlist.
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If your child is on the waitlist, don’t be discouraged! Seats will open up throughout the spring and summer. We will send you updates as the waitlist moves and continue to send you school information.
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Note that admissions preferences also apply to applicants on the waitlist. If you discover, after you have been waitlisted, that one of the admissions preferences apply to your child, you can update your application and improve your chances of selection.
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How does the lottery work?
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At the end of Open Enrollment, we determine - for each grade and section - whether a lottery is needed. Applicants are then assigned a random number and their applications are then sequenced from lowest (at the top of the list) to highest number (at the bottom of the list). Offers are extended in this sequence until capacity is reached.
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We do not know ahead of time what the capacity will be in each grade, nor can we predict likelihood of admission. That is a somewhat dynamic question as space and staff are allocated depending on multiple factors, including overall demand, relative demand at each grade, and turnover.
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Admissions preferences are an exception to the random lot assignment. Many families may qualify for one or more admission preferences, so it is important to review them closely and see if any may apply to your child in order to maximize your chances of admission.
How do I apply?
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Choose your format
Families can apply for the Telra's in-person program, the Remote Academy (virtual) program, or both. Go to the correct application link:-
In-person program: https://telra.almastart.com
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Remote Academy: https://telraremote.almastart.com
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Log in or create an Alma Start Account
A responsible parent or guardian must log into or create an Alma Start account. If you have applied to Telra in previous years, you can use the same Alma Start login credentials. If you choose to apply to both programs, you can use the same login credentials for each. Need help on navigating Alma Start? Access the walkthrough videos with the password: Sparkpotential -
Select or Add the Student
If you have children already on your profile, click on their name to select them. If the prospective student is not listed, click "Add Student" to provide their name and then select them. -
Begin Process
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​Once a child is selected, you can click on the "Begin New Process"
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Select the school year for the new application (2026-27), and the child's current Grade Level (in 25-26).
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Click on the Admission 2026-27 process box that appears below. Then click "begin" to launch the process.
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Complete Forms
New applicants will start in the Admissions intake stage. Click there to complete the required forms. -
Submit Application
Once you have completed all the forms, click the green submit button to move your application to the Wait List stage. Make sure to complete this step by the end of open enrollment (January 22) if you want to participate in the Lottery. -
Wait
You will know that your application is complete because it will show as being in the Wait List stage. You will not receive an immediate email confirmation. However, prior to the lottery you will receive an email that assigns your application a unique code that you can use to identify your child in the lottery and waitlist. -
Lottery
The lottery was held on January 23, 2026. We shared a virtual meeting link on our home page for those who are interested in joining live to watch us use the RAND() function in Microsoft Excel to assign a random number to each applicant. The lower the number, the earlier an applicant will be in the assignment sequence (adjusted for any other lottery priorities). -
Sequencing
Within one week of the lottery (i.e., by January 30), Telra will publish assignment sequences. You'll know your random number on the lottery date, but you won't know where you are on the list until the Sequence date.​​ -
Offers
After the sequencing is complete, the school begins offering seats, beginning with applicants at the top of the sequence and proceeding down. Some seats will be available and offers will be extended right away. Other seats may not become available until later in the spring, so assignments for those will be deferred. The assignment process takes several months throughout the spring, and some assignments even stretch into the summer. Our advice: if you are determined to be a Telra family, be patient and remain on the list. Every year, some families who had almost given up hope receive the happy news of an offer. -
Reaffirmation
Because the assignment process can take time, we understand that some families on the wait list make other educational plans. If you do, please let us know so that we can remove your applicant from the waitlist, which expedites the processing of offers. From time-to-time, we will send out an email to all families on the waitlist to ask whether they wish to "reaffirm" their interest in Telra to remain on the list. Families who do not respond to a reaffirmation email will be removed from the wait list. -
Late applicants
Applications received after the end of Open Enrollment will be added to a wait list in the order they are received, and behind all of the applications that were received during Open Enrollment. Later wait list additions will receive an email at the end of the month they register with the unique ID they can use to look up their waitlist position. While you are waiting, keep an eye on opportunities to learn more about the school, take a tour, and participate in placement testing.
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If you don't have access to internet, need translation support, or would like to apply another way, please reach out to applications [at] telra.org or call the school at 704-727-2530.
What's next if my child is admitted?
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You will receive an email notifying you that your child has been admitted and how you can respond to accept or decline the offer. You will have up to 7 days to respond, but we request that you be prompt, as your decision impacts other families. (See below for exceptions from this timeline.)
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If you accept, you will receive an email explaining how to proceed to enroll your child and explaining the documentation requirements. You will have up to 7 days to provide the requested documents and complete the registration forms (also on Alma Start). (See below for exceptions from this timeline.)
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After you submit your registration forms, they will undergo a validation process that can take up to a week​. You may be contacted if a form was incorrectly completed or an uploaded document is not valid or legible.
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When validation is complete, you will receive an email welcoming you to Telra. If you haven't received this email after a week, be sure to check your spam folder before reaching out to inquire.
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Any admissions from the waitlist more than 30 days after the date of the lottery may have shortened timelines (2 days) for response.​​​​
What about future years?
If you are planning to continue attending Telra, once enrolled, a student does not need to submit another application nor enter a lottery to remain a Telra Institute in subsequent years. (Once you're in, you're in!)
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If you decide to move to another school (mid-year or at the end of an academic year), you will need to re-apply if you change your mind and decide you want to come back to Telra.
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Also note that, because Telra's curriculum and grade level system are different from that of other schools, if you do leave Telra, we cannot predict how another school will map your Telra courses and grade level to theirs. They may go simply by your nominal Telra grade level or they may take into account the specific coursework you have completed at Telra and give you an accelerated placement. Ultimately, these decisions are made by the school leadership at your destination school.
What are the documentation requirements?
Parents or guardians will be required to submit certain documentation to complete enrollment. This will include:
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Identification
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Copy of child's birth certificate or other proof of age and legal name
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North Carolina residency - Acceptable proof of residency documents must include the parent or guardian's name. Any of the following documents may be used:
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A utility bill dated within the past 60 days, such as gas, water, electric, telephone, or cable
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A financial statement dated within the past 60 days such as payroll stub, bank statement, or credit card statement
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Current vehicle registration
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Dated within the past year: Vehicle Tax Bill, Property Tax Bill, W-2, or Medicaid Card
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Copy of residential deed or record of most recent residential mortgage statement
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Notarized Residency Affidavit (form)
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Residential lease
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HUD closing statement
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Letter from approved agency or group home
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Refugee resettlement letter
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Exceptions to the proof of residency requirement apply for a child whose parent or legal guardian is on active military duty and is transferred or pending transfer pursuant to an official military order. Please review the requirements here and contact Telra if you think this may apply to you.
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Immunization
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North Carolina law requires all children in the state to receive certain immunizations as listed here.
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McKinney-Vento
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Telra Institute complies with the McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Assistance Act.
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Children experiencing homelessness may enroll, even if lacking normally required documents. Please contact Telra if you think this may apply to you or reach out to Lisa Notini at Lisa.Notini@polarisims.com 828.287.7897.
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Additional resources are available here: https://hepnc.uncg.edu/
Does Telra have admissions screening?
We know many other schools (charters, privates, and district magnets) screen applicants based on standardized tests, portfolio reviews, auditions, etc. These processes often include cognitive aptitude tests to identify "giftedness", but those can be unreliable for preschool-aged children. Since many of our applicants are only 4 years old, such an exam would be of limited use for us.
Moreover, the advanced learning curriculum we offer works fabulously well for many gifted students, but not all of them. At the same time there are other students who have the passion and drive to thrive at Telra (and in life!), but may not carry the "gifted" label.
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Instead of focusing on admissions screening and binary labels, we offer placement assessments that students can take if they are requesting a non-default placement in reading or math. These assessments are similar to those our enrolled students take regularly - they correlate directly with our grouping model and they inform which grade or math/reading instructional group a student is eligible for. Every Telra student will take a placement assessment when they join us; we also offer applicants the option of taking them prior to joining.
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We recommend participating in the early placement assessments if you believe your child needs to be placed at a math or reading level different from their default grade level (noting that their default grade level at Telra may not be the same as their grade level placement elsewhere). Placement results do not affect an applicant's lottery or waitlist position. However, they can affect a student's instructional grouping and/or grade level placement. As a result, they can indirectly impact assignment because we (sequentially, in lottery order) consider each applicant against available space in each of the classes / grade levels into which that applicant is recommended for placement.
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Please note: Placement results can be a rude awakening for many families, especially in North Carolina, where schools often report inflated grades, misleading families about students' true proficiency level. At Telra, grade advancement is earned through demonstrated knowledge, not conferred due to age. This may require a grade level adjustment upon joining our school, but we find this positions students for maximum academic growth in their time at Telra.
Why did my child move backward on the waitlist?
We know no one wants to see their child move to a higher number on the waitlist, but this can happen when another applicant has an admission preference applied. As much as possible, we try to identify admission preferences prior to the lottery, but sometimes these are not recognized until after the lottery is run, and sometimes families that apply after the lottery may qualify for an admission preference which can advance them on the waitlist.
Where is the school?
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Telra Institute K-8 is located at 4150 McKee Rd, Charlotte, NC 28270
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Telra Institute High School is located at 3130 Campus Ridge Rd, Matthews NC 28105
See more on our Location page
What about transportation, meals, uniforms, etc?​
If you are interested in our in-person program, please read more about Attending Telra. Our school uniform and dress code principles can be found here.