Frequently Asked Questions

A: Children who already attend the school will automatically move to the next grade if they meet the academic requirements. For new students wishing to enroll in our school, under the Charter School Law students must reside in the school district where the school resides, in our case Philadelphia School District. After open enrollment closes available slots are determined. If there are more students wishing to enroll, then available spots, a lottery is drawn to help determine which students will be enrolled. The applicants who are not chosen at the beginning of the school year will be placed on a waiting list in the order that they were chosen from the lottery.

 

A: Applications for the 2025-26 school year will be available and are now Closed.

A: Along with the “Intent to Enroll” parents/guardians receive a list of our lottery dates. The lottery is public and held at the school. Parents/guardians are welcome to attend, but please bring your lottery numbers assigned to your child. If a parent/guardian is present at one of the lotteries they will know if their child was placed on the waiting list. 

 

A: CAP will strive to keep all families together per the Charter School Law, but cannot guarantee it. As soon as a slot opens for the waiting sibling of a current CAP student, the sibling may be given preference over any child on the waiting list. (Please review the definition of a sibling on our website)

A: The waiting list is valid until the end of the school year only. A parent/guardian will have to submit another application for the child for the following school year if we do not come to your child’s name on the waiting list. All applications and waiting lists are for one-year only.

A: The Office of Admissions and Student Records will mail out a letter and/or call all parents/guardians who have students on the waiting list, asking them to respond if they are still interested. If we do not get a response from the parent/guardian, or if the parent/guardian is not interested, the student will lose his/her spot on the waiting list, and we will go to the next name on the list.

A: Community Academy of Philadelphia CS students are required to wear uniforms. Please see the student handbook for a full explanation of our dress code. The handbook can be viewed on this website.

A: Transportation services are not provided for Kindergarten students. Community Academy Students who live 2 miles away from school in grades 1 through 6 receive bus transportation. Grades 7-12 students who live 2 miles away or more from the school will receive a Septa school trans pass through the School District of Philadelphia. All transportation is provided by the School District, NOT CAP, and regulated by the SRC.  CAP has no control over the rules and regulations of school transportation.

A: Yes, we provide breakfast between the hours of 7:30am through 8:15am and lunch for grades K through 4 are between the hours of 11:00am through 11:30am, grades 5 through 8 between the hours of 11:31am through 12:01am and grade 9 through 12 between the hours of 10:30am through 1:00pm. CAP is a school-wide free lunch approved school.

A: Our school day begins promptly at 8:00am and ends at 3:00pm. On Wednesday’s our school day begins promptly at 8:00am and ends at 1:00pm.

A: Our school provides the following Support Services:

• Special Education

• Emotional Support

• English as a Second Language

• Reading Services

• Daycare Services

• Health Services

• Food Services

For further detailed information please refer to the support service tab on our website by clicking here.

A: A list of all High School Extracurricular Activities can be in the Schools menu of this website.

A: A list of all Elementary Division Extracurricular Activities can be found in the Schools menu of this website.

A: Charter schools are public schools of choice that operate with freedom from many of the regulations that apply to traditional public schools. The "charter" establishing each such school is a performance contract detailing the school's mission, program, goals, students served, methods of assessment, and ways to measure success. Charter schools are mandated to be innovative in their approach to teaching and learning while also accountable to the local, state, and federal governments. Community Academy is held accountable to the District and the State to ensure that qualified teachers are teaching students a standards-based curriculum. Charter schools are self-managed public schools, but we must function within the guidelines of the Charter School Law established by the State of Pennsylvania.

A: The intention of most charter school legislation is to:

• Increase opportunities for learning and access to quality education for all students

• Create choice for parents/guardian and students within the public school system

• Provide a system of accountability for results in public education

• Encourage innovative teaching practices

• Create new professional opportunities for teachers

• Encourage community and parent involvement in public education