Enrollment Process

Parents, please follow these steps to ensure LPA is a good fit for your family and to complete the process for applying to our school:

1. Review the website and application materials. 
2. Tour: Complete virtual or in-person tour. 
3. Lottery Application: Complete this School App STL, proof of residency and Free or Reduced Lunch Application (reach out to enroll@lafayetteprep.org to attain this document) by 6pm on the last day of the pertinent enrollment period to be entered into the lottery. 
   • First Enrollment Period: October 14th – March 1st
   • Second Enrollment Period: March 2nd – June 1st
   • Third Enrollment Period: June 2nd-September 30th
4. Lottery: The First Enrollment Period lottery will be held on March 6th, 2025 then families will be notified of acceptance or waitlist status bon March 7th. The Second Enrollment Period Lottery will be held on June 5th, 2025 then families will be notified of acceptance or waitlist status by email within 3 days. 
5. Enrollment Application: Upon receiving a spot, families will receive an email giving them access to the full Enrollment Application packet. 
   • In the event of a lottery, accepted students will be notified via the primary email provided in the Lottery Application within 3 business days. If your student is offered a spot, you will have 10 business days (first enrollment period) or 3 business days (second or third enrollment period) to accept and complete the Enrollment Packet to secure their spot for the upcoming school year.
6. All lottery applications submitted in our third enrollment period, after June 1st, will be admitted on a rolling basis as spots become available. Upon receiving a spot, families will receive an email giving them access to the full Enrollment Application packet. Families who receive a spot in the third enrollment period will have 3 days to submit their full Enrollment Application packet and secure their spot. 
7. Once each week, our enrollment team contacts applicants to confirm all forms have been received. If you prefer, you can contact us at 314-880-4458 or enroll@lafayetteprep.org to make sure all forms have been received.
8. LPA Ready Day: All new students, once admitted, are required to participate in “LPA Ready Day” to maintain enrollment. Ready Day will be offered on April 12, 2025 for all those who are admitted in the March lottery. For students admitted following the April Ready Day, a date will be offered in June and again in August. 

• Children entering kindergarten to sixth grade in the upcoming school year are eligible to apply to LPA.
  • Children applying for kindergarten must be five years old prior to August 1st for the year in which they are applying.
• Children living in the City of St. Louis are eligible to apply to LPA. Please see ‘Preferential Enrollment’ below for more information regarding the catchment zone policy.
• We partner with a city preschool where we receive a limited number of spots for students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch. Children applying for pre-kindergarten must be three years old on or before the year in which they are applying. This requires a different application, if you are interested in applying for one of these spots call our office at 314-880-4458.

Right now! Applications received on or before March 1st, 2025 will be considered in the first lottery for enrollment in the 2025 – 2026 school year.

Enrollment Periods:

• First Enrollment Period: October 14th – March 1st
• Second Enrollment Period: March 2nd  – June 1st
• Third Enrollment Period: June 2nd-September 30th

Applications received after September 30th will be considered submitted for enrollment for the following school year, unless otherwise determined by the Head of School.

A Virtual Family Tour is available here. Once you have completed it, you will be prompted to contact LPA.

You may also schedule an in-person tour here.

If you have any further questions or need assistance signing up for a tour please contact us at 314-880-4458 or enroll@lafayetteprep.org.

Apply for the 2025-26 school year, all applications received will be in the applicant pool for the lottery. 

Lafayette Preparatory Academy is one of 12 St. Louis public charter organizations working together to simplify our initial application process into one easy form, SchoolAppSTL, that you can fill out on any electronic device. The application allows you to apply to our school in less than 3 minutes and makes applying to schools easier, more accessible and more transparent. To apply to our schools, go to SchoolAppSTL.

Important Dates

2025-2026 School Year

Application Opens: October 14, 2024

Submit Applications by*: March 1, 2025

Receive Offers by: March 7, 2025

Select One School by*: March 17, 2025

*Families may choose to remain on waitlists
*Some schools may run an initial lottery with a deadline of November 15 and a second lottery for remaining openings on March 1 please see SchoolAppSTL website for more information.

*Note: If you have been waitlisted, you may choose to remain on our waitlist until you are made an offer at a later date

LPA staff will contact you within three days of being accepted via the email provided in the application. Acceptance is determined after the last day of the enrollment period.

After being notified of your acceptance you will have 10 business days (first enrollment period) or 3 business days (second or third enrollment period) to complete the Enrollment Packet to secure their spot for the upcoming school year or your spot will be considered open and offered to another family.

It is the policy of Lafayette Preparatory Academy not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in its programs or employment practices.

LPA gives preference for admission of children whose siblings attend our school. We also give preferential enrollment to children of LPA employees and board members who live within the St. Louis Public School District.

LPA gives first preference for admission of children who live within the 1st Catchment Zone, second preference for those who live within the 2nd Catchment Zone and third preference for students living anywhere within St. Louis City:

• 1st Catchment Zone: On or south of Convention Plaza and its Westward Expansion, West of the Mississippi River, on or North of Arsenal, on or East of Grand.
• 2nd Catchment Zone: On or south of Cass Ave. and its Westward Expansion, West of the Mississippi River, on or North of Chippewa, on or East of Kingshighway.
• 3rd Catchment Zone: within St. Louis City limits.

Entering Kindergarten applicants who qualify for FRL will have priority for enrollment until 40% open seats have been filled by applicants who qualify for FRL.