Frequently Asked Questions

No. Current FA scholars are automatically re-enrolled for the upcoming school year. We are asking families to submit an Intent to Return form by Feb. 7, 2023 to help FA determine whether any grades will have openings. 

FA students can live anywhere in New Jersey. Trenton residents get priority for admission. If spaces remain after all eligible Trenton students are admitted, applicants living outside our city selected by lottery, may be admitted.

You must submit a separate application for EACH child. See How to Apply

Yes. For admission to the Primary School, your child MUST be at least 5 years old by October 1. For admission to Foundation Academy Collegiate, students must be under the age of 20, per the State of New Jersey’s maximum age for public school enrollment.

No. Families must apply for each sibling of a current FA scholar. Siblings are given preference in the lottery, so if space is available in the sibling’s requested grade, the sibling is automatically admitted.

However, if there are more sibling applicants than available spaces, the siblings are given priority on the Wait List.  Siblings are children who live in the same household as the current Foundation Academies student.

No. Only ONE application per student will be accepted. Duplicate applications for the same student will be discarded.

No. The wait list DOES NOT roll over. You must SUBMIT A NEW APPLICATION for the school year for EACH CHILD you wish to enroll.

Yes. Your child must be registered in the public school district nearest your home. For students attending private school, being home-schooled, transferring into the district or otherwise unregistered, you must register in your local public school district prior to enrollment at Foundation Academies.

You may watch the admissions lottery event on the FA youtube link at 3 pm March 9, 2023 – but that is not required. If your child is selected via random admissions lottery, FA staff will contact you regarding enrollment next steps.

No. Selection in the lottery does NOT automatically guarantee enrollment. To officially enroll, families MUST submit a completed enrollment packet by the date listed on the letter and prior to the first day of school. If not, your child’s space may be forfeited to a student on the wait list.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of applications we receive, FA staff cannot respond to every applicant.

You would ONLY be notified IF spaces are available for your child’s grade level and provided information about the lottery.

If you have not been notified, it is likely FA has no space in your requested grade and your child has been placed on the Wait List.

If your child is placed on the Wait List, we will let you know if space becomes available at any time during the year.

When a space becomes available, FA staff will contact families on the Wait List in the order their applications were drawn during the admissions lottery. Should you be contacted, it is important that you respond QUICKLY – so please ensure we have your most up-to-date contact information.

If you fail to respond, the space becomes available to the next child on the wait list.

Beginning the day after the admissions lottery, you may log into your SchoolMint account to see your child’s position on the waiting list.

All FA classes K-12 have half-days each Friday.
K-8 classes convene at 363 W State Street. School hours are 7:45 am - 3:15 pm Mon-Thurs. and 7:45 am - 12:15 pm Friday.
Collegiate (9-12) classes convene 7:30 am - 3 pm Mon-Thurs and 7:30 am - 1:15 pm Friday.
FA has a longer school year than Trenton Public Schools. FA opens mid-August and ends mid-June. 

No. Bus transportation eligibility is determined by the Trenton Board of Education. If your child lives more than 2 miles from our West State Street facility or more than 2.5 miles from our Grand Street facility, you may apply for bus transportation. Detailed application information will be provided during the enrollment process.

Yes. All families will receive information about applying online for free or reduced priced lunches. Families must apply online, and will be notified of acceptance into the program within approximately 7-10 days. Even if your child qualified for free/reduced lunches last year, you need to reapply each year.
NOTE: Families are responsible for payment until FA receives notice applications have been approved. 

No. When school ends, students depart with their parents/guardians or via bus transportation. Students do have the opportunity to join numerous teams – both on-site and through city partnerships. Participation in these activities is at the parent/guardian’s discretion.

We offer middle school boys and girls soccer, cheerleading, and basketball in grades 5-8. At FA Collegiate, we offer boys and girls soccer, cheerleading, and basketball, as well as girls volleyball in grades 9-12. We also partner with Trenton Public Schools for other high school sports such as track, wrestling, and football.

At FA, high school sports include soccer (men’s and women’s), women’s volleyball, men’s basketball and cheerleading. Middle School sports include coed soccer, boys basketball (girls may try out and play), wrestling, intramural volleyball and cheerleading.

If our scholars play a sport not offered at FA, they have the opportunity to join a Trenton Central High School team.