Open enrollment in January for tuition-free Kingsland School
Kingsland School, a public charter school, is currently accepting enrollment applications for the spring semester. Open enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is in January. Staff photo by Daniel Clifton
Kingsland School is accepting applications for the 2020-21 spring semester. Open enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is in January.
While the school accepts applications throughout the year, state law sets aside January as the open enrollment period for charter schools when every applicant has an equal opportunity for admission.
As a public charter school, there is no tuition to attend.
Kingsland School, which is part of the Orenda Public Charter School District, is a kindergarten through 10th grade campus with 134 students. The school is open to students in the Llano, Marble Falls, and Burnet school district boundaries.
The spring semester begins Jan. 4.
While Kingsland School can have 217 students, officials believe 180 is the best number for the campus, said Kelsey R.W. Rentschler, director of Community Relations and development for the Orenda Public Charter School District.
Students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If the number of applications exceeds the number of seats for a particular grade level, officials use a random drawing to determine who is admitted.
Kingsland School calls itself a college-preparatory school and also offers special education. Teachers emphasize the Advancement Via Individual Determination program, which helps students achieve academic goals and prepare for colleges and universities.
“It’s an alternative to your traditional school,” Rentschler said.
She noted that secondary-level Kingsland School students scored an 832 average on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test or the PSAT. The state average was 802, Rentschler said.
“In our college-preparatory setting, we focus on getting pre (advanced-placement) classes and give that higher level of instruction,” she said. “Our goal is that when they get to that first year of college, they feel prepared.”
It also offers clubs and other activities, including a yearbook. The school wants to offer sports but must have more students enrolled before making that commitment, she said.
Rentschler said officials have plans to add 11th and 12th grades in the future but haven’t determined when that will be. Much of that will depend on “enrollment and interest,” she said.
“We have a lot on hold because of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Kingsland School is one of five Orenda Charter School District campuses; the others are Gateway College Prep School and Gateway Tech School, both in Georgetown, New Horizons School in Goldthwaite, and Nolan Creek School in Belton. Charter schools are public schools, funded by Texas taxpayers. However, they operate “with freedom from many of the local and state regulations that apply to traditional private schools,” according to the Orenda website.
Contact Kingsland School at 325-388-0020 for more information. The school is located at 2112 RR 1431 West in Kingsland.
