Admission Regulations
Recruitment and Enrollment Notification
2025-2026
GENERAL INFORMATION
Odyssey Community School is a public charter school located in Manchester, Connecticut. Charter schools are public, independent schools funded directly by the Connecticut State Department of Education. The Odyssey Board of Trustees functions as our Board of Education. We are responsible for meeting all the state and federal requirements of any Connecticut public school. Charter school teachers must meet all of the state certification requirements, and charter school students must take the state mandated achievement tests in the elementary and middle grades.
Odyssey Community School accepts students from all cities and towns in Connecticut. Bus transportation is only available for K-8 students who reside in Manchester. Parents are responsible for providing transportation to and from Odyssey for those students living outside Manchester.
Children are admitted to Odyssey Community School by lottery. If you are placed on the WAITLIST, you must reapply for the upcoming school year.
Odyssey Community School classroom enrollment size does not exceed 20 students per class.
Please note that any preschool child who is not in attendance for more than 20 consecutive days at any time during the school year will be withdrawn from OCS on day 21. This is due to Odyssey’s long waiting list for preschool enrollees, as we typically have hundreds of waitlisted students each year.
All students who wish to attend Odyssey must submit an application. Student applications are available on our website, www.odysseyschool.org. Each year, Odyssey admits new students for each grade, depending upon the availability of open slots. Students are selected based on a public, random lottery, which ensures all students have an equal opportunity to enroll. The lottery is held in April. Students that are not selected will be added to a waiting list. If an opening occurs, the first student on the waiting list at that grade level will fill the vacant space. All deadlines for registration must be met in order to ensure a seat is granted.
The Odyssey Community School Lottery Application must be completed by a legal parent or guardian. This means that only the child's legally recognized parent or guardian can submit the application to enter the school lottery, ensuring that the application is made by someone with the authority to make educational decisions for the child.
a. Sibling Policy: For purposes of the admissions process and lottery, siblings of a current Odyssey student (whose primary residence is in the same household or that have at least one legal guardian in common) will be granted preference within the lottery. An application must be completed before the lottery has been held to guarantee preference. If a parent/guardian wishes to enroll a sibling after the lottery has been held, the parent will complete an application for their child, and that child will be added to the waiting list.
b. Children of Odyssey employees: For purposes of the admissions process and lottery, children of a current Odyssey employee (who must be a legal guardian of the child) will be granted preference within the lottery. An application must be completed before the lottery has been held to guarantee preference. If an employee wishes to enroll a child after the lottery has been held, the employee will complete an application for their child, and that child will be added to the waiting list.
PRESCHOOL AND KINDERGARTEN ENTRY
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, age minimum requirements, based on Public Act 23-208, Section 1(a):
For students to enter PreK3, that child must turn THREE before September 1, 2025
For students to enter Prek4, that child must turn FOUR before September 1, 2025
For students to enter kindergarten, that child must turn FIVE before September 1, 2025
TIMELINE FOR ENROLLMENT PROCESS
January 17, 2025: Online Intent to Return form instructions emailed to parents of current students and staff
February 21, 2025: Online Intent to Return form must be completed by this date. Students who do not have their online Intent to Return form completed by the due date will have to enter the lottery process if they wish to be considered for enrollment. There are no exceptions.
March 3, 2025: Online Application will be posted to the website no later than this date for new families.
March 6, 2025 at 6pm: Virtual Open House Orientation Program
April 4, 2025: Online Lottery Applications due. Applications received after April 4, 2025 will be put on the waiting list in first come/first served order after on-time applications are processed. There are no exceptions.
April 23, 2025 at Noon: Lottery. Acceptance letters will be emailed approximately one week after the lottery. (Email communication regarding offered seats will be sent out no later than five days after the completion of the lottery) Students offered an open seat are eligible to enroll and must complete the registration process and deliver all required documents to secure the seat.
May 9, 2025: Online Registration forms must be completed. If the online registration form is not completed by May 9, 2025, the open seat will be given to the first student on the waiting list. The student who did not complete the registration form will be placed at the end of the waiting list.
May 30, 2025: Accepted Student Open House
Prior to school opening, those parents offered a seat from the waitlist will be given 5 days to complete the registration process. Beginning August 1st, those parents offered a seat from the waitlist (phone call and email) will be given 48 hours to complete the registration process. The open seat will be given to the next student on the waitlist if these timeframes are not met.
We will fill open spots through December 2025.
There are no exceptions to the above deadline times and dates.