Jefferson Parish

Why YACS?

Young Audiences Charter Schools are dedicated to providing an enriching, arts-integrated curriculum and school environment that prepares creative learners for post-school endeavors. We have an expansive catalog of academic and art pathway courses, as well as athletic and after-school programs for students to participate in.

PK4 - 6th grade students have accelerated course offerings, and access to every art form including textiles. High school students are able to take college credit AP courses and pursue internship and CTE certifications, and can take media arts and culinary courses in addition to the other arts! More information about our school culture can be found on our school web page.

There is a place for every single student at YACS, so we highly encourage you to apply!

General Overview

Young Audiences Charter Schools (YACS) are open enrollment, tuition-free public charter schools. As Type 1 charters in Jefferson Parish, any student who resides in Jefferson Parish is eligible to apply. Preference is given to siblings of current students and Westbank residents (see Lottery Preferences section).

Non-Discrimination Assurance

Young Audiences Charter Schools are free, public charter schools that do not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, special needs, English language proficiency, athletic ability, or academic achievement.

Eligibility and Application Requirements

To be eligible to complete an application, students must reside in Jefferson Parish. There are no other requirements to attend Young Audiences Charter Schools. If the number of applications exceeds enrollment capacity, a lottery will be held. Siblings and residents on the Westbank will be given preference (see Lottery Preferences section below).

Lottery Process

Application Period

YACS’s application opens at 8 AM on January 1st and closes at 5 PM on March 1st. If the number of applicants submitted within the application period exceeds the number of seats available for any grade level, a computer-generated, random lottery will be run to determine who is offered a seat at the school. Applications submitted after March 1st are put into an ordered waitlist. All applications submitted within the application period will have an equal opportunity for admission, regardless of whether they are submitted on the first day or the last day of the application period. Applications are not valid, rolled-over, or processed for any subsequent school year, a new application must be submitted to be considered. Once a student is admitted, they do not need to reapply each year.

Lottery Preferences

Lottery preferences shall be considered in the following order:

Applicants who demonstrate interest and ability in the arts
Applicants who are siblings of learners currently enrolled at YACS
Children of YACS Faculty and Staff
Applicants who are residents of Gretna
Applicants who are residents of Jefferson Parish

Student Application Process

Kindergarten - 12th grade applications must be submitted online at yacs.schoolmint.com. Young Audiences Charter Schools use SchoolMint to manage applications. Each family must create an account with SchoolMint to access the application. Families can also apply in person at any Young Audience Jefferson Parish campus, where the office manager will help you fill out the application details online. The online application allows parents to save and finish applications later, if needed.

The last day to submit an application and be included in the first round lottery is March 1st at 5 PM. Any application submitted after the state will be admitted based on availability, and will be notified via email and SchoolMint on your parent portal. All required documents must be submitted online with the application and any applications with missing required documents will not be eligible for the admissions lottery. The admissions lottery is open to the public. Notification of admission or placement on the waitlist will be announced at the lottery, emailed to parents/guardians, and will be available to view on your parent portal after the lottery is complete and results are verified.

The Pre-K application is submitted through Jefferson Child. All Jefferson Parish residents are eligible to apply. Enrollment is lottery-based and is NOT first-come, first-served. Publicly funded programs prioritize enrollment for low-income children and children with identified disabilities. For more information regarding the Pre-K program, please visit Pre-K 4 / LA 4 Programs - Jefferson Parish Early.
Families not eligible for LA4 can apply directly to YACS for tuition-based PK4 seating through SchoolMint. We believe in providing diverse educational opportunities for all families in our community.

Geographic Boundaries

Any student of the appropriate grade who resides in Jefferson Parish is eligible to apply. Students that reside on the Westbank of Jefferson Parish (Gretna, Terrytown, Harvey, Marrero, Bridge City, Westwego, Avondale, Waggaman) receive preference in the lottery.

Waitlist

If the total number of applicants exceeds the school's capacity, applicants shall be admitted based on a weighted admissions lottery. The school will use the lottery to reach maximum capacity, and also to determine the order in which students are placed on a waitlist. If an opening occurs at the school, the following procedure will be followed. If a student withdraws, the seat will be filled by the next student on the waitlist. The waitlist is active from the time of the lottery to March 1st of the school year of application. Any student who remains on the waitlist, must reapply the following school year. All applicants offered a seat shall be required to confirm their enrollment status.

Lottery

The lottery is open to the public but a family’s presence is not required to secure a seat. All applicants will be notified by email of their enrollment status or number on the waitlist within one week of the lottery.

Rules and Procedures

A lottery shall be conducted by the school to include all grades in which the number of applicants exceeds the number of expected seats available.
If the number of applicants is less than the number of anticipated seats, no lottery shall be conducted for that grade level.
All applicants (students not currently attending school, including siblings of those enrolled) participate in the lottery.
Only applications completed and received before the deadline are eligible to participate in the lottery.
All applicants offered a seat are required to confirm their enrollment in a specified time
All preference categories shall be published before the lottery is concluded
All applicants entitled to receive a lottery preference shall be identified BEFORE the lottery is conducted.

Lottery Process

Applications must be submitted online or postmarked no later than the publicized due date. The date will be announced at least six weeks in advance, posted on the YACS website and presented in all recruitment materials.
If the number of applications exceeds enrollment capacity, a lottery will be held.
All families will be notified of the lottery via mail, phone, and email at least one week before the scheduled lottery.
The lottery is run through SchoolMint, an online enrollment management system.
In the case where the number of applicants at a particular grade level DOES NOT exceed the available seats, all applicants will be accepted. Any future enrollments in this period will be accepted on a rolling basis until capacity is met.
In the case where the number of applicants at a particular grade level DOES exceed the available seats, a waiting list will be created.
YACS grants enrollment preferences to students whose siblings are currently enrolled at YACS and then to students who reside on the Westbank

YACS grants enrollment preference to students whose siblings are currently enrolled at YACS and then to students who reside on the Westbank of Jefferson Parish.
After all names are drawn for the lottery, siblings followed by Westbank residents will be placed ahead of those without siblings and East Bank residents. For example, if an East Bank resident is pulled as the sixth name and a Westbank resident is pulled as the seventh name, the Westbank resident will be placed above the East Bank resident.

Lottery results are reported to the families of admitted students and waitlisted students within two weeks of the initial lottery in the form of a mailing and a phone call.
In order to accept admission if chosen in the lottery, families must confirm that their student will attend YACS within two weeks of being notified. At least two phone calls will be made to attempt to reach the family before considering the response as a denial of admittance.
Any open seats will be offered to students on an order waitlist, constructed using the same procedure and enrollment preference as described above.

Discover the extraordinary tools shaping our Future Leaders! Join us for an enlightening session where we'll showcase the innovative educational opportunities we provide. Your journey to excellence begins here – don't miss out!

Young Audiences Charter Schools strives to be an inclusive and safe educational setting for all of our Creative Learners regardless of gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religious belief, or exceptionality.

a high school female student drawing, framed in an organic shape with paint splatters