ENROLLMENT FAQS

FernLeaf has an Open Enrollment period where applications are accepted for the FOLLOWING school year. The Open Enrollment period is from January 1st through March 31st. Our lottery is then held within 2 weeks of the Open Enrollment period closing, traditionally in early April. Once the Open Enrollment period is closed, all further applications are added to the waitlist for that student's specific grade level in the order that they are received. Applications are taken off of the waitlist as slots become available throughout the year. Slots are filled from the waitlist until December 1st of that current school year.

Apply on the FernLeaf website or you may request a hard copy be mailed to you. Applications cannot be considered complete and cannot be processed until proof of residency is received.

All applications received between January 1st and March 31st (this time period is referred to as Open Enrollment) will be entered into our annual school lottery and will be for the NEXT school year. The lottery is held in April and will create our waiting list as well as class rosters. If you are filling out an application between April 1st and December 1st - your application will be accepted and added to our waitlist in the order that they are received. We do not accept applications between December 2nd and December 31st.

A child must be five years old on or before August 31st of the year for which they are applying for enrollment.

Basic personal information and proof of residency (examples include a copy of your driver's license or state ID, current lease, mortgage, or deed of trust, voter or vehicle registration card, home insurance card, utility bill, armed forces or government ID card).

Just a few minutes to complete the requested information and submit proof of residency.

Our Creek Campus, located off of Howard Gap Road, will house our K - 4th grade classes. Our new Wilderness Campus slated to open in Fall of 2023, which is located 2 miles from the Creek Campus on Old Hendersonville Road, will house 5th grade through high school classes.

No, any student residing in North Carolina may apply.

No, your child must reside in North Carolina at the time of application.

A FernLeaf representative will contact you by email or phone within one week confirming the status of your application. Upon receipt of all required items, you will receive an application number which will be used for student identification in the lottery or be given a waitlist number.

This is a difficult question to answer as "the odds" CHANGE EVERY YEAR based on how many slots are available in each grade level AND how many applications we receive for that grade level. As you can imagine, outside forces, like a pandemic, can also affect your "odds" of being offered a slot at FernLeaf. All applications received after the lottery in April are added to the waitlist in the order they are received. Enrolled students' and their families' circumstances change frequently and it is not uncommon for students to transfer from FernLeaf mid-year. We continue to enroll new students off the waitlist until December 1st - if you're patient and willing to begin at FernLeaf after school starts, it is a very possible way to get off the waitlist!

If the number of applicants exceeds the number of available student slots for a particular grade level, a lottery will be held. We anticipate this being the case every year due to the high interest and demand. Our lottery for each school year is held in early April. Once our lottery is held ALL families who applied for that school year will receive an email notifying them of the lottery results.

After the lottery, FernLeaf will contact the parents/guardians of all students who have been selected. The results of the lottery, including the waiting list, will be available on the school’s website by the following day for a limited time. Results will also be posted on the doors of the school and Parents/Guardians may contact the school directly via email or phone at any time.

The results of the lottery, including the waitlist, will be emailed to ALL families who applied for that school year immediately following the lottery. Families will be notified either that they received a slot for the following school year OR their place on the waitlist. Families may also contact the school directly, via phone or email, at any time.

Yes, you will need to reapply during the Open Enrollment period of January 1st through March 31st of the following year. The waitlist does not carry over from one year to the next.

Multiple birth siblings will be entered as one number into any grade level lottery. If this number is drawn all multiple birth siblings will be offered enrollment.

There are a few different options available to you. Sign up for an in-person tour, see our school in action AND get all of your questions answered by someone on our staff. Sign up for our email list and we'll send you 4-6 emails over a 4 week period that go more into depth on what makes FernLeaf truly unique! Sign up for our email list so we can notify you of our annual Open House event that takes place in March every year. Call our AMAZING office administrator during office hours: 828-684-3645. We can't wait to meet you!

We are a cell-phone free campus. We ask all students to keep their cell phones at home during the school day. If a student needs to be reached during the school day we ask parents to call the office and teachers will convey the message.