Key guidelines for enrollment, lottery, waitlists, and registration at Candeo Peoria.

Enrollment Eligibility & Age Requirements

• Kindergarten age: Students must be five years old on or before September 1 of the school year they begin Kindergarten (per Arizona statute).
• Grades served: Candeo Peoria accepts applications for Kindergarten through 8th grade.
• Residency: Proof of Arizona residency is required at registration.

Applications & Open Enrollment

• Application portal: Families submit a short online application for each student.
• Open Enrollment: Applications submitted during the published Open Enrollment window are included in the initial lottery for the following school year.
• After Open Enrollment: Applications submitted after the window are processed on a rolling basis as seats become available.

Lottery & Waitlist

• When applications exceed available seats, Candeo conducts a lottery to assign a random number to each eligible application.
• Students not immediately offered a seat are placed on a waitlist, ordered by lottery number, application type, and applicable priorities.
• Offer response: If a seat is offered, families must respond within 48 hours to accept or decline. If no response is received, the offer will be withdrawn and extended to the next student on the list.

Waitlist Order & Priorities

Our waitlist is ordered first with Rollover students, then Open Enrollment students, and then Standard Enrollment students. Within each group, priorities are applied as follows:

1. Students of Staff
2. Students of enrolled siblings
3. Board Member students
4. Active Military families

Priorities do not guarantee placement but may improve a student’s position when demand exceeds capacity.

Required Documentation for Enrollment & REGISTRATION

• Proof of Arizona Residency

Families must provide verifiable documentation of Arizona residency as part of the initial enrollment process.

• Proof of Age and Identity

In accordance with A.R.S. §15-828, the person enrolling a student must provide acceptable proof of the student’s age and identity within 30 days after enrollment.

Acceptable documentation includes:

1. A certified copy of the student’s birth certificate;
2. Other reliable proof of the student’s identity and age, including a baptismal certificate, an application for a Social Security number, or original school registration records, together with an affidavit explaining the inability to provide a copy of the birth certificate; or
3. A letter from the authorized representative of an agency having custody of the student pursuant to applicable Arizona law certifying that the student has been placed in the agency’s custody.

A birth certificate is therefore one acceptable form of proof, but is not the only acceptable form (Arizona Legislature A.R.S. §15-828).

• Immunization Documentation

Immunization records or applicable exemption documentation are not required as a condition of enrollment or registration.

Required immunization records or applicable exemption documentation must be submitted before the student’s first day of attendance.

Information about Arizona school immunization requirements and applicable exemption forms is available through the Arizona Department of Health Services and Arizona Department of Education. ADE currently points schools to A.R.S. §§15-871 through 15-874, the applicable administrative rules, and medical and personal-belief exemption forms for K–12 students.

• Additional Student Information

Families may be asked to provide additional information necessary to establish and maintain the student’s educational record and prepare for attendance.

Kindergarten Program & Fees

• Program options: Half-Day (AM) and Full-Day Kindergarten.
• Half-day tuition: AM Kindergarten is tuition-free.
• Full-day tuition: $375 per month; payments are due and automatically withdrawn on the 1st of each month.

Re-Enrollment, Transfers & Withdrawal

• Re-Enrollment: Current families complete re-enrollment during the published window to retain their seat for the next year.
• Transfers: Families may apply to transfer to Candeo Peoria; transfer offers depend on seat availability and follow the same lottery/waitlist procedures when applicable.
• Withdrawal: If you plan to withdraw, please notify the school office in writing so records can be transferred and seats can be offered to waitlisted students.

Empowerment Scholarship Accounts

Participation in Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program in the past does not prevent a student from enrolling at Candeo. A student may enroll at Candeo provided the family has discontinued acceptance of ESA funds as required by applicable law and program requirements.

Non‑Discrimination & Compliance

Candeo Schools admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin, and provides equal access to programs and activities in compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Reasonable accommodations are available upon request.

Religious and Cultural Accommodations

Candeo Schools recognizes that religious and cultural practices may require reasonable exceptions to certain uniform, grooming, or appearance requirements. Families seeking an accommodation should contact the school administration.

Policy Updates

Policies and procedures are subject to change. When changes are made, families will be notified and the website will be updated.