Frequently Asked Questions
Table of Contents
Application/Admission
The application will only ask for basic information including parent/guardian names, contact information, the student’s name, date of birth, and the grade they are applying for. The process is simple and only takes about five minutes to complete.
No. Texas state law prohibits us from asking for information regarding your immigration status.
Admission is based on lottery and availability of open seats. Siblings of currently enrolled students and siblings of newly enrolled students get a preference in the lottery. Even if there’s not an immediate open seat, a sibling application goes to the top of the waitlist. We move thru our waitlist fast, we strongly encourage you to accept the child that was drawn in the lottery so that the sibling will get that sibling preference!
Log in to your Schoolmint account that you created when you applied. Our lottery is drawn in the first week of February and you will be notified by email and text if your child was drawn in the lottery and offered a spot or if you were placed on the wait list. You can also see your status in your Schoolmint Account. A few weeks after the initial lottery notification, you will be able to see your position on the wait list.
Congratulations! All Uplift schools offer an amazing educational experience. We encourage you to go ahead and accept that spot and begin the registration process to make sure your child can be a part of the Uplift Education experience. If you accept a spot, you will be removed from the wait list for any schools you ranked higher in your preferences. If you decline the offer for a 2nd or 3rd choice school, you will remain on the wait list for any schools you ranked higher, with no guarantee of an offer.
There are a variety of reasons an application can get canceled, but the primary reasons are:
- You submitted more than one application for a child. Only one application is allowed per child.
- You were offered a spot at one of our schools but you failed to accept your offer and complete registration before the deadline.
There are two main reasons a grade is not offered on the application:
The school does not offer that grade. Some of our schools stop at 5th grade, but for every one of those schools, there is a middle school and high school that the 5th graders automatically progress into for middle school. Additionally, some newer schools may not have all grades offered yet. Also, a few of our schools do not offer Pre-K.
Academics
Uplift's academic focus is based on the globally recognized, college and life prep, International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. All Uplift high schools are authorized IB schools, and through the IB Diploma Program students have the opportunity to earn college credit while in high school by earning passing scores on their IB exams. IB is similar to AP, but it is an internationally recognized program.. Students earning a full IB Diploma are guaranteed a minimum of 24 college credit hours at a Texas public college or university, in accordance with Texas law. Some Uplift high schools do offer Advanced Placement courses (AP) or Dual Credit (DP), but those options are limited and vary by high school.
At Uplift, developing our scholars socially and emotionally is equally as important as developing them academically. It is our goal to not only help our scholars be prepared for college, but also be globally-minded citizens who are caring, principled and open-minded.
We invite you to learn more about SEL at Uplift by visiting our SEL page.
Uplift Education campuses report grades on a nine-week grading cycle. Individual Progress Reports are provided at the 3-week and 6-week mark of a grading cycle and Report Cards at the end of each 9-week grading cycle.
At Uplift, achievement of skills and knowledge are the primary basis for grades. Teachers provide a written overview of course requirements and expectations in the the first week of school which includes assessment measures and grading scale.
It is Uplift’s policy not to rank scholars.
School Life
Your child’s safety is our top priority. While we can't guarantee there will never be an emergency on one of our campuses, we can ensure that we have plans in place to address safety issues within our control at each of our campuses:
Comprehensive Emergency Operations Plans
Gates, Locking Vestibules, and Electronic Access Systems provide a multi-layer support to prevent unwanted intruders.
Security cameras located in the interior and exterior of the campus provide administrators with a full view of the school.
A partnership with local police departments who provide support during our AM and PM carline.
A dedicated Social Counselor whose primary focus is the mental health and social-emotional well-being of every scholar.
Volunteers and visitors receive background checks and are screened through our Raptor system.
Active shooter response training, along with regularly conducted safety drills.
While we know that these are best practices and exceed the safety requirements of TEA and the Texas School Safety Center, we also need your partnership in being vigilant and responsive to your child’s mental needs.
If you have additional questions about our safety measures, please contact safetyquestions@uplifteducation.org.
Uplift schools each have their own bell schedules, and all schools have an early dismissal day each Wednesday. Refer to this document to see the school start and dismissal times for each school.
Yes. Uplift believes in having our students focus their energy to develop a life-long love of learning instead of focusing on what they are wearing.
The cost of uniforms varies by grade level. We invite you to use our School Directory to access the website for your child’s school. Once there, you can navigate to the Family & Scholars link located near the top right-hand corner. Lastly, click on School Uniforms.
Yes. Our schools offer a wide array of athletic programs including basketball, baseball, cross country, cheerleading, flag football, soccer, and track and field, among others. In addition to sports, Uplift also offers a variety of clubs, such as – art, chess, dance, community service, music, photography, yearbook, and more. Check with your respective school for more information as to which extracurricular activities are offered to students.
Uplift Education offers healthy meals every school day. Not only are they healthy, but our meals feature bright colors, bold flavors and balanced nutrition. We invite you to visit our Child Nutrition Program page to learn more.
No. Unfortunately, Uplift does not offer transportation.
The uniforms policy varies by school. We invite you to use our School Directory to access the website for your child’s school. Once there, you can navigate to the Family & Scholars link located near the top right-hand corner. Lastly, click on School Uniforms.
Yes. At Uplift we call our parent organization VIP or Volunteers in Partnership. We encourage all of our parents to be involved at the school through the VIP or other opportunities to volunteer of join your child on campus.
Uplift knows that every day counts and research shows that children with fewer absences have better academic success. Uplift's full attendance policy can be found here.
At this time, all Uplift classes are held in person. We maintain strict standards for cleanliness and scholar health safety and masks are recommended.
Special Programs
Yes. Uplift provides equal educational opportunity and a Free Appropriate Public Education (“FAPE”) to students with Special Education or 504 eligibility. (Not outsourced) These services include:
- auditory impairment (from birth)
- autism
- deaf-blindness (from birth)
- emotional disturbance
- intellectual disability
- multiple disabilities
- noncategorical early childhood (ages three through five)
- orthopedic impairment
- other health impairment
- specific learning disability
- speech or language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment (including blindness from birth)
At Uplift Education we provide an English as a Second Language Program for scholars who are learning English. We are a team of dedicated professionals who will work with you and your child to create a wonderful educational experience. As International Baccalaureate® (IB) schools, we are committed to supporting multilingualism as a fundamental part of increasing intercultural understanding and international-mindedness and are equally committed to extending access to an IB education for students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds.
Yes. Our schools have partnerships with different after-school care providers. We invite you to use our School Directory to access the website for your child’s school. Once there, you can navigate to the Family & Scholars link located near the top right-hand corner. Lastly, click on After School Care.
Teachers & Careers
Yes. We invite you to visit our Careers page to see our current job openings.
All Uplift teachers must be certified or on the path to become certified in the area in which they are teaching. If they are not currently certified, they must gain admission to a Texas alternative certification program.
PreK
Yes! Most of our schools offer full day Pre-K. Visit the Look At Our Schools web page to see which schools offer Pre-K.
Students that are 3-1/2 years old on or before September 1 of the upcoming school year may apply to our Uplift Education PreK program. Students offered a spot must also meet state eligibility requirements to attend.
Yes! Uplift Pre-K is a free, state-funded program, but certain eligibility requirements must be met. If you apply and are drawn in the lottery Uplift will contact you to see if you qualify. One or more of the following qualifications must be met:
*Child in an economically disadvantaged household.
*Child living in homelessness.
*Child of an active, deceased, or injured member of the United States armed forces.
*Child in state foster care
*Child has a parent or official guardian who has been granted or is eligible for the Star of Texas Award
*Child with limited English proficiency.
Some children may also qualify for Head Start – a federally funded program. This program is for low-income families and offers additional services to those who qualify such as free vision, speech and hearing tests, as well as dental checkups.
Pre-K application process is the same as other Uplift grades, and an application must be submitted prior to February 1st to be included in our lottery. However, Uplift only offers the state-funded program, therefore, in accordance with state guidelines, lottery notification and eligibility meetings begin April 1.