Enrollment FAQs - Trinity Basin Preparatory | Best Free School in DFW (2024)

• There are no academic admission requirements to attend Trinity Basin Preparatory.
• No student shall be denied admission on the basis of sex, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, academic, artistic, or athletic ability or with regard to the district the child would otherwise attend in accordance with school district student admissions laws.
• Trinity Basin Preparatory may exclude students with a documented history of a criminal offense, juvenile court, adjudication, or discipline problems under Subchapter A, chapter 37, Texas Education Code.
• Pre‐Kindergarten students must qualify for Pre‐K under one of the criteria outlined in the Texas Education Code. See the “What are the Pre-Kindergarten Eligibility Requirements?” answer for additional information.

The Texas legislature determines eligibility requirements for free, public Prekindergarten in Texas. Pre-K students must qualify under one of the following criteria outlined in the Texas Education Code:

1. is unable to speak and comprehend the English language;
2. is educationally disadvantaged;
3. is a homeless child, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11434a, regardless of the residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child’s guardian or other person having lawful control of the child;
4. is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority;
5. is a child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty;
6. is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family Code.

For a detailed overview of each of these categories, as well as the documentation required to establish eligibility, please see the Texas Education Agency's Prekindergarten Eligibly FAQ.

TBP's Pre-K lottery will occur with the lottery for all other grade levels. Following the lottery, students who would have a spot in Pre-K will be contacted to determine eligibility. Students will be tested for English proficiency or the parent will be required to provide appropriate documentation to determine eligibility based on the information provided in the application.

Once a student’s eligibility for Pre-K has been verified, the student will be offered admission and will follow all other admission and enrollment criteria.

The school may also contact students near the top of the waitlist to determine eligibility. Once eligibility for Pre-K has been verified, the student will remain on the waitlist and offered admission when an opening occurs.

Yes! Trinity Basin Preparatory may offer tuition-free Pre-K to non-eligible families at any campus with a Pre-K program.

Applicants for the tuition-free Pre-K program may be admitted to the school beginning July 1 if it is determined that Pre-K seats are still available at a campus and these seats would, in all likelihood, remain unfilled with eligible students during the school year.

If on July 1, or any time thereafter, insufficient applications have been submitted to fill the Pre-K seats in a particular grade level at a particular campus with qualifying Pre-K students, the Superintendent may allow up to two (2) tuition-free Pre-K students to be admitted per Pre-K class at that campus.

Admission to Trinity Basin Preparatory is open to students residing within the school’s designated geographic boundary, which includes the independent school districts of:

• Alvarado,
• Aledo,
• Arlington,
• Azle,
• Birdville,
• Burleson,
• Carroll,
• Carrollton‐Farmers Branch,
• Castleberry,
• Cedar Hill,
• Cleburne,
• Crowley,
• Dallas,
• De Soto,
• Duncanville,
• Eagle Mountain Saginaw,
• Everman,
• Fort Worth,
• Garland,
• Grand Prairie,
• Glen Rose,
• Granbury,
• Grandview,
• Grapevine-Colleyville,
• Irving,
• Italy,
• Kennedale,
• Lake Worth,
• Lancaster,
• Mansfield.
• Mesquite,
• Red Oak,
• Richardson,
• Rio Vista,
• Springtown,
• Tolar,
• Waxahachie, and
• White Settlement.

• If applying for PreK3 (Half Day), the child must be 3 years old on or before September 1.
• If applying for PreK4 (Full Day), the child must be 4 years old on or before September 1.
• If applying for Kindergarten, the child must be 5 years old on or before September 1.
• If applying for 1st grade, the child must be 6 years old on or before September 1.

• If the number of applications received for any grade by the application deadline is greater than the number of openings in that grade, then a lottery will be held for that grade.
• The lottery is a random selection process to determine the order in which applicants will be admitted to the school or placed on the waitlist.
• The lottery will occur within two weeks after the application deadline.
• In the lottery:
  • The first available openings will be filled by the children of the school’s founders, teachers, and staff who are eligible for admission.
  • The next available openings will be filled by siblings of students currently attending the school and siblings of admitted students.
  • Finally, openings will be filled by students who live within the school’s geographic boundary.

• Yes!TBP accepts applications throughout the school year and summer.
• Students who miss the deadline to be included in the Lottery will be placed on the waitlist in the
  order the application is received.

• Applicants who have been admitted to the school will be notified by email, text message, and/or phone.
• Prior to August 1, the parent/guardian will have 1 week from the time of the first notification of admission to accept admission to the school.
• After August 1, the parent/guardian will have 24 hours to accept admission to the school.

• Students will be admitted to the school during the Lottery as seats are available.
• Because Trinity Basin Preparatory limits the number of students admitted at each campus to maintain small class sizes, students will only be admitted as an opening occurs.
• Openings may occur at any time, therefore we cannot predict when your child may be offered a spot at the school.

• Before a student may be enrolled at the school, the student must complete an enrollment packet and turn it in to the school. The enrollment packet will provide the school with important information to determine program placement.
• The following documents must be submitted to the school with the enrollment packet:
  
  1. Birth certificate or other document showing the student’s age and identification;
  2. The student’s most recent report card; and
  3. Immunization record.
• If available, the following documents should also be submitted to the school:
  
  1. Social security card;
  2. Any legal custodial documents; and
  3. Confidential Student Report with STAAR scores (for 3rd grade students and above).
• Final grade placement will be dependent upon the review of official school documents. Parents must provide the school with a final report card at the conclusion of the school year so that grade placement can be verified prior to the start of the next school year.
• The school will contact you regarding new student orientation. Parents of all new students will be required to attend orientation where you will receive information about school policies and procedures, discipline, dress code, and school supplies.

• Students who are not admitted to the school in the lottery are placed on the waitlist in the order their application is selected in the lottery.
• Students who apply to the school after the application deadline will be placed on the waitlist in the order the application is received.
• We will continue to call students from the waitlist to offer them a spot at the school as openings occur prior to the school year and throughout the school year.

• If your child’s current school has notified you that they may be retained in their current grade, please call the Enrollment Specialist at 214‐946‐9100.

• Students who are enrolled on the application deadline will automatically have a seat for the following school year if they:
  
  1. Remain continuously enrolled through the remainder of the school year; and
  2. Return a re‐enrollment packet by the application deadline.
• Students who withdraw from the school for any reason or fail to return a re‐enrollment packet by the application deadline will be treated as new students and subject to the same admission and enrollment requirements as new students.