Admission Information
2025 - 2026 School Year
Open Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year will be from January 27, 2025, through February 28, 2025.
Important Dates:
January 27, 2025 - Application site opens at 12:01 AM PST: www.applyopa.com
February 28, 2025 - Application site closes at 11:59 PM PST.
March 14, 2025 - Lottery will be held via Zoom.
May 1, 2025 - Post-Lottery application period opens.
Parent Information Meetings
Parent Information Meetings and school tours will be held for prospective parents to learn more about our school sites.
In person information meetings:
OPA-South Orange County: January 28, 2025 - 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Register Here
OPA-Saddleback Valley: January 30, 2025 - 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Register Here
OPA-Middle School: January 29, 2025 - 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM Register Here
Virtual information meetings:
Elementary schools: TBD
Middle school: TBD
Admission Preferences/Priority
- Children of OPA staff (not to exceed 10% of total enrollment)
- Siblings of students admitted to or attending OPA-SV
- Siblings of students admitted to or attending OPA-MS
- Children residing within the former Aliso Elementary School Attendance Boundary
- Children residing within Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- Children enrolled in OPA-Virtual Learning
- All other applicants
- Children of OPA staff (not to exceed 10% of total enrollment)
- Siblings of students admitted to or attending OPA-SOC
- Siblings of students admitted to or attending OPA-MS who previously attended OPA-SOC
- Children residing within the former Barcelona Hills Elementary School Attendance Boundary
- Children enrolled in OPA-Virtual Learning
- Children residing within the Capistrano Valley Unified School District
- All other applicants
- Students currently attending OPA-SV or OPA-SOC in grade 5
- Children of OPA staff (not to exceed 10% of total enrollment)
- Siblings of students admitted to or attending OPA-SOC, OPA-SV, and OPA-MS
- Children residing within the former Aliso Elementary School Attendance Boundary
- Children residing within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District
- Children residing within the Capistrano Unified School District
- All other applicants
Post-Lottery Applications
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I enroll my child at Oxford Preparatory Academy?
Please visit our application page (www.applyOPA.com ) during Open Enrollment to access our online application. To successfully apply, you will need to fill out the online application and submit it. Enrollment will be offered based on available openings for each grade. Waiting lists will be formed for grades with more applicants than openings. The waiting lists will expire at the end of each school year.
When is Open Enrollment?
Oxford Preparatory Academy Open Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year will be from January 27, 2025 through February 28, 2025. The lottery will be held on March 14, 2025.
Will there be Parent Information Meetings?
Parent Information Meetings and school tours will be held for prospective parents to learn more about our school sites.
In-person information meetings:
OPA-South Orange County: January 28, 2025 - 4:00 - 5:30 PM Register Here
OPA-Saddleback Valley: January 20, 2025- 4:00 - 5:30 PM Register Here
OPA-Middle School: January 29, 2025 - 4:00 - 5:30 PM Register Here
Virtual information meetings:
Elementary schools: TBD
Middle school: TBD
Links to virtual meetings will be posted here 24 hours prior to the event.
You may also visit the school websites for additional information.
How can I get information if I missed the Parent Information Meetings?
A recording of a virtual Parent Information Meeting will be made available in early February 2025.
You may also visit our websites for additional information, or call our campuses if you have specific questions.
Do I have to live within the school’s district to apply?
You can apply to Oxford Preparatory Academy from anywhere; but in order to enroll, you need to be a resident of Orange County or an adjacent county. Those students who are applying to the South Orange County Campus in Mission Viejo who reside within the Capistrano Unified School District boundaries will be given a preference in the lottery. Those students who are applying to the Saddleback Valley Campus in Lake Forest who reside within the Saddleback Valley Unified School District boundaries will be given a preference in the lottery.
Do I need to fill out separate applications for each campus?
No, you do not. On our application site, you will have the option to apply to both our Elementary school campuses and our Middle School campus. Applying at any of our sites will not have any affect on your chance for placement at any of our locations. You may also apply for the OPA Virtual Learning Program on the same application.
If I am currently enrolled at one campus, does that give me priority to apply to another campus?
It depends.
Refer to the admissions preferences/priority list above for specifics for each school.
Does my child have a better opportunity to be chosen for enrollment the earlier we apply during the Open Enrollment period?
No. Entry into Oxford’s programs are not on a first-come, first-served basis. Families have 30 days to complete the online application form during Open Enrollment. All verified, eligible online applications submitted during the Open Enrollment period will be entered into the lottery. Open Enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is from January 27, 2025 - February 28, 2025.
How does the Lottery work?
Following the Open Enrollment period each year, applications will be counted to determine whether any grade level has received more applications than availability. In the event that this happens, the school will hold a random public lottery to determine enrollment for the impacted grade levels.
- The lottery will take place on a given published date. (The lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will take place on March 14, 2025.)
- OPA will comply with all applicable state and federal laws and with the Chartering Authority policy as it relates to the oversight of charter schools.
- The lottery shall draw names from a general pool of ballots.
- Siblings of students placed during the random public lottery will also be placed depending upon space available at the given grade level during the lottery process.
- The drawing shall continue until all names are drawn. Those individuals whose names are drawn after all spaces have been filled will be placed on the waiting list in the order drawn, except if the preferences described above require otherwise.
What is Sibling Preference?
Siblings of students placed during the random public lottery will also be placed depending upon space available at the given grade level during the lottery process. If space is not available in the sibling’s grade level, that sibling will be placed on the Sibling Priority Wait List. The remaining names will be placed on a waiting list based on the order drawn from the random public lottery (at each grade level).
How will I find out the results of the lottery?
After the lottery, you will receive an email with your waitlist number. You may also log in to our application page (applyopa.com) at any time to see your child’s current waitlist number. Lottery results will also be posted on campus for a week following the lottery.
How will I find out if my child’s waitlist number has changed?
After the lottery, you may log in to our application page (applyopa.com) any time to see your child’s current waitlist number. Please note: If another applicant becomes eligible for the Sibling Priority in the grade to which your student applied, your student’s waitlist number could go up.
Can my child join the waiting list if we missed Open Enrollment?
Yes! Families who have missed the Open Enrollment window can be added to our Post Lottery Wait List after the lottery has taken place. The waiting lists will expire at the end of each school year.
Is Kindergarten full day?
Yes, Oxford Preparatory Academy has full day kindergarten. Kindergarten starts at 8:30am every day and ends at 2:25pm Monday through Thursday and at 12:10pm on Fridays during our regular bell schedule.
Is Transitional Kindergarten full day?
Does Oxford Preparatory Academy charge tuition?
Does Oxford Preparatory Academy provide bus transportation?
Do Oxford Preparatory Academy students wear school uniforms?
Virtual Learning Program
Parent Information Meeting Recordings
Middle School Parent Information Meeting Presentation
Elementary Parent Information Meeting Presentation