Lottery At Hoboken Charter School Favors Low-Income, ELL Students

HOBOKEN, NJ — Low-income and English Language Learners now stand a better chance at getting into the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa) as a result of admission policy changes recently approved by the New Jersey Department of Education.

Every year, nearly 500 students vie to get 22 open seats at HoLa, according to school administrators. This supply vs. demand conflict is an issue that Hoboken Public School District administrators criticized when they launched a multi-year lawsuit against the charter school’s desire to expand to the 7th and 8th grades.

Hoboken BOE members argued that the charter school's expansion showed trends of segregation, and that the percentage of minority students who attend HoLa is about half that of the district's public schools.

A state appellate court affirmed the school’s right to expand in July of 2017.

• See related article: Hoboken BOE vs. HoLa: Appellate Court Rules In Charter School's Favor

Under the school’s new admission policy announced last week, applicants who are learning English or who are considered “low-income” will have their names put into the lottery three times rather than just once.

According to HoLa administrators, the Jan. 19 event marked the first time in New Jersey history that a charter school held a lottery where low-income students got 3-to-1 chances to get in.

It’s familiar ground for the school, which in 2016, became the first public charter school in New Jersey to implement a preference in its lottery so that low-income students received two chances in the annual lottery rather than just one, administrators said.

Starting with the 2019 lottery, English Language Learners will also be given 3-to-1 admission odds, HoLa administrators said.

“We are excited to be able to offer low-income students and students learning English an even greater opportunity to attend our school,” said Jennifer Sargent, Founder and Executive Director of HoLa. “Every year we have over 500 students apply to enter our school across all grades, and we want to make sure that opportunity exists for all Hoboken students, no matter their background.”

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