Frequently Asked Questions

Atlas is an open-enrollment charter school in St. Louis. Charter schools are:

• Tuition-free and part of the free public school system
• Held to state and federal academic standards
• Open to all students, including those with disabilities
• Funded primarily through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars

This year, Atlas has worked with 12 other St. Louis Charter Schools/Organizations to simplify the admissions process and make it easier for you! The SchoolAppSTL site allows families to apply to one or multiple charter schools using the same easy, online form.

Atlas is open to all families in the City of St. Louis with children eligible to enter Pre-Kindergarten through Sixth Grade for the 2026-2027 school year. Your child needs to be 5 years old on or before July 31, 2026 if you apply to kindergarten for the 2026-27 school year. Students applying for PreK must be 4 years old by July 31, 2026.

The SchoolAppSTL application is all you need to apply to Atlas. Once you've accepted a seat and as part of the registration process, we will need proof of residency, birth certificate, and immunization records.

The “cut-off” date for birthdays is October 1st for the year you apply. For example, your child needs to be 5 years old on or before 10/1/2026 if you apply to kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year.

Atlas Pre-K is only available to those students who will be 4 years old by July 31, 2026.

All schools utilizing the SchoolAppSTL process will have just one lottery for 2026-27, with any additional spots offered on a rolling basis after the deadline to accept offers.

If the number of applicants for either lottery exceeds capacity, Atlas will enroll students randomly, with preference for eligible new students given in the following order:

1. Children of Atlas faculty & staff who reside within the boundaries of the St. Louis Public School District
2. Siblings of students currently enrolled as of the lottery date 
3. Other student applicants

Should a lottery be held, all completed and accepted applications submitted during the enrollment period will be publicly drawn in random order until capacity is reached.  Lotteries will be randomized by computer and certified by a third-party public official or outside firm to attest to the lottery’s fairness.

Additional applicants after the lottery will be added to a “waiting list,” which will rank applications that were submitted during the enrollment period.  Applications received after the enrollment period will be added to the bottom of the waiting list.  These applicants will be identified by number and by grade.

Additional seat capacity after the second lottery will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis to eligible students. 

Please note, tuition-based PreK seats are not part of the lottery process.

Families who decline an offer or do not respond by the deadline permanently release their seats to the waitlist. Families can opt to join the end of the waitlist if they would like to be reconsidered for their seats.

Preference for siblings is given to those who already have an enrolled student at Atlas.

For those applicants not offered a seat initially due to capacity, the lottery will assign students to a waitlist in ranked order based on our lottery preferences. If a spot opens up, we will offer a spot in order of the waitlist.

Atlas is funded primarily through a combination of federal, state, and local tax dollars. We also have received generous grants from a local and national incubator.

Our year-round model is broken up into seven academic sessions, each consisting of approximately five weeks of instruction followed by a two-week intersession. During intersessions that do not fall on traditional school breaks, students have the opportunity to participate in camp-like enrichment programs on a sliding scale led by trusted community partners. This exposes kids to unique learning opportunities such as a dance or science camp that they might not have had otherwise. With our calendar, families won’t have to worry about finding childcare when they aren’t in session. The intersession programming will be offered on a sliding scale basis so that all families can access programming. Teachers will be engaged in meaningful professional development during the first week of each intersession. For more information, click "Calendar" under the "For Families" tab.

There is approximately a three-week summer break for all students.

Atlas is located at 400 S. 18th St. It is situated within walking distance of Central Library, and St. Louis staples such as the Aquarium at Union Station, CITYPARK, and Stifel Theatre.

At this time, we do not have plans to provide transportation to and from Atlas. We know we cannot be a truly equitable school if we do not offer transportation, so we are working hard to secure transportation for families who need it the most.

The day begins at 8:00 am and ends at 3:30 pm. We provide before and after school care on a sliding scale fee.

We have approximately 26 students in a class, with at least two educators in each PreK-5 classroom.

Yes! Except at Atlas, we call these “Expeditions” instead of field trips. Expeditions expose students to various learning experiences and are an integral part of Atlas' curriculum.

We want Atlas to be a joyful school community where all students and families feel welcome and safe. It’s important to us that our students recognize their inner greatness and that no one ever feels “less than” anyone else. Therefore, we think uniforms level the playing field, and there won’t be as many issues with kids feeling left out.