Admissions Process
Age Requirements for Admission
According to House Bill #458, Section 37-15-9 of the Mississippi Code, 1972, no student shall be enrolled in the first grade unless he/she has reached his/her sixth birthday on or before September 1st of that school year. Students entering kindergarten must be five by September 1st of the school year for which application is made and those entering the Pre-Kindergarten program must be four by September 1st of that year.
No student will be admitted to Starkville Academy during any school year if he/she has attained the age of twenty (20) years before September 1st of that school year.
Homeschooled Students
Home-schooled students wishing to enroll in Starkville Academy must meet the following requirements when applying for admission:
Home-schooled students, grades 1-12, will NOT be allowed to enter Starkville Academy any later than the end of the first nine-week term of the school year.
Home-schooled students must meet all of the requirements for new student admission. In addition to completing the two-part entry exam, home-schooled students applying for admission are required to complete an aptitude test.
Elementary students must meet grade level expectations on reading and mathematics curriculum-based placement tests. Results from previous standardized achievement tests are requested, if available.
Middle school students must demonstrate grade level performance on standardized achievement tests, if available. If standardized achievement tests are not available, the student may be subject to a proficiency test in all subject areas to determine mastery/placement.
Starkville Academy will accept high school credits from an approved home-schooled program; however, if the student has not been enrolled in an approved program, proficiency in a subject area must be demonstrated for the school to validate any credits or to establish placement. As stated in the MAIS Accreditation Manual under the section titled “Regulations and Guidelines for Curriculum and Graduation, A student shall earn at least two (2) of his last four (4) credits in residence at the high school before the school may grant him a diploma. Successful completion of four (4) half (0.5) credit courses in one semester is equivalent to two (2) credits.”
Students Applying for Re-Admission
Unless specifically stated below all stipulations and requirements of New Student Admission will apply to students requesting re-admissions to Starkville Academy.
Any student who leaves Starkville Academy in “good standing” (academically, financially, and behaviorally) and attends an accredited school but subsequently applies for re-admission during the same academic school year may be re-admitted without entrance testing/screening.
Any student who leaves Starkville Academy in “good standing” (academically, financially, and behaviorally) to be Home Schooled and applies for re-admission may be re-admitted without entrance testing/screening if both the day of leaving and the day of return occur within the first fifteen (15) days of the academic calendar.
Enrollment Waiting List Information
Starkville Academy would love to be able to accept all applications to its pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, elementary and secondary schools. However, the school does limit the number of students in each section/grade. Students may be placed on a waiting list when the maximum enrollment for a section/grade is reached.
Many of the school’s grades are filled or near capacity. For this reason most families find it reassuring to plan a year or two ahead on securing a place for their child; this is especially important for the four year old pre-kindergarten and the five year old kindergarten.
A student may secure a chronological position on the waiting list for a section/grade by completing steps 1-4 of the New Student Admission Process listed above.
Families that are on the waiting list will be called when space becomes available and will be given 48 hours from the time of the call to accept the position. The application fee is non-refundable.
Enrollment Priorities
Current students and pre-kindergarten/kindergarten siblings – Have priority for registration during the priority registration period.
New Applicants – Students will be accepted as space becomes available based on four criteria:
Date and time of application
Payment of the application fee
Successful completion of an assessment/entrance test
Approval by the SA Admissions Committee
Miscellaneous Notes:
Admissions and Continued Enrollment
No student will be accepted who has a record of academic failure, discipline problems, or who has not met the criteria for successful completion of the standardized assessment test as stated previously in the enrollment procedures.
No student will be accepted requiring separate special education classes because Starkville Academy is not equipped to be of the best service to such a student. If this problem is not known at the time of enrollment, proper action will be taken to have the child tested and evaluated for appropriate placement or referred to another school in the best interest of the child.
All students are expected to maintain standards of academic achievement and general citizenship relative to the requirement established. Failure to do so will be just cause for the student’s withdrawal from Starkville Academy.
When a student reaches a point where Starkville Academy can no longer contribute to the educational advancement of said student, and/or said student fails to take full advantage of educational opportunities offered him or her, and/or said student continuously violates school regulations, the student will be requested to withdraw from Starkville Academy during the present year and will definitely lose his or her priority for admission to Starkville Academy the following year. The Board of Directors will evaluate the recommendations of the administration concerning each student’s present and future enrollment at Starkville Academy.
Parents of students must have paid their enrollment fees and signed a contract for the student to be eligible for any type of try-outs relative to the next school year.
Athletic eligibility requirements of the MidSouth Association of Independent Schools must be followed concerning all athletes.