Each school year, Cresthaven Academy Charter School enrolls 75 kindergarten students and backfills any open seats in grades 1-8. Admission is determined by a random lottery. There is no tuition fee. All students in Plainfield, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities, are encouraged to apply.

Cresthaven Academy’s public lottery is held in January/February of each year.  The 2024-25 School Year Lottery will be held on February 1, 2024.  To obtain the results of our most recent lottery or to inquire about lottery details, you may call our main office at (908) 756-1234. 

Families still interested in applying for the current school year are encouraged to do so at any time, as all new applications received are automatically added to our waitlist.  Students on the waitlist will be offered a seat if one becomes available, and on a first-come, first-served basis.

Cresthaven Academy will accept and hold applications for interested families up to three years prior to their child’s Kindergarten year. All valid applications will go into the lottery for that respective class. Families interested in applying for kindergarten in the 2023-24, 2024-25, or 2025-26 school years may do so at any time. The public lotteries for these classes will be held in January or February preceding the beginning of that school year.

SIBLING POLICY: Preference is given to siblings of enrolled students (NJSA 36A – 8C). Siblings of current Cresthaven Academy scholars must apply and specify that they are siblings in order to qualify for sibling preference.  If you have questions, please call our main office.

REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY:  

• All applicants must be Plainfield residents.
• Kindergarten applicants must be 5 years old by October 1 of the year they will enter kindergarten. For example, Kindergarten students for the 2024-25 school year must be 5 years old by October 1, 2024.

Students who receive an academic seat through the lottery process will be contacted by a representative from Cresthaven Academy Charter School and will be asked to complete the Registration Packet by a specified date in order to secure the child's spot.  Failure to complete required documents by the date specified will rescind your child's seat.  

Charter schools are free, open-enrollment public schools that are required by law to serve all students. Charter schools shall be open to all students on a space available basis and shall not discriminate in their admission policies or practices on the basis of intellectual or athletic ability, measures of achievement or aptitude, special education status, proficiency in the English language, or any other basis that would be illegal if used by a school district.