Enrollment

The physical and immunizations are typically given on one double-sided sheet. You will be required to fill out a parent portion and provide signature. If you do not do this, we cannot accept the document as compliant. 

This must be done within 1 year of their first day of school.

The form should look like this:

Physical and Immunization Exam Form

This must be done within 1 year of their first day of school.

The form should look similar to this:

Dental Exam Form

*For Dental, we can accept proof of appointment if the appointment is after the first day of school. This can be an email, text, or appointment card showing the date and time of appointment*

**If you do the school dental, this can count as a dental examine**

For vision, this is separate from the one done on the physical. You will need to visit a vision center and ask for a school examine. This must be done within 1 year of their first day of school.

There is a box that requires your signature on the vision documents that is needed before we can count it as compliant. 

The form should look similar to this:

Vision Exam Form

*For vision, we can accept proof of appointment if the appointment is after the first day of school. This can be an email, text, or appointment card showing the date and time of appointment*

Galapagos does not have any academic requirements for a child to attend.

In order to attend:
1) the child must live within the boundaries of RPS 205.
2) the child must be in good-standing with the child’s previous school.
3) the child must be five by August 30, 2026.

When you sign into the portal, you will be able to view it on the main dashboard. If it is for a current school year where lottery has already happened, it typically takes around 15 minutes to update. If it is for a future school year where lottery has not happened yet, everyone will see “waitlist” until lottery occurs.

Yes! We definitively recommend applying during the lottery period but if you are not able to do so please still apply. Your completed application will be added to our waitlist or if there is not a waitlist at the grade level, your scholar will be awarded a spot at that grade level. Your child will then be enrolled after you attend and complete all forms at your scheduled orientation.

No, if your child already attends Galapagos Rockford you do not have to fill out a new application. BUT, you do need to fill out an intent to return form and pay the annual activity fee. 

Yes, you do need to apply for any non-attending siblings of your attending child. Please make sure that you apply during the lottery period. If you apply during this time, your incoming scholars will be included in a preferential sibling lottery.

In order to secure a spot and fully enroll, the following documents will be needed:

1. Scholar birth certificate
2. Parent ID
3. 2 Proofs of Residence (within 30 days)
4. Physical (within a year)
5. Immunization Records (up to date)
6. Dental Records
7. Vision Records

If you do not bring them, you will be told at orientation how you can get them to enrollment. 

No, GRCS is a tuition-free school.  We do charge an annual activities fee of $65 for the first child, $35 for second child, and $10 for the third child. For returning scholars, these rates are further discounted if you pay be the deadlines.

Families should NOT pay the activity fee for new scholars if they have not attended an orientation.

Give us a call at 815-708-7946 ext. 406 or email Ms. Molly Kettelhut at: enrollment@galapagoscharter.org . 

To learn more about Galapagos, take a look at our website. We have many pages to explore and see what Galapagos is all about. We also recommend checking out our Facebook page where we post about things happening in our school community. We also are active on our Instagram- @galapagosrockford . If you still would like to learn more, give us a call to discuss or even set up a tour with Ms Kettelhut, the Recruitment Manager. 

All charter schools are required to have a lottery period. This is a period of time in which any family can apply and have an equal chance of being selected. Any family who applies between December 1, 2026 and March 14, 2026 will be included in our lottery which is held on March 2026.  This lottery is open to the public.

The 2026-27 Galapagos lottery will be at 2:30pm on March 18, 2026 via Zoom.

At the lottery, Galapagos staff use a random system to select children to be offered spots for the upcoming school year. We start with all children who applied for 8th grade and work down to kindergarten children.

We recommend that you attend the lottery so that you get information on your child’s status. However, it is not mandatory. You will be sent information about your child’s status following the lottery. You will still need to attend an orientation if your child is awarded a spot.

The number of children chosen for spots depends on two things: 1) the number of spots Galapagos currently has open at that grade level and 2) the number of children who applied during the lottery period for that grade level. For example, if we have 10 spots available in 1st grade and 20 children apply, our system randomly picks 10 kids who would be offered a spot. The remaining 10 kids of the 20 who initially applied would be assigned to our waitlist in the order they are randomly chosen. For example, the first child chosen after we had completed filling the grade, would be first on the waitlist.

No, when your child is chosen in the lottery you still need to: 1) attend an orientation scheduled at a different date 2) fill out all necessary forms and bring in all necessary information and activity fees. But do not worry, we are there to help you throughout the process.