Apply to City Neighbors Hamilton
The deadline to submit an application for the 2023-24 lottery has passed.
You can still submit an application that will go on the waiting list behind lottery applicants. Be sure to reapply for the 2024-25 lottery in the fall of 2023.Complete and submit your 2023-24 enrollment application here.
City Neighbors Hamilton is committed to a policy of educational equality. Accordingly, the whole school admits students and conducts educational programs, activities, and employment practices without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, ancestry, disabilities, or any other legally protected classification.
Learn more about our enrollment process here.
City Neighbors Hamilton will be accepting Enrollment Applications through 3 PM on February 15, 2023. (The district extended this deadline on October 21, 2022.)
Enrollment Application deadlines will not be extended in the case of inclement weather and/or school closings due to inclement weather or for any other reason. In order to avoid disappointment and to ensure your child’s inclusion in the lottery draw, please do not wait until the last minute to submit Enrollment Applications. See Important Dates and Deadlines.
City Neighbors Hamilton accepts Enrollment Applications during the specified enrollment period. After the enrollment window closes, CNH staff virtually conducts a lottery drawing to select which students will fill our open seats. Each application is assigned a number, then, using a randomizer, those numbers are ranked to determine acceptance and wait list order, per grade. Lotteries are witnessed by representatives of Baltimore City Public Schools and any other interested parties. A link to join the lottery will be posted on our website.
To apply for enrollment to City Neighbors Hamilton (CNH), a separate Enrollment Application must be completed and submitted for each child you wish to enroll. Only one application per child will be accepted.
This Enrollment Application is for CNH only. Application to City Neighbors Charter School (on Raspe Avenue) must be made separately. The schools do not share an applicant or waiting list.
Enrollment Applications accepted for 2023-2024 School Year Through Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 3 PM (The district extended this date on October 21, 22.)
Open House (no RSVP required) Thursday, December 8, 2022, 6 PM, in-person
Open House (no RSVP required) Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 9 AM, in-person
Open House (no RSVP required) Saturday, January 14, 2023, 3 PM, in-person
Deadline for sibling, founder, & children of CNH staff Enrollment Applications Monday, January 23, 2023
Open House (no RSVP required) Tuesday, January 24, 2023, 9 AM, in-person
Deadline for submission and receipt of completed Enrollment Applications Wednesday, February 15, 2023, 3:00 PM
Enrollment Lottery Draw at CNH Tuesday, February 21, 2023, 1 PM. The lottery is held virtually. You do not need to be present at the lottery but applicant families are welcome to witness the lottery. Check website for link.
Written notification to families of acceptance or wait-list status Thursday, March 9, 2023
Deadline of notification from accepted families Friday, April 14, 2023
Additional documents due from accepted students to complete enrollment Monday, June 5, 2023 – Friday, June 9, 2023
If the number of applicants for a given grade does not exceed the number of available spaces, all applicants in that grade will be offered admission to the school.
If the number of Enrollment Applications for a given grade exceeds the number of available spaces, students will be selected for admission by random lottery on a grade-by-grade basis, beginning with kindergarten and moving up each consecutive grade, i.e. kindergarten, first, second, third, etc. Students are selected in the lottery per grade level using the information supplied on the Enrollment Application. Inaccurate information regarding the applicant’s grade level or age will adversely affect the applicant’s placement on the acceptance/waiting list.
The enrollment lottery will be conducted by staff of City Neighbors Hamilton using a district-approved randomizer, and witnessed by a representative of Baltimore City Public Schools. The enrollment lottery is open to all applicant families.
Our lottery is conducted virtually. A link to join the lottery will be posted on the website.
We recommend you submit an application here.
If you are unable to submit an online application, you can pick up a paper copy at the school office, Monday through Friday when school is in session.
Be sure to complete the Enrollment Application thoroughly, neatly, and accurately. Incomplete Enrollment Applications will not be considered. City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for incorrect, inaccurate, or illegible information. Inaccuracies or misrepresentations on the Enrollment Application will adversely affect the applicant’s placement on the acceptance/waiting list.
Enrollment Applications will be accepted in one of three ways:
- Online: Submit an online application here.
- Scan and email: Pick up a paper application at the school office during regular school hours and scan and email it to applications@cityneighborshamilton.org. City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for delays, interruptions, or malfunctions of the receipt or transmission of email, or for the quality of the scanned image. An automated delivery message will follow all emails received to that email address. The automated reply does not confirm accuracy, completeness, or legibility of the application, nor does it confirm an attachment was received.
- Hand deliver: Pick up a paper application at the school office during regular school hours and hand-deliver it to City Neighbors Hamilton, 5609 Sefton Avenue, Monday through Friday (when school is in session). Because the enrollment period includes Winter Break, other school holidays, and possible school closings due to inclement weather, please contact the school office first to ensure school is in session: 443-642-2052.
NOTE: We strongly discourage submitting your application via US mail. If you choose to do so, please note that City Neighbors Hamilton will not be responsible for lost, delayed, damaged, or misdirected mail. Please call to verify receipt of applications one week after mailing the Enrollment Application. All Enrollment Applications must be received by the deadline specified (see Important Enrollment Dates and Deadlines here). THE DEADLINE TO RECEIVE APPLICATIONS IS NOT A POSTMARK DEADLINE. We do not accept enrollment applications via fax.
Late Arriving Applications: Enrollment Applications received after the deadline (see Important Enrollment Dates and Deadlines here) will be placed at the bottom of the waiting list in the order they are received and will not be included in the lottery draw, should one be necessary.
DO NOT SUBMIT DUPLICATE APPLICATIONS UNDER MULTIPLE FORMATS.
Yes. City Neighbors Hamilton accepts applications from all Baltimore City residents. If your child is selected in the lottery and you accept the offer, you will be asked to provide two proofs of residency verifying that you live in Baltimore City. See acceptable proofs of residency here.
Applications for students who live outside of Baltimore City will not be included in the enrollment lottery and will be placed at the end of the waiting list. If the pool of Baltimore City applicants is exhausted and a non-Baltimore City applicant is selected from the waiting list, tuition will apply.
Application must be made by custodial parents or legal guardians only. Enrollment Applications will not be accepted from siblings or any other non-custodial relatives or friends.
City Neighbors Hamilton employs a Sibling Preference Policy, meaning if one sibling is selected and accepts the seat, the sibling of that student will rise to the top of the waiting list, behind children of staff members and siblings of current students that might be on the waiting list. See complete Sibling Preference Policy here.
Yes. City Neighbors Charter School and City Neighbors Hamilton hold independent lotteries and do not share a waiting list. Click here to go to City Neighbors Charter School’s website or call them at 410-325-2627.
No. Only siblings of students who attend City Neighbors Hamilton are included in the Sibling Preference Policy for City Neighbors Hamilton. City Neighbors Charter School and City Neighbors High School have their own Sibling Preference Policies.
No. Once your child is enrolled at City Neighbors Hamilton, they do not need to re-enroll. Our current families will receive an Intent to Return form every year before our lottery drawing so that we can determine what seats will be available the following year.
At CNH, we understand the importance of families and the convenience of having siblings attend the same school. Therefore, we employ a Sibling Preference Policy that gives siblings of currently enrolled students preference in the enrollment process.
Siblings of current students must have a completed Enrollment Application submitted by the deadline of the Intent to Return forms (see Important Enrollment Dates and Deadlines).
A sibling is defined as a brother and/or sister who reside in the same household AND:
- share a common parent, or
- are legally adopted by the same parent, or
- are the legal responsibility of the same adult/parent.
Cousins, nieces, nephews, and/or unrelated children sharing the same address with a current CNH student, and who do not meet any of the above criteria, are not considered siblings. Two families residing in the same household who do not meet any of the above criteria do not qualify as siblings under our Sibling Preference Policy. A step-sibling must be legally adopted by the step-parent making application, or the step-parent must have been granted power of attorney by the natural parent in order for the step-sibling to qualify as a sibling under our Sibling Preference Policy. Proof of legal adoption/legal responsibility will be required at the time of enrollment. Failure to provide documentation of legal adoption/guardianship will result in the child’s acceptance to CNH being rescinded.
A separate Enrollment Application must be completed for each sibling. If a separate Enrollment Application is not received for each sibling, that sibling will not qualify for the Sibling Preference Policy.
If there are more sibling applications for a specific grade than there are available openings in that grade, a sibling lottery will take place to determine placement on the sibling waiting list.
The Sibling Preference Policy is dependent upon available grade openings and does not guarantee enrollment for each sibling.
Like all Enrollment Applications, sibling applications are valid only for the school year for which they were submitted. If a sibling is not selected for enrollment, a new application must be submitted each year.
The Sibling Preference Policy applies only to siblings (as defined above) of current City Neighbors Hamilton students. The Sibling Preference Policy does not apply to siblings of students who are graduates of City Neighbors Hamilton.
Yes.
Age Requirements for Kindergarten
A child must be 5-years-old on or before September 1, 2023 in order to be enrolled in kindergarten.
If your child’s fifth birthday is September 2, 2023 through and including October 15, 2023, and you wish to make application for Kindergarten for 2023-24, parents must apply for a waiver by completing an Early Admission Request Packet from their zoned/neighborhood school. All requested documentation must be submitted to the Office of Early Learning. Contact the Office of Early Learning at 443-642-3990 for more information on this process and to confirm their deadlines. There is no early admission consideration for a child whose fifth birthday falls after October 15, 2023.
Age Requirements for First Grade
A child must be 6-years-old on or before September 1, 2023 in order to be enrolled in first grade.
If your child’s sixth birthday is September 2, 2023 through and including October 15, 2023, and you wish to make application for first grade for 2023-24, parents must apply for a waiver by completing an Early Admission Request Packet from their zoned/neighborhood school. All requested documentation must be submitted to the Office of Early Learning. Contact the Office of Early Learning at 443-642-3990 for more information on this process and to confirm their deadlines. There is no early admission consideration for a child whose sixth birthday falls after October 15, 2023.
It is very important that you not only read our website thoroughly, but that you also attend an enrollment Open House and ask any questions you may have to ensure you and your family are a good fit for City Neighbors Hamilton. You do not need to RSVP in order to attend an Open House. See enrollment Open House dates here.
Because of high demand, we are unable to schedule individual school tours or information sessions for prospective families. Please be sure to attend an Open House, held during the enrollment period.
COVID UPDATE: Our intent is to hold all of our 2023-24 open houses in-person. However, if cases rise and it becomes necessary to implement safety precautions, our open houses will be held virtually.
Immediately following the lottery, wait-list letters will be sent to all lottery applicants with their placement number indicated. Accepted families have until the middle of April to accept or decline the seat, so there will be no movement on the waiting list until late April/early May.
If we begin selecting names from the waiting list and your child’s name comes up next on the list, we will contact you immediately. There is no need to contact us about your child’s placement on the waiting list.
CNH will not be responsible for any wait-list notification letters returned to us in the mail due to outdated, inaccurate, or illegible information provided on the Enrollment Application.
The waiting list will be in effect for the entire school year. If your child is not selected during the school year in which you applied, you will have to reapply for the following year.
Yes! Our lottery is held virtually and all prospective applicant families are welcome to witness the lottery. A link to the lottery will be shared on the school website ahead of the date.
After the lottery, there is a very specific timeline on accepting or declining the seat. See the “Important Enrollment Dates and Deadlines.” An acceptance card and registration form will be mailed to all accepted applicants by the deadline. If you choose to accept the seat, the card and registration form must be either hand-delivered or postmarked by the the deadline indicated. If we do not receive this written notification of acceptance postmarked by that deadline, we will offer the seat to the next applicant on the waiting list. Verbal notification of acceptance is not sufficient and a seat will not be held. Once accepted, prospective families will receive a list of other documents required, along with associated deadlines, in order to complete their enrollment, as required by Baltimore City Public Schools.
If, after the initial lottery deadlines have passed, we have an opening and your child is next on the waiting list, we will expect a yes or no response within two weeks, generally speaking.
In order to ensure full enrollment, seats that become available and are offered to candidates on the waiting list during the summer months will require a shorter turnaround time between notification and acceptance confirmation from families. The timeline becomes even more condensed as the beginning of the school year approaches and once school is in session. We will assume that every applicant family has explored our website, attended an Open House, and had all of their questions answered to determine if City Neighbors Hamilton is a good fit for their family when and if their child is offered a seat. See Open House dates here.
It is very important the information you provide on your child’s applications is clear, legible, and accurate. CNH will not be responsible for any acceptance notification letters returned to us in the mail due to incorrect, outdated, or illegible information provided on the Enrollment Application. A reasonable attempt will be made to contact the accepted applicant by other means provided on the Enrollment Application, but acceptance deadlines cannot be extended. If we are unable to make contact after a reasonable attempt to do so, we will offer the seat to the next applicant on the waiting list.
All Enrollment Applications received after the deadline will be placed at the end of the waiting list in the order in which they were received. They will not be included in the lottery drawing.
For enrollment information for City Neighbors High School, go to City Neighbors High School’s website or call them at 443-642-2119.