How To Enroll In

Connections Academy at Gateway

Enrollment Information

All grade levels for the 2025–2026 school year are currently at capacity. The school will continue to accept applications for the 2025–2026 school year; all new applicants will be placed on the wait list.
When seats become available, we will conduct a random, public lottery and notify families of the results.
Please remain enrolled at your current school until you receive an offer. You may also explore other Gateway Community Charters schools at www.gcccharters.org.

Enrollment Information

All new students interested in applying for the 2026-27 school year, must submit an application by March 6th at 5:00 PM. Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance. Families will be notified of acceptance or denial once the open enrollment period ends or the lottery is conducted. If there are more applicants than available space, admission will be decided by a random public drawing (lottery).
If accepted, new enrollees will need to provide proof of residence, proof of birthdate, and immunization records. The applicant will be disqualified if the application is falsified or if incorrect information is provided. Falsifying any information (including address) will void acceptance.

Start Your Family’s Learning Journey

Get ready to enroll in online school program at Connections Academy at Gateway, serving grades K–12. Typically, the enrollment process takes just a few weeks to complete. But spots fill up quickly, so make sure you start as soon as you can. Here's how to get started:

1Check Eligibility

2Understand Commitment

3Prepare Documents

4Get Started

Step 1

Check Eligibility

In California, student eligibility requirements are determined by the state, which regulates all public schools including Connections Academy at Gateway.

Connections Academy at Gateway is open to all students who meet the state's age and geographic restrictions for virtual charter schools. While we are required to collect documents that show that the age and residency requirements have been met, we do welcome students who have unusual circumstances, such as homeless and foster youth, immigrants, refugees, migrants, and students who are not U.S. citizens. Contact the school office for assistance if enrolling a student for whom standard documentation is not readily available due to this type of situation. Once your enrollment is confirmed, please immediately withdraw your student from their previous publicly-funded school. Students cannot be simultaneously enrolled in two public schools.

Note: Students who are currently suspended or expelled from their local school or district may not be eligible for Connections Academy at Gateway.

Age Limitations

Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.

First Grade: Any student enrolling in first grade must be six (6) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.

Maximum Age: Any student who turns nineteen (19) years old on or before the first day of school will not be eligible to enroll in Connections Academy at Gateway.

Geographical Limitations

Connection Academy at Gateway will serve the following counties:

Amador
Contra Costa
El Dorado
Placer
Sacramento
San Joaquin
Solano
Sutter
Yolo

Note: Students are required to be physically working from the county used to establish residency eligibility for the majority of the school year. Any absence longer than three consecutive weeks from this location must receive prior approval from school administrators.

Step 2

Understand Your Commitment

Family Time Commitment

Your Role as a Parent/Caregiver

Day to Day Activities

30 HOURS Per Week

Learning and growing with their Learning Coach

5 Hours Per Day

Learning Coaches spend overseeing schoolwork

30%

of school day doing schoolwork on a computer

70%

of school day working offline

30 HOURS Per Week

Learning and growing with their Learning Coach

2-3 HOURS Per Day

Learning Coaches spend overseeing schoolwork

75%

of school day doing schoolwork on a computer

25%

of school day working independently offline

30 HOURS Per Week

Learning and growing with their Learning Coach

1-2 HOURS Per Day

Learning Coaches spend overseeing schoolwork

90%

of school day doing schoolwork on a computer

10%

of school day working independently offline

Step 3

Prepare Documents

Please have the following documents available when you are ready to begin the enrollment process.

Child's Proof of Age

A copy of one of the following must be provided for each child in order to verify age eligibility:

Official birth certificate
Passport (U.S. and other countries)
Hospital Certificate
Valid immunization records
Government-issued ID
Court-issued documents
Medical records
School records

Not Sure Where to Get That?

If you need a copy of your child's birth certificate, you can order it online through the California Department of Public Health. Please visit the California Department of Public Health(opens in a new tab) website for more information.
If your child was born in another state, please visit the CDC’s Where to Write for Vital Records webpage for more information. When using this tool, please remember to follow the CDC's Application Guidelines.
Need a replacement Green Card (Permanent Resident Card)? Visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website(opens in a new tab).
Have questions about your U.S. passport? Visit the U.S. Department of State FAQs page.

As a reminder, the age eligibility is as follows:

Kindergarten: Any student enrolling in kindergarten must be five (5) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.
First Grade: Any student enrolling in first grade must be six (6) years old on or before September 1 in the school year for which you are enrolling.

Maximum Age:

Any general education student who turns nineteen (19) years old on or before the first day of school and has a break in public school enrollment will not be eligible to enroll in Connections Academy at Gateway.
Special education students who turn twenty-two (22) years old on or before the first day of school may be eligible to enroll in Connections Academy at Gateway if they have been continuously enrolled in school.

Proof of Residence

According to the California Department of Education Residency Guidelines, you must reside in one of the following California counties to enroll in Connections Academy at Gateway: Amador, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Sutter and Yolo. You must provide ONE acceptable proof of residency to be eligible for enrollment in Connections Academy at Gateway. There are many verifiable forms of documentation, which are detailed below:

Not Sure What is Accepted as Proof?

Documents must be dated within the last 90 days.

Acceptable documents include:
A residential utility bill (electric, water, gas, or sewage)
Cable bill
Telephone bill
Current annual rental/lease agreement signed, showing terms of lease).
Mortgage statement (showing property address)
Property tax statement
Bank statement

If you do not have any of these documents, please contact the enrollment team at 1 -833-591-0251 to discuss acceptable alternatives.

Geographical Limitations

You must reside in one of the following California counties and provide acceptable proof of residency to be eligible for enrollment in Connections Academy at Gateway:

Amador
Contra Costa
El Dorado
Placer
Sacramento
San Joaquin
Solano
Sutter
Yolo

Proof of Residency Document Tips and Tricks
2 min video

Trouble uploading your proof of residency documentation for Connections Academy at Gateway? We're here to help. Monique explains common challenges and how to fix them.

Child's Proof of Immunizations

Child’s Proof of Immunization

Immunizations are not required to enroll in the school because the Connections Academy at Gateway virtual school program meets California’s criteria of an independent study program.

With this said, Connections Academy at Gateway is still required to collect information from parents and report to the state on immunizations. Therefore, immunization records should be submitted for students upon enrollment and resubmitted upon entry into seventh grade. Even though during the enrollment process all immunization records must be submitted, if the records indicate that the student has not received all the state required immunizations, the student will still be allowed to enroll.

Families will be able to submit immunization records and/or exemptions once they begin the enrollment process.

Copy of up-to-date, complete Immunization Records
Temporary Medical Exemption
Permanent Medical Exemption

This form may require both the parent/guardian and health care provider signature.

Not Sure What Immunizations Are Required?

For more details, including information regarding what immunizations/shots your student needs, please refer to the Shots for Schools website, and for a complete list of immunization requirements, please see the Health and Safety Code Section 120325–120380 document.

The California Immunization Record (sometimes called the "yellow card")

The California Immunization Record (sometimes called the “yellow card”) helps you keep track of what shots your child has received and when. Many California medical offices and clinics can now update your child’s yellow card automatically using an electronic immunization registry, known as the California immunization registry.

Where Can I Get Immunizations For My Student?

Immunizations can be obtained from doctor’s offices, clinics, or hospitals. Pediatricians and family doctors or their nurses or medical assistants can give your student the shots they need to meet the requirements for school enrollment. In addition, some large chain pharmacies offer immunizations for older children and adults.

What If I Need Assistance Paying For Vaccines?

By law, California managed-care organizations (such as Kaiser Permanente and Blue Cross) must cover recommended immunizations for children. Your health plan may charge a co-payment for the shot visit. Check with your health plan or your doctor’s office about any fees.

If you don’t have health insurance, you may be able to get free immunizations through one of these programs:

Healthy Families Children enrolled in California’s Healthy Families plan receive free immunizations with no copayment.
Medi-Cal.Medi-Cal covers preventive care services for eligible low-income children and adults. Contact your local County Social Services for more information.
Vaccines for Children.Many private-practice California doctors participate in the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program, which gives free vaccine to eligible children up to age 18. Ask your child’s doctor if his or her office offers VFC shots.
CHDP. Children eligible for California’s Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program may also be eligible for free or low-cost shots.

Prior Academic Records

Prior Academic Records
All students who have previously attended public school, private school, or homeschool are eligible to enroll and will be asked to submit academic records for placement.
Report Card
For students applying for grades K–9: Please submit a copy of the report card from the most recent school year.
The following items should be included on the report card:
Student Name
Grade Level
School Year (example: 2024–25)
School Name
Grading Scale (example: 90–100%=A)

Unofficial Transcript

For students applying for grade 10: Submit an unofficial transcript that includes the complete end-of-year grades from the prior school year(s) and any academic documentation (such as a progress report/interim report, class schedule, or marking period/semester report card) issued for the current school year. Additional documentation may be requested for placement.

The following items should be included on the unofficial transcript:

Student Name
Grade Level
School Year (example: 2024–25)
School Name
Grading Scale (example: 90–100%=A)
Credits Earned

Not Sure How to Get Your Child’s Report Card or Transcript?

Contact your student's previous school and request the document, providing them with the information outlined above, OR contact your school's district office with the request.

If after attempting these steps you still cannot obtain your student's report card or transcript, please contact the enrollment team at 1-833-591-0251 to discuss acceptable alternatives.

Have Your Child(ren) Been Formerly Homeschooled?

Prior Academic History Form

For homeschooled students in grades K–10: Complete the Prior Academic History Form indicating what courses were completed through a homeschool curriculum. This form will be available to you in Pearson Online Classroom.

Other Documents for Special Circumstances

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How To Enroll In

Connections Academy at Gateway

Enrollment Information

Start Your Family’s Learning Journey

Step 1

Check Eligibility

Step 2

Understand Your Commitment

Step 3

Prepare Documents

Step 4

Get Started and Create Account

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