MATES is nonsectarian in its programs, admission policies, and all other operations. MATES is open to all students regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, perceived sexual orientation, home language, or disability. MATES shall admit all pupils who wish to attend the school up to capacity.
The MATES Board determines on a yearly basis the capacity for each grade level for the upcoming school year. Applications will be accepted during a publicly advertised open enrollment application period each year in winter or early spring for enrollment in the following school year.
Following the open enrollment period, applications are counted to determine which grade levels have received a quantity of applications that exceed that grade’s capacity. In the event that there are more applications for a grade level than available positions, MATES will hold a public random drawing to determine enrollment for the impacted grade level. Returning MATES students who notify the school before the end of the open enrollment period are guaranteed enrollment the following year and are exempt from the public random drawing.
Students will be admitted at the time of the public random drawing according to preference group as space permits. If there is insufficient capacity to fully enroll a specific preference group in its entirety, a random drawing of the applicants within the preference group will be performed to determine which applicants within that group will be offered enrollment.
Applicants not offered admission due to insufficient capacity will be given the option to put their name on a wait list, in order, according to their draw in the lottery. Applicants who complete the enrollment process after the open enrollment period are considered post-lottery applicants and will be offered enrollment only after all wait listed applicants from the open enrollment period have been exhausted and on a first come first serve basis. The wait list will remain active until the close of open enrollment for the following school year at which time no further students will be enrolled. Wait listed applicants may then re-apply for the following year.