Lottery Schools

The application for Benton STEM, Locust Expressive Arts, & Ridgeway Elementary lottery for the 2024-2025 school year is closed.

The application for the Jefferson STEAM Middle School lottery for the 2025-2026 school year will open on October 11, 2024, and close on November 15, 2024 at 4 p.m.

Jefferson Middle Lottery has changed beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. Starting with incoming kindergarten classes in 2024-2025 and beyond, students who go to Kindergarten THROUGH THE LOTTERY SYSTEM (Ridgeway, Benton and Locust) will not have a spot at Jefferson Middle School. All CPS 5^th graders have the opportunity to enter the Jefferson Middle School Lottery. This does not affect current 1^st – 5^th graders at Ridgeway, Benton and Locust.

Lottery School Timeline

After the lottery application window, please contact the school you wish to apply for to be added to the waitlist.

Application for Benton, Ridgeway and Locust

All elementary age students who are residents of the Columbia School District are eligible to attend Benton, Ridgeway and Locust Street Expressive Arts elementary schools.
Students who live one mile or more from school are provided bus transportation.
Students will still need to enroll in Columbia Public Schools in addition to filling out the lottery application. However, an incomplete CPS enrollment does not exclude you from lottery consideration.
Parents requesting that their child(ren) attend one of these schools must complete an online application. Upon completion of the online application, parents/guardians will receive an email receipt verifying that their application has been received. The email receipt will contain a confirmation code used during the lottery process.
Parents can choose only one school per online application. If you believe your child would benefit from more than one of the schools, you must make an appointment with the principal of the other school(s) to describe how your child's interests can be met by that school and to complete a paper application for your second choice.

Kindergarten Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year

Guardians can call the school(opens in a new tab) for application support.
The online application does not become available until early March 2024. A random drawing will be held to fill the available spaces. Notification emails will be sent to parents soon afterward (typically within two weeks). A student is considered enrolled at the lottery school only after the parent has accepted the placement offer.
If a child has been placed on a waiting list, parents will be able to review their child's status on the lottery Web site under the waiting list tab. If a placement becomes available, principals from the lottery schools will notify parents personally.
Families must apply through the lottery process for each school age child first through fifth grade.

Enrollment Information for Students Entering Grades K-5

Benton STEM Elementary School Waiting List Policy
Any student, entering grades K-5, may apply for the Benton STEM Elementary lottery during the online enrollment period. Students entering kindergarten who are randomly selected during the annual spring drawing will be accepted for placement based upon positions available for the upcoming school year. All remaining kindergarten through fifth grade students are placed upon a waiting list and will be placed as space becomes available. Students are put on the waiting list for the current year only and may re-apply each year. Inquiries may be directed to the school office. Paper applications are required after the lottery waitlist is created. Please contact the school office for a paper application. Applications submitted after the online lottery period is closed are added to the end of this list in the order they are received.
Ridgeway Elementary School Waiting List Policy
Any student, entering grades K-5, may apply online for Ridgeway Elementary School during the online enrollment period. Students entering kindergarten who are randomly selected during the spring drawing will be accepted for placement based on positions available for the upcoming school year. All remaining kindergarten through fifth grade students are placed upon a waiting list and will be placed as space becomes available. Students are put on the waiting list for the current year only and may re-apply each year. After the lottery waitlist is created, students may apply by completing a paper application. Please contact the school office for a paper application. Applications submitted after the lottery period is closed are added to the end of the existing waiting list in the order they are received.
Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary School Waiting List Policy
Any student, entering grades K-5, may apply for the Locust Street Expressive Arts Elementary lottery during the online enrollment period. Students entering kindergarten who are randomly selected during the annual spring drawing will be accepted for placement based upon positions available for the upcoming school year. All remaining kindergarten through fifth grade students are placed upon a waiting list and will be placed as space becomes available. Students are put on the waiting list for the current year only and may re-apply each year. Inquiries may be directed to the school office. Paper applications are required after the lottery waitlist is created. Please contact the school office for a paper application. Applications submitted after the online lottery period is closed are added to the end of this list in the order they are received.

An online waiting list will be maintained for those students who are not selected because of insufficient space. Available spaces will be filled from this list. Siblings are not given priority after the kindergarten year.

Lottery students transferring out of Benton, Ridgeway or Locust will need to reapply during the enrollment period if a return is requested. Attendance area students who move out of the Benton/Locust attendance area will need to apply for and participate in the lottery for the next school year.

Enrollment Information for Students Entering Grades 6-8

Jefferson Middle School: A STEAM Academy Waiting List Policy:
Any student, entering grades 6-8, may apply for Jefferson Middle School: A STEAM Academy lottery during the online enrollment period. Students will be randomly selected during the annual drawing and will be accepted for placement based upon available positions for the upcoming school year. All remaining students are placed on a waiting list for their given grade level for when space becomes available. Students are put on the waiting list for the current year only and may re-apply each year, inquiries may be directed to the school office. Paper applications are required after the lottery waitlist is created. Please contact the school office for a paper application. Applications submitted after the online lottery period is closed are added to the end of this list in the order they are received.
In order to provide fresh opportunities for all potential students annually, lottery waitlist will be refreshed and start a new each school year by October 1^st.
It is an expectation that all students meet behavioral expectations. As lottery students are receiving special permission to attend JMS, they must meet said behavioral expectations or they will be required to attend their attendance area school and their lottery status will be revoked.

Bus Transportation for Jefferson Middle School
Jefferson Middle School: A STEAM Academy is a lottery school with an attendance area. In the 2024-2025 school year, all students will be provided transportation, provided they meet the Columbia Public Schools policy regarding distance of residence from the school.