Small classes, inspiring teachers, field trips, and hands-on learning projects make the Environmental Charter Schools experience safe, dynamic and fun – but don’t just take our word for it.

We invite you to experience our living campuses and learn more about sustainability by taking a tour of our award-winning campuses. See our tour webpage for upcoming tour dates at our ECS school.

Environmental Charter Schools are public, free, and open to all. ECS schools participate in the USDA Provision 2 program. This means all students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch every day, with no need to complete a meal application. We have a 96% college acceptance rate. We are committed to providing the appropriate support for your child so they can reach their full potential. We partner with families so you are part of your child’s education. Together, we are reimagining public education for youth in Los Angeles.

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ENROLLMENT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Environmental Charter High School – Lawndale


OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS: OCTOBER 1, 2025

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

APPLY NOW
ECHS – LAWNDALE
ONLINE ENROLLMENT

CHARTER SCHOOL COMPLAINT NOTICE & FORM (English)

AVISO DE QUEJAS Y FORMULARIO DE CHARTER SCHOOL (Spanish)

Environmental Charter High School – Gardena


OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS: OCTOBER 1, 2025

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

APPLY NOW
ECHS – GARDENA
ONLINE ENROLLMENT

CHARTER SCHOOL COMPLAINT NOTICE & FORM (English)

AVISO DE QUEJAS Y FORMULARIO DE CHARTER SCHOOL (Spanish)

Environmental Charter Middle School – Gardena

OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS: OCTOBER 1, 2025

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

APPLY NOW
ECMS – GARDENA
ONLINE ENROLLMENT

CHARTER SCHOOL COMPLAINT NOTICE & FORM (English)

AVISO DE QUEJAS Y FORMULARIO DE CHARTER SCHOOL (Spanish)

Environmental Charter Middle School – Inglewood

OPEN ENROLLMENT STARTS: OCTOBER 1, 2025

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026-27 SCHOOL YEAR ARE AVAILABLE NOW!

APPLY NOW
ECMS – INGLEWOOD
ONLINE ENROLLMENT

CHARTER SCHOOL COMPLAINT NOTICE & FORM (English)

AVISO DE QUEJAS Y FORMULARIO DE CHARTER SCHOOL (Spanish)

As a public school, Environmental Charter Schools does not discriminate on the basis of the characteristics listed in Education Code Section 220 (actual or perceived disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, immigration status, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 422.55 of the Penal Code, or association with an individual who has any of the aforementioned characteristics).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) – Enrollment

All Environmental Charter Schools are FREE public schools.  They are not private schools.

All California students are eligible to attend charter schools pursuant to state and federal law. There are no admission requirements. To indicate your interest,  submit a lottery application form available here.

If Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) receives more lottery applications during the application period than spots available at our school(s), we are required by law to hold a blind lottery to determine which students will have the opportunity to attend. After the lottery each year, we maintain a waiting list at each school and will enroll more students as spots become available.

To be eligible to participate in the enrollment lottery, you must complete the lottery application by the deadline (to be announced soon). Join us for an informational meeting to learn about our schools.

To be announced soon.

No, Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) does not have an attendance boundary. We are open to all students residing in the State of California, in accordance with California Education Code Section 47605(d)(2)(A).

Please note that while ECS does not have an attendance boundary, enrollment may be subject to capacity limitations. In cases where we receive more applications than available spots, a public random lottery will be held, as stipulated by California Education Code Section 47605(d).

Environmental Charter Schools (ECS) does not charge an application fee or tuition. Relatedly, ECS schools participate in the USDA Provision 2 program. This means all students are eligible to receive free breakfast and lunch every day, with no need to complete a meal application.

Yes. To apply to both middle schools or high schools, simply turn in two applications.

Some students receive a preference/priority in admissions. Based on our charters and state and federal laws, applications for the lottery are collected, sorted by preference order and placed in the appropriate lottery.

Middle School: Lottery preferences at both our middle schools are for siblings who are currently attending the middle school and for ECS employees.  

ECHS-Lawndale: Lottery preferences for ECHS Lawndale are as follows: 

  • Pupils who reside in LESD attendance area not to exceed 50%  
  • Siblings of students admitted to or attending ECHS not to exceed 20% 
  • Children of current employees of ECS not to exceed 10% 
  • Students matriculating from ECMS-Gardena and ECMS-Inglewood
  • All other students  

ECHS-Gardena Preferences: Enrollment preferences for ECHS Gardena are applied in the following order:

  • Residents of the Los Angeles Unified School District
  • Siblings of students admitted to or attending ECHS not to exceed 20% 
  • Children of current employees of ECS not to exceed 10% 
  • Students matriculating from ECMS-Gardena and ECMS-Inglewood
  • All other students

Preferences are applied in the order listed.

No, your student’s enrollment at one of ECS’ middle schools does not guarantee their spot at either ECHS high school.  Your student will have to apply for the high school lottery. Your student will have a preference in the ECHS lottery as described under preferences above. The preference, we hope, will make it a little easier for your student to gain admission.  

All families who submitted an application to the lottery will be notified of the lottery results by email/text (or by postal mail if no email/phone number is on file)  within one week of the lottery. The notification will indicate whether your student was admitted or waitlisted, and, if waitlisted, the number the child is on the waiting list.

Please call us at the following numbers if you have questions regarding your student’s application status:

Environmental Charter High School-Lawndale (ECHS-L) — 310-214-3400

Environmental Charter High School-Gardena (ECHS-G) — 424-295-9898

Environmental Charter Middle School-Gardena — 310-425-1605

Environmental Charter Middle School-Inglewood — 310-793-0157

When students are offered enrollment to an ECS School, the offer will include the steps the family must take and a timeline to complete the online registration packet.  If there is no response to the notification within 5 business days, ECS will follow up with a phone call. If the offer is not accepted, or there is no response by the date indicated on the offer notification, the student(s) will forfeit enrollment for that school year and your spot will be given to another student. 

Applicants not admitted through the lotteries have their names placed on a waiting list in the order drawn during the lotteries and according to their priorities. ECS notifies wait-listed applicants immediately as space becomes available. Families do not need to be present on lottery night.

Siblings of currently attending students receive an enrollment preference only for the ECS school that the sibling attends. Your student will not receive a preference for a different ECS school.

Current high school students applying for 10th through 12th grades are “transfer” students who desire to transfer to our schools. The application process is the same as that for other students. Please submit an application to the lottery for the appropriate grade.  Also, please note that since ECHS grading policies and graduation requirements may not be the same as your student’s current high school, we encourage you to contact Jeannette Hurtado at jeanette_hurtado@ecsonline.org to review your student’s transcript and ensure your student is applying to the correct grade.

Current middle school students applying for 7th or 8th grade are “transfer” students who desire to transfer to our schools. The application process is the same as that for other students. Please submit an application to the lottery for the appropriate grade.  

Students with IEPs and students with disabilities are enrolled using the same lottery process.  Moreover, ECS will never ask for any identifying information about your students until you have been accepted and have begun the enrollment process.  

Yes. All students must be immunized. On June 30, 2015, Governor Brown signed into law, SB 277, California’s new immunization law requiring that school children be vaccinated and eliminating the personal beliefs exemption.

The first day of instruction will be in August 2026. Please check back in the spring semester for a specific date.

No. All California students are eligible to attend charter schools. They do not need permits or releases to attend a charter school. However, there may be some paperwork required by your district to complete the enrollment process and obtain student records.

When there are spaces available, students may periodically be enrolled during the fall semester and through the beginning of the second semester in late January. In order to be considered for mid-year enrollment, you must have a Lottery Application on file with us.

If we are filling a space and your name is next on the list, we will call you at the phone number and/or email you with the contact information you provided on your application. Please provide working contact information and contact us if it changes. You will have 3-5 working days to respond before we move on to the next name on the list.

No. For each new school year, you must reapply. There is no priority list for former waiting list families.

Once accepted, your student will have a space at the school they are attending for the duration of their time at that school. Families will be asked to complete a re-enrollment form in the spring of each year in order to confirm their wish to have their student continue at their current school.

For additional information about ECS see FAQs here.