K-12
Main Round

Formerly known as "OneApp" NCAP is the NOLA-PS Common Application Process and the only way for interested families to apply to enroll in a participating school for the upcoming school year. Families should participate in the Main Round in the late fall/early winter to have the best chance to get assigned to your top school choices. The NCAP Main Round uses a matching process where each student receives a single best school offer. The algorithm of the matching process assigns each student to their highest ranked school choice for which there is an available seat. The algorithm makes assignments based on student and school specific information.

If a student’s K-12 school offers the next grade level, the student is guaranteed a spot to return to their current school for the following school year at the next grade level.

Students who apply and are assigned to a different school will lose their guarantee to return to their previous school. Students who apply to change schools and do not receive an assignment to a ranked school will be re-assigned to the next grade level at their current school (if the next grade is offered). Families who receive a placement at a school they choose on their NCAP will forfeit any prior school placement.

Families should complete the K-12 NCAP if: 
- The student is entering the public school system for the first time, such as a new kindergartener. ​
- The student is currently enrolled in a NOLA-PS school in a terminal grade (the last grade level offered) and will need to choose a new school for next year, such as 8th graders who need to apply to 9th grade.
- The student would like to switch schools to a different NOLA-PS K-12 school for next school year.​
- The student is new to Orleans Parish and will be starting school in NOLA-PS next fall for the 2026 - 2027 school year.
- The student is seeking to transfer to a publicly funded K-12 seat in Orleans Parish for the next school year, such as from a private school, parochial school, or another school setting​.

Families should NOT complete the K-12 NCAP if: 
- If the student is happy with their current K-12 school and that school offers the next grade level​. Returning students who do not apply to attend another school are guaranteed to return to their current K-12 school for the following school year. 
- The student needs to be placed into a school for the current school year (not next school year).

New Orleans has a unique school system where 100% of our schools are public charter schools. See the 2025-2026 New Orleans Public School Governance Chart for more information about charter networks. Even though charter schools are managed by individual Charter Management Organizations (CMOs), the district manages enrollment and applications to all NOLA-PS schools through a unified enrollment system. Families can rank any school across the city on their application. Families are never automatically assigned to a default school (unless it is the school the student currently attends). In New Orleans, every family must choose where they would like their child to enroll. To learn more about what programs different schools offer, visit our Explore Schools Tool. If a school close to home is important to your family, enter your address on the Explore Schools Tool to see schools closest to your home.

If a family does not participate in K-12 Main Round, and they are currently enrolled in K-12th grade and attending a school that offers the next grade level, that student will be guaranteed a placement for next year at their current school. If the current school does not offer the next grade level (for example, the current grade is 8th grade and the school does not offer 9th grade) then that student will not have a Main Round placement and need to participate in Open Enrollment in the summer. In Louisiana, enrolling in school for K through 12th grade is mandatory. 

No. In NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS), there is a unified enrollment process for all schools. Students are enrolled by the NOLA-PS district enrollment team, and individual schools do not have the ability to enroll students directly. During the summer, the only way students are assigned to a school is through the Open Enrollment process. View all the schools we serve here. 

Visit our Explore Schools Tool. You can look up a school by name in the search bar or use the filters to search schools that offer special programs (examples: after care, transportation services, sports, etc.). Check out our how-to video for tips on how to use the tool. 

There are 10 schools with Eligibility Criteria—meaning students must complete required steps to be eligible to enroll, such as an academic proficiency test, a foreign language assessment, or an open house requirement. Each school has different requirements, as well as availability for completing requirements. For more information, visit: https://enrollnolaps.com/eligibilityschools

Family link is a way to try to have multiple students from the same household be assigned to the same school. Family link happens automatically when families rank school choices in the same order for multiple students under a single parent account. Family link seeks to place all linked students into the highest-ranked school choice with available seats for each applicant, even if one or more applicants would have received a higher-ranked placement without the link. Please note that all students must be eligible for all schools listed on the application and all ranked school choices must be in the same order for family link to be enabled. If a student is not eligible for one of the ranked schools on their application, family link will not apply. 

Families may wish to opt out of family link. Families may rank school choices in the same order on their children’s applications, but want each child to get into the highest ranked school on their application for which they can receive a placement. If a parent/guardian would like each child to be matched to their highest ranked school (more than they would like all children to be matched to the same school), the family should opt out of family link. Opting out of family link could increase the chances that one applicant may receive a higher ranked placement, however it also increases the chances of receiving a different placement for the sibling applicants. In order to opt out of family link, email enroll@nolapublicschools.com. 

If a family has more than one child born together in the same birth event, like twins, there are some special procedures for enrolling them together. If one of the twins gets placed at a school they applied to, the other twin will also get in if they applied to the same schools. This only happens if all the students in the family completed a Main Round application on time and with family-linked turned on. The schools will check to make sure they are in fact siblings before they start school. Please note that for schools with Eligibility Criteria, each child will need to meet eligibility requirements to be placed together. If a student is not eligible for one of the ranked schools on their application, family link will not apply. 

In some cases, when students apply to schools, they are organized into groups and given priority before the other applicants. Each school has a set of rules that determine who gets preference when there are more applicants than available spots. These rules are decided upon and approved by the authorities in charge of the school, such as the Orleans Parish School Board, or the Louisiana BESE (Board of Elementary and Secondary Schools). Applicants are considered in the order of their assigned priority groups. If a school or a specific grade level within a school has certain criteria for selecting students, you can find that information on the school's page on the NOLA-PS Explore Schools tool under the Admissions tab. For complete details about Priorities, visit the Student Priorities and Verification webpage. 

Please see the 2026 - 2027 Placement Guides for specifics on how grade placement is decided. 

Main Round is not first-come, first-serve and all applications go through the match at the same time after NCAP closes. While you will need to apply before the deadline on January 23, there is no rush to apply as soon as the application opens. While there is no rush to apply on day one--please also don't wait to the last minute! We encourage timely application so we can troubleshoot any issues if they come up and answer any questions.

We are excited to offer the NOLA Public Schools' College and Career Success Hub, a free digital platform designed to help high school students achieve their postsecondary goals.

The College and Career Success Hub is designed to be a one-stop resource for scholars to explore their options and align their academic pathways with their future goals. This platform facilitates access to detailed information about college and career readiness programs. By doing so, it ensures that students have the tools and resources necessary to succeed, whether they are exploring higher education or vocational training.

To download the app on Android, click here.
To download the app on iOS, click here. 

Visit our Explore Schools Tool. You can look up a school by name in the search bar or use the filters to search schools that offer special programs (examples: after care, transportation services, sports, etc.). Check out our how-to video for tips on how to use the tool. 

Why is this a myth? The number of choices you list on your application does not affect the likelihood of you getting one of your top choices. We seek to place all families at their highest-ranked school when seats are available, based on family preference and each school’s priorities. This way we can honor family choice, while families are not penalized for listing more options.

Why is this a myth? If you are currently enrolled at a NOLA-PS school and are placed at any of the choices you list on your 2025 – 2026 application, you will lose the spot you hold at your current school. It’s critical that families only apply to schools they prefer to their current school. By applying, the student is indicating that he/she would rather go to the schools where they have applied and are willing to give up their current assignment for the opportunity to do so.

Why is this a myth? All applications are processed at the same time, so there is no advantage to applying early. By processing all applications at once, families who are unable to submit their applications earlier are not at a disadvantage. Please note that families interested in attending schools with admissions criteria must submit their applications by January 29, 2025.

Why is this a myth? NCAP is a single-best offer process, which means that all applicants will receive only one offer, regardless of how many applications they submit. Only the most recent application is considered during the matching process. Submitting multiple applications may damage your chances of getting what you really want, because the most recent application will overwrite any previously submitted school selections.

Why is this a myth? Our team is committed to keeping families together whenever possible. However, sometimes there is not enough space available to accommodate all applicants. Schools that grant sibling priority will consider applicants with siblings before applicants without but cannot guarantee that any student will receive a placement.
 

The Louisiana Scholarship Program (LSP) that previously funded grades kindergarten and up at non-public schools for qualifying applicants, has been replaced by a new program called LA GATOR (Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity) Scholarship Program.  
 
More information about the LA GATOR program is available on the LDOE website. 
 

This Main Round Dashboard shows school eligibility requirements for applying to New Orleans Public Schools, how each school prioritizes groups of applicants, and the Main Round results data from the 2025 - 2026 application.

For assistance, submit a ticket at the Help Desk, call us at 504-910-8500, or connect with us at a Family Resource Center.