Revised Thursday, March 14, 2024

At the December 10, 2019 meeting of the Berkeley County Board of Education, several measures were approved in an attempt to manage growth and the appropriate service of students in the Cane Bay area of the county. At that meeting, the board approved capacity restrictions at Cane Bay Elementary and Cane Bay Middle. 

Cane Bay Elementary’ s capacity is currently limited to approximately 1,250 students, and Cane Bay Middle's capacity is currently limited to 1,475 students.

The Board also approved attendance line changes for Wildcat Tract and undeveloped Nexton. Those owning homes or with contracts on homes in Wildcat Tract prior to January 29, 2020 are grandfathered into the Cane Bay feeder pattern (subject to the enrollment cap restriction and kindergarten lottery).

NOTE: These frequently asked questions will be regularly updated as new questions and topics are brought to our attention. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact The Office of Administrative Services - Pupil Services.
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CBE/CBM ENROLLMENT CAP FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• All new students will register online for their school of residency (i.e., Cane Bay Elementary, Cane Bay Middle, or a feeder school of Cane Bay Middle - Nexton Elementary or Whitesville Elementary).  Registration opens on April 10, 2024 at 10 a.m.

• Each student’s completed registration on the district's online registration system, Infosnap, will be time-stamped.  Time stamps will be used to determine the order the student will be enrolled in Cane Bay Elementary or Cane Bay Middle based on the space available.

• In order to simplify the registration process for kindergarten, there will be a lottery for open seats. The registration window for the Cane Bay Elementary kindergarten lottery will close on April 24, 2024. Registration for your kindergartner must be completed by April 24, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. to be considered for the lottery. All students registered during the lottery period will be assigned a number, and all numbers will be drawn. If the number of lottery registrations exceeds the number of available kindergarten spots, numbers will continue to be drawn to begin the waitlist. As mentioned above, those not registered by April 24, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. will go on the waitlist (time stamped), after lottery registration (if needed).

• For students who will not be enrolled at Cane Bay Elementary or Cane Bay Middle due to capacity, the district will provide transportation from designated pick up locations to the Westview Schools.  

• If you are the parent of a student currently enrolled in BCSD CERDEP or Pre-K, you do not have to re-register. Your child will roll up into kindergarten and will not be subject to the lottery. Students currently enrolled in Head Start must register and are subject to the lottery.

• If you withdraw your child from CBE or CBM and enroll your child in a school outside of Berkeley County School District, when you re-enroll with BCSD your child is subject to the attendance cap. The student will be issued a new timestamp based on the re-enrollment date/time.

• Both Cane Bay Elementary and Cane Bay Middle Schools will maintain a waiting list and priority will be given based on the student’s registration timestamp above the enrollment cap.

• Documentation for registration includes a copy of the following: proof of age; certificate of immunization; two proofs of current residency; proof of guardianship (if the student lives with someone other than the parent). If your child is a transfer from another district/state, academic records, withdrawal info and proof of gifted and talented program identification must be submitted. For enrollment in CERDEP (Child Early Reading Development and Education Program) the following additional items are required: child's Medicaid card (if number is provided) and proof of income eligibility (acceptable forms of verification include a completed free/reduced lunch form, pay stubs, tax returns or W2 forms.)

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT/REGISTRATION

Will current Cane Bay Elementary and Cane Bay Middle students need to register for the upcoming school year?
No, current Cane Bay students will remain at Cane Bay schools. 

If you are the parent of a student currently enrolled in BCSD CERDEP or Pre-K, you do not have to re-register. Your child will roll up into kindergarten and will not be subject to the lottery. Students currently enrolled in Head Start must register and are subject to the lottery.

When does registration begin for the 2024-25 school year? What will the lottery for kindergarten be like?
Registration for new students begins on April 10, 2024 at 10 a.m. for all grade levels, including kindergarten.  Registration may be done completely online. In order to simplify the registration process for kindergarten, there will be a lottery for those open seats. The lottery will be held for all registered students, and if there are more students registered than available spots, the lottery will be used to determine the waitlist. Following the kindergarten lottery, time stamps may be used to determine how students will be added to the waiting list (if needed). The registration window for the Cane Bay Elementary kindergarten lottery will close on April 24, 2024. Registration for your kindergartner must be completed by April 24, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. to be considered for the lottery.

How will parents find out if their child was selected in the kindergarten lottery?
Parents will be notified via email of their child’s lottery number ahead of the drawing. The lottery will be held on Monday, April 29, 2024. If your registration is not complete by April 14, 2024 at 11:59 p.m., your child’s name will be placed on a time-stamped waitlist. Following the lottery, parents will also receive an email/mail notification of their child's status.

If the enrollment does not exceed the cap, then the lottery will not be necessary.

Will students need to register each year in order to be included within the capacity restrictions?
No, current students will automatically be enrolled for the following school year.
If you are the parent of a student currently enrolled in BCSD CERDEP or Pre-K, you do not have to re-register. Your child will roll up into kindergarten and will not be subject to the lottery. 

Students currently enrolled in Head Start must register and are subject to the lottery.

What documents are needed for registration?
All documents can now be submitted online. Documentation for registration includes a copy of the following: proof of age; certificate of immunization; two proofs of current residency; proof of guardianship (if the student lives with someone other than the parent). If your child is a transfer from another district/state, academic records, withdrawal info and proof of gifted and talented program identification must be submitted. For enrollment in CERDEP (Child Early Reading Development and Education Program) the following additional items are required: child's Medicaid card (if number is provided) and proof of income eligibility (acceptable forms of verification include a completed free/reduced lunch form, pay stubs, tax returns or W2 forms.)

Will there be a verification process?
Yes, there will be a verification process for all students registered in the Cane Bay zone. This process will include but not be limited to the verification of addresses on provided documents and residence checks. Prior to the CBE kindergarten lottery, school level personnel will verify addresses on all provided documents. Additional verification steps will be taken if needed. If a child is found attending CBM or CBE and has been determined to live outside of the zone, that child will be moved to the appropriate school, and the family of a child on the enrollment cap waitlist will be notified of the opening.

Are there spaces reserved for kindergarten enrollment at Cane Bay Elementary?
If you are the parent of a student currently enrolled in BCSD CERDEP or Pre-K, you do not have to re-register. Your child will roll up into kindergarten and will not be subject to the lottery. 

Students currently enrolled in Head Start must register and are subject to the lottery.

Is there a cap per grade level at Cane Bay Elementary and Cane Bay Middle?
Students will be accepted in grades above kindergarten based on teacher allocations, class size ratios and timestamp. 

My child is receiving special education services, including speech therapy, at Cane Bay Elementary but is not yet in kindergarten. Will my child be guaranteed a spot when entering kindergarten?
If a student receives special education services at Cane Bay schools, your child is already enrolled and counted in student enrollment numbers. Your child will be enrolled in kindergarten at CBE and in lieu of the lottery.

My child is enrolled in 4K at CBE. How does this relate to the school lottery?
If your child is already in 4K at CBE, your child is already counted in student enrollment numbers. Your child will be enrolled in kindergarten at CBE in lieu of the lottery.
Students currently enrolled in Head Start must register and are subject to the lottery.

TRANSPORTATION
How will bus transportation to the Westview schools work? With the bus transportation to Westview, will this mean my child will need to be at the bus stop earlier?
As students register and request bus transportation for the 2023-24 school year, route information and plans will be shared with the community.

ATTENDANCE APPEALS
Are students able to attend any school in Berkeley County?
If interested in an Attendance Appeal, you may contact the Office of Administrative Services - Pupil Services. Parents must provide transportation to the school.

ENROLLMENT CAP
Will students living in Cane Bay Plantation have precedence over students living in other locations within the attendance zone?
No, all students living in the Cane Bay attendance zone have equal opportunity.

Is there a possibility that I will have one child at CBE or CBM but have another child at a different elementary or middle school?
There is not a sibling clause with the cap. It is possible to have children at separate schools if you enroll a new student.

Is this legal? Where else has a cap like this been implemented?
Placing a cap on a public school is legal. As in situations of rapid growth, a cap helps preserve instructional integrity and a safer learning environment. The cap at CBE and CBM is the first attendance cap BCSD has ever implemented. However, attendance caps are not new in the state of South Carolina. In recent years, several school districts in South Carolina have implemented attendance caps, including but not limited to: Lexington-Richland School District 5, Fort Mill Schools and Horry County Schools.

If a student on the waitlist is offered a space at a Cane Bay school, what is the timeline for enrolling at the Cane Bay schools?

Students will be expected to attend the Cane Bay school when the spot becomes available.  

Is a student able to remain on the waitlist and attend a school outside of Berkeley County School District?

Yes, students can remain on the waitlist as long as they continue to reside in the Cane Bay attendance zone.  If your child is offered an available spot at the Cane Bay schools and you decline, your child will be removed from the waitlist.

Will the school be able to answer capacity questions prior to us closing on our home so we can anticipate school enrollment decisions?
We are not able to make any guarantees of space in advance.  Because enrollment changes daily, we will rely on the timestamp consistently in order to be equitable to all families. Families are encouraged to verify the school attendance zone using the county GIS application.  

 What options do military families have? 

 Active duty military families stationed at Joint Base Charleston will have the opportunity to choose Marrington Elementary and Marrington Middle SOA.

Does this cap impact student athletes at other middle schools who are in the CB feeder?
No, per SCHSL rules, students must participate at their zoned high school. 

ATTENDANCE LINE GRANDFATHERING
Do I qualify for the grandfather clause?
On January 28, 2020, the Board of Education approved that those owning homes or with contracts on homes in Wildcat Tract prior to January 29, 2020 to be grandfathered into the Cane Bay feeder pattern (subject to the enrollment cap restriction and kindergarten lottery).