Welcome to LILA –

We know choosing the right school can be a difficult decision. You want what's best for your child. We do, too.

At Lakes International Language Academy, we foster a spirit of curiosity and inquiry in our students, encouraging them to ask questions. A lot of them! We welcome that same curiosity from our prospective families and invite you to ask us anything. In fact, getting your initial questions answered by phone or email can be a good place to start.

Once your preliminary questions are answered, we highly recommend an on-campus visit as a next step. There’s nothing quite like experiencing our LILA community firsthand. You will have the opportunity to see vibrant classrooms in action, observe our approach to teaching and learning, and meet the talented staff and engaged students who make up our warm and inclusive community.

Choosing a school should be a journey of discovery, not a daunting process. Our dedicated admissions team is here to make your experience as smooth and informative as possible. We sincerely look forward to meeting you and helping you explore how LILA can be the perfect fit for your child’s educational journey.

Click here to schedule a tour

ENROLLMENT LOTTERY

2025-2026 Enrollment Lottery - Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Enrollment Lottery Application Deadline – Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 4:00 pm

Once the lottery is complete, we will enroll on a first come, first served basis, based on availability in each grade. Start by completing an application and the Enrollment Manager will connect with you.

WHAT IS THE ENROLLMENT LOTTERY?
As required by law, all eligible students who submit timely applications to a charter school must be enrolled unless the number of applications exceeds the capacity of a program, class, grade level, or building. At LILA, class sizes are determined the school’s board of directors. If enrollment/applications EXCEED capacity at any grade level, PreK through Grade 12, students must be accepted by lottery. If enrollment/applications DO NOT EXCEED capacity at lottery deadline, NO LOTTERY WILL BE HELD and all students will be eligible to enroll.

Example: If there are 100 seats available in kindergarten and LILA receives 120 applications, a lottery will be required. If there are 100 seats available, and 100 or fewer applications are received, a lottery is not required.

Refer to LILA School Board Policy 122 for additional information.

INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: Determine eligibility. For example, preschoolers must be at least three-years-old on September 1 of their enrolling year. Eligibility guidelines for each program level is located in the application tabs.

STEP 2: Complete the application by 4:00 pm on the last school day prior to the January 15 enrollment lottery. Once you submit your application, an auto-confirmation will be sent to let you know the application has been received. If you do not receive an auto-confirmation within an hour of submission, please email admissions@MyLILA.org.

STEP 3: Wait for the lottery results. LILA will contact you by email with the results within 48 hours post-lottery. Please do not contact us during this period of time. All families will be notified post-lottery. Eligible students will be sent enrollment information, and ineligible students will have the option to be placed on a waitlist.

STEP 4: Once the lottery is complete, families will be sent an email with the following information:

A link to the enrollment form.
A list of required forms - e.g. birth certificate, immunization records.
Information regarding any required fees and where to submit payment, if applicable.

Complete the enrollment form, and submit all required forms and fees* as quickly as possible. Your child will not be considered formally enrolled until Step 4 is complete.

*Lakes International Language Academy, a public charter school, does not charge tuition for Minnesota K-12 students. Kinder Prep Preschool is a tuition-based program. In addition to monthly tuition, a $50 non-refundable registration fee is required upon enrollment.

EARLY ENTRANCE INTO KINDERGARTEN

Children who will not be five years old on or before September 1 may be considered for early entrance into kindergarten. Minnesota Statute, Section 124D.02, allows school districts to permit selected children for early admission if there is a policy established by the school board. For information on the early entrance at LILA, see School Board Policy 142. Contact admissions@MyLILA.org to discuss the process for early entrance for your child.

DATA PRIVACY NOTICE

TOUR PACKETS

2026-2027 Enrollment:

APPLICATIONS OPEN NOVEMBER 1!

Choose the appropriate program level application from the menus below. Please review the Enrollment Lottery information on this page prior to submitting your application.

2026-27 Preschool Application

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR PRE-K:

Children must be three years old on or before September 1, 2026.
Transportation to and from school for our pre-K children living within Forest Lake Area School District boundaries is NOT available and must be provided by families. Fee-based options are available as outlined below.
Fee-based transportation is available with centrally located stops in Ham Lake, Blaine, White Bear Lake, Hugo, Lindstrom and Chisago. Students do not need to live in these communities to ride the bus. Learn more about LILA's transportation options.

2025-2026
TUITION SCHEDULE

2026-27 Kindergarten Application

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR KINDER:

Children must be five years old on or before September 1, 2026.
Children who will not be five years old by September 1 must earn eligibility through LILA’s Early Entrance Procedure in order to enroll.

TRANSPORTATION:
Bus transportation is available for students living within Forest Lake Area School District boundaries. Fee-based transportation is available with centrally located stops in Ham Lake, Blaine, White Bear Lake, Hugo, Lindstrom, and Chisago. Students do not need to live in these communities to ride the bus. Learn more about LILA's transportation options.

2026-27 Grades 1-5 Application

TRANSPORTATION:
Bus transportation is available for students living within Forest Lake Area School District boundaries.

Fee-based transportation is available with centrally located stops in Ham Lake, Blaine, White Bear Lake, Hugo, Lindstrom, and Chisago. Students do not need to live in these communities to ride the bus. Learn more.

2026-27 Grades 6-12 Application

REVIEW BEFORE APPLYING:

No second language? No problem! Upper School students do not need second language experience to apply.
To graduate, students must acquire a total of 24 credits, Lakes International Language Academy currently DOES NOT have the capacity to offer credit recovery for students who are not on track to graduate. If you are a high-school student interested in transferring to LILA, you will be admitted to the grade level most closely aligned with the number of high school credits on your transcript. You will enroll in courses that best meet your academic needs.

2025-2026 Enrollment:
The APPLICATION WINDOW FOR GRADES 7-12 is CLOSED for the 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR. If you are interested in applying for Pre-K through Grade 6, please contact admissions@MyLILA.org.

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