(Washington, DC) –Today, Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and My School DC Executive Director Catharine Peretti announced the results of My School DC, the District’s common lottery system for DC Public Schools (DCPS) and nearly all public charter schools that serve grades PK3-12.
My School DC is a joint effort between the Deputy Mayor for Education, DCPS, the Public Charter School Board, the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, and public charter school leaders. This process allows families to use a single online application to apply to the public school of their choice. In its fourth year of operation, My School DC received 22,050 applications from families interested in attending one of the District’s 200-plus DCPS or public charter schools for the 2017-18 school year, an increase of nearly 1,000 applications over last year. The common lottery is designed to maximize the number of students matched to a school they want to attend.
“In its fourth year, My School DC continues to simplify the process for our growing student population to learn about, apply to and enroll in the city’s public schools,” said Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles. “My School DC’s success in increasing school access across the city proves that when sectors, agencies and schools collaborate successfully, students and families in every ward and neighborhood have access to the schools that best meet their needs.”
Families use the lottery to apply to charter schools and all DCPS PK3 and PK4 programs, out-of-boundary, citywide, and selective high schools. Families can apply and rank up to 12 schools for each child. Families are waitlisted at schools they ranked higher than where they are matched. Of the 22,050 students who applied by the deadlines, 66 percent were matched through the lottery. Of those matched, 59 percent were offered a seat at their top choice, and 85 percent were offered a seat at one of their top three school choices. Students will be offered spots from waitlists over the spring and summer. Last year, 88% of applicants were either matched or offered a waitlist spot by the time of the official enrollment count in October.
“Our goal is to ensure families can access their schools of choice through a simple and fair system,” said Catherine Peretti, executive director of My School DC. “We are excited that the majority of families will have the opportunity to attend one of their top three school choices and will continue to work with residents of all backgrounds to help them understand the growing school options available in Washington, DC.”
Families in every part of the city are able to access the application and participate in the lottery. My School DC coordinated an extensive citywide outreach campaign in multiple languages and with a variety of stakeholders to ensure families were aware of the lottery and application process, including hosting the annual school fair – EdFEST – at which the 200-plus public school options were showcased. The overall distribution of applications by students’ ward of residence continues to reflect the distribution of public school students in the city, as it has each year.
Families can log onto www.myschooldc.org to view their results or call the My School DC hotline at (202) 888-6336. Families who were matched through the lottery must submit their enrollment forms, including proving DC residency, in person by May 1 to the school where they were matched. Anyone who was not matched with a school or missed the deadline may submit a post-lottery application at www.myschooldc.org.
For more information on the process, understanding your results, and how to submit a post-lottery application, please visit www.myschooldc.org or call (202) 888-6336.