DCC school choice — Is it s waste to rank Blair #1 if we’re not zoned for Blair?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Newbie question: If your home school is Einstein, aren’t you guaranteed a spot there?

You aren't guaranteed a spot in your home school unless you list it first or second. You don't automatically get put in your home school. That is, if you don't turn in the form, you will be put in a lottery to attend any of the 5 schools. So make sure you submit the form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your child lists a non homeschool as number 1, gets their first pick, but ultimately decides the home school (listed as number 2) is the best fit because their friends are going there. Is the home school still an option? Zoned for Einstein and trying to gauge potential risk of not having it as an option if this scenario happens.

I have this same question. Can you change your mind if you get your first (non home school) choice but then want to just go to your home school? Is this something that you can "undo" in the second round?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your child lists a non homeschool as number 1, gets their first pick, but ultimately decides the home school (listed as number 2) is the best fit because their friends are going there. Is the home school still an option? Zoned for Einstein and trying to gauge potential risk of not having it as an option if this scenario happens.

I have this same question. Can you change your mind if you get your first (non home school) choice but then want to just go to your home school? Is this something that you can "undo" in the second round?

No, if you got your first choice school, you're not eligible for the second round.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/downcounty/choice/round2.aspx

[Anonymous]

Op here. These responses have been so helpful and educational. Thank you!

Since it’s a thread that I started, I hope I can go off-topic a bit with a different, but related question.

I’m aware that if my kid wants to be guaranteed a spot at their home school, they need to rank it as #1 or #2. I know this means that, technically, if my DC ranks our home school (Einstein) as #3, they could end up being assigned to their #4 or #5 choice, which in our case would be Kennedy or Northwood.

But can anyone tell me, realistically, how likely it is that a kid would be assigned their 4th or 5th ranked school? One MCPS parent I asked said ‘no way,’ but another pointed out that fewer kids are selecting Northwood right now because of the re-build, and that this is making Blair and Einstein more popular than in normal times.

Bottom line, if my DC would prefer Blair or Wheaton over Einstein, but would much prefer Einstein over Kennedy or Northwood, is it a big risk to rank Blair #1, Wheaton #2, and Einstein #3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. These responses have been so helpful and educational. Thank you!

Since it’s a thread that I started, I hope I can go off-topic a bit with a different, but related question.

I’m aware that if my kid wants to be guaranteed a spot at their home school, they need to rank it as #1 or #2. I know this means that, technically, if my DC ranks our home school (Einstein) as #3, they could end up being assigned to their #4 or #5 choice, which in our case would be Kennedy or Northwood.

But can anyone tell me, realistically, how likely it is that a kid would be assigned their 4th or 5th ranked school? One MCPS parent I asked said ‘no way,’ but another pointed out that fewer kids are selecting Northwood right now because of the re-build, and that this is making Blair and Einstein more popular than in normal times.

Bottom line, if my DC would prefer Blair or Wheaton over Einstein, but would much prefer Einstein over Kennedy or Northwood, is it a big risk to rank Blair #1, Wheaton #2, and Einstein #3?

I don’t have any inside information, but just responding as a mom in the dcc who has had to make some calculations… I would risk this. I think you’d get at least your third choice, no? Good luck. So nerve racking! Throw your hat in the ring for Blair and Einstein and Wheaton magnets programs while you’re at it, and for good measure. Report back and let us know what happens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of my DD's friends who chose Blair got it this year (we are zoned for Einstein). Einstein and Wheaton have grown in popularity over the last few years.

Really? And they are all zoned for Einstein?
I doubt it.

Yes, my point is that we (and they) are all zoned for Einstein and overwhelmingly the high achieving kids from our circle wanted Einstein. A few applied to Wheaton and Blair programs and of the ones who applied, they all got in.

You are implying that everyone wants to go to Blair but that's just not old news and not true anymore.

My Blair-zoned kid chose Einstein, and is extremely happy they did.

If they're into arts or theater it might be a good choice for them.

[Anonymous]

I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

If there is a transportation hardship, you can apply for a COSA. Also, 9th graders who want to change to another DCC school, including their home school, for 10th grade, can submit a Change of Choice form.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

All of the DCC is a home school of a sort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

All of the DCC is a home school of a sort.

This bugs me too, since a student in other parts of the county can try out a special program and go back to their home school at any point.

For OP, that's a tough one. I don't know how to advise you, but I would add the Wheaton/Edison lottery programs as another option to get into Wheaton, if any of the focus areas interest your kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All of my DD's friends who chose Blair got it this year (we are zoned for Einstein). Einstein and Wheaton have grown in popularity over the last few years.

Really? And they are all zoned for Einstein?
I doubt it.

Yes, my point is that we (and they) are all zoned for Einstein and overwhelmingly the high achieving kids from our circle wanted Einstein. A few applied to Wheaton and Blair programs and of the ones who applied, they all got in.

You are implying that everyone wants to go to Blair but that's just not old news and not true anymore.

OP is asking about lottery. Not application programs. If your friends kids got into application programs they didn't need to lottery into Blair. It is a completely different thing. I only know one kid who got into Blair through the lottery and that was 10 years ago and they were a sophomore. I assume they are out there, but, it is a long shot. Blair is overcapacity, and it has two magnet programs. There are very few lottery seats.

[Anonymous]

Principals can let kids back into their home schools. I know a handful of kids who went to Einstein (their homeschool) after getting other schools through the choice program.

You could also unenroll and re-enroll. Be smart people. Obviously you can always get back into your homeschool, even if they discourage it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

Your post is really odd. Kids in the DCC have the privilege of selecting among a lot of schools and programs. It's a really great opportunity. We are stuck in our area with only one choice and it's not a good match for DC.

The application magnets are not a "choice" as extremely few kids get in.

There's no violation PP. It's just a different system and you are guaranteed a spot at some DCC school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand how kids aren't allowed to return to their home school? Isn't this somewhat of a FAPE violation?

If transportation is to a non-home school is cumbersome or nonexistent, how can MCPS say "no, sorry, you can no longer get on the bus at the end of your street with all your neighbors to attend the school your house is zoned for."

Has anyone tried this and been denied? What would you do, unenroll and reenroll?

All of the DCC is a home school of a sort.

This bugs me too, since a student in other parts of the county can try out a special program and go back to their home school at any point.

For OP, that's a tough one. I don't know how to advise you, but I would add the Wheaton/Edison lottery programs as another option to get into Wheaton, if any of the focus areas interest your kid.

Your post really rubs me the wrong way. If you are in a different area you almost never have the opportunity to try out a special program in the first place so you'd have what 1-2 kids returning to their home school? It's not the same as when you might have 1/3 or 1/2 of the "home" school area going to different schools and the possibility of them coming back and already being overcrowded because you're hosting hundreds of kids who are not part of that "home" school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. These responses have been so helpful and educational. Thank you!

Since it’s a thread that I started, I hope I can go off-topic a bit with a different, but related question.

I’m aware that if my kid wants to be guaranteed a spot at their home school, they need to rank it as #1 or #2. I know this means that, technically, if my DC ranks our home school (Einstein) as #3, they could end up being assigned to their #4 or #5 choice, which in our case would be Kennedy or Northwood.

But can anyone tell me, realistically, how likely it is that a kid would be assigned their 4th or 5th ranked school? One MCPS parent I asked said ‘no way,’ but another pointed out that fewer kids are selecting Northwood right now because of the re-build, and that this is making Blair and Einstein more popular than in normal times.

Bottom line, if my DC would prefer Blair or Wheaton over Einstein, but would much prefer Einstein over Kennedy or Northwood, is it a big risk to rank Blair #1, Wheaton #2, and Einstein #3?

I don’t have any inside information, but just responding as a mom in the dcc who has had to make some calculations… I would risk this. I think you’d get at least your third choice, no? Good luck. So nerve racking! Throw your hat in the ring for Blair and Einstein and Wheaton magnets programs while you’re at it, and for good measure. Report back and let us know what happens!

Agree, I think you’ll be fine.