How many CS did you apply to, and how many did you get into?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got spots at Inspired Teaching, Appletree, Bridges, Creative Minds and Yu Ying. Also applied to LAMB, Capital City, Stokes and Mundo Verde but we got low waitlist numbers. We also got into our first choice DCPS OOB, but decided to go with a charter were we are very happy. [/quote

I'm calling troll on this. There is no way someone got into that many good charters and had that many low wait list numbers. Please spend your time trolling somewhere else.

Yes, actually, it would make sense for it to be a troll, I was scratching my head that anyone was THAT lucky. Should have caught on with that "Also got into 1st choice DCPS OOB" - that's the icing on the troll cake!

I posted this and am not a troll! We got into our first choice DCPS because it was not a popular school but just a safety option. We also got into Yu Ying because I spent about 3 hours standing outside the gates and so we had a very high waitlist number! We got into Appletree and Bridges off the waitlist. Appletree has opened lots of centers and the waitlist for Bridges was short this year. I was surprised to get into Creative Minds and Inspired Teaching. Went with Inspired Teaching and DS is very happy there. We got very bad lottery numbers at the other charters. I guess if we had wanted Spanish immersion then we would have considered ourselves very unlucky in the lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My bet: most people apply to all of these, plus or minus a few depending on interest or location.

1. Cap City
2. E.L. Haynes
3. LAMB
4. Mundo Verde
5. Stokes
6. Yu Ying
7. Inspired Teaching

Good list. If I were applying this year, I would apply to all of those and also include: Bridges (now that they have elementary), Creative Minds (sounds good so far, and nice location), Two Rivers (good reputation), and Sela (sounds very promising).

[Anonymous]

Capital City
Lamb
Mundo Verde
Shining Stars
Bridges
Haynes

Not one acceptance. Got decent waitlist numbers for the first three. Walked in and enrolled in my crappy neighborhood charter for PS3. Got off the waitlist from every school except Haynes by the end of August. We went with Lamb.

[Anonymous]

Applied to MV, Lamb, Stokes, DC Bilingual, and Appletree for PK3. We're trying for immersion! Unfortunately, we never got a call for any of the first four (but had a high wait list number for MV). We're happy at Appletree but will be playing the lottery again this year. Wish us luck!

[Anonymous]

In 2010, we only applied to Bridges for PS. They HAD (I hear it's gone) a Dec. 30 cutoff so it was our only option at that point. We got in off waitlist 2 weeks before school with a wait list number of 140 something.

In 2011 for PS, we applied to 6 DCPS schools and eventually got into Bancroft midsummer but turned it down. We were looking for Spanish Immersion so we applied to Mundo Verde (#136) and Stokes (no spots for new PS kids that year) and Centronia/DC Bilingual (20s and offered spot but turned it down). Ultimately, we were happy with Bridges and wanted to hold out for another round of lotteries in 2012.

In 2012 for PK, we skipped the DCPS option and applied to LAMB (WON!), Stokes (I got a letter about no lottery spots for PK4), Mundo Verde (high 20s but no call), CapCity (20s and offered spot pretty early on after lottery6).

Having a kid enrolled in a school already had us sitting tight and only applying to schools that had bilingual immersion (SPANISH)

[Anonymous]

Applied to Yu Ying, Mundo Verde and and EL Haynes for PK with twins. Got accepted to Yu Ying and Mundo Verde. Ended up choosing our local JKLM public.

[Anonymous]

For pre-DCPSpanish bilingual charters and 3 DCPS bilingual, including in bounds. Spanish-dominant hispanic.

Zero. Nada.

Just like it's possible to get all of your top picks, it is possible, but unusual, to strike out.

We planned for one year of private Spanish program as preferable to 3 other DCPS lottery. Applied to 3. Got into one. Worked out for us.

[Anonymous]

Pp here. that was pre-k.

[Anonymous]

Amazingly, we only applied to one school that we REALLY liked, and our kid got in.

If you start young enough you almost certainly will get what you want. If not in PK-3, then in PK-4, or kindergarten, or 1st grade.

After 2nd grade it gets a bit more difficult. The language charters don't admit after 2nd grade, and kids make friends, parents get familiar the school and continue with it.

Whatever you do, make up your mind fast folks. There is no reason to spend weeks or months mulling over your decision. Just make a decision and run with it. If it is less than great, you get to try again the next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Amazingly, we only applied to one school that we REALLY liked, and our kid got in.

If you start young enough you almost certainly will get what you want. If not in PK-3, then in PK-4, or kindergarten, or 1st grade.

After 2nd grade it gets a bit more difficult. The language charters don't admit after 2nd grade, and kids make friends, parents get familiar the school and continue with it.

Whatever you do, make up your mind fast folks. There is no reason to spend weeks or months mulling over your decision. Just make a decision and run with it. If it is less than great, you get to try again the next year.

I hear BASIS won't be taking applicants in the upper grades as well. Best to research, plan and make informed decisions on which charters and when to try for them.

[Anonymous]

I hear BASIS won't be taking applicants in the upper grades as well. Best to research, plan and make informed decisions on which charters and when to try for them.

I wouldn't worry about BASIS. They will have to take applicants in the upper grades if they want to keep the doors open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have heard that all charters will have the same application deadline this year. I don't know if all the lotteries will be held the same day.

Not true. 85 of the 100+ charters are moving to a common deadline system for applications, including LAMB and Yu Ying, but not all of them.