lottery -- what is it and how does it work?

[Anonymous]

My daughter is only 10 months old, but we're thinking about buying a house in PG near Hyattsville/College Park/University Park area, maybe Mt. Rainier, but would like to base the decision on schools in the area.

I keep hearing people mention a lottery but don't have the first clue what this is or what it means for schools. Don't kids go to school based on where they live? How does it work? Does it work the same in all counties? Can someone give me a quick primer?

These are really dumb questions, I know. I'm a first-time parent, so I don't know the first thing about schools. I grew up in Alaska and Montana and only ever had one option for schools. I'm also new to Maryland.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[Anonymous]

Mostly kids go to school near their neighborhood so hedge your bets by finding a neighborhood with a strong PTA. Hyattsville, University Park, the Hollywood neighborhood of College Park, Berwyn Heights, and Greenbelt have stronger PTAs out of the areas you've mentioned. Lottery results are not statistically likely.

[Anonymous]

Thanks.

I'm asking just the really dumb question of what is "the lottery"? I don't have the first clue. Obviously, this is not a lottery to win money. Somehow in the context of these forums it relates to school attendance, but I have no idea how. Can someone explain to me like I'm a 5th grader what "the lottery" is, how it works, what it's for, etc. I don't mean to be so dense, really. I just am really new to this.

[Anonymous]

The lottery is the way you get a spot at specialty programs like Montessori or French Immersion. If you want your child to go to French Immersion instead of the neighborhood school, you enter your child into the lottery. They randomly select for the spots at those specialty schools and then make a ranked waitlist of the people who did not get a spot. The waitlists have been absurdly long in recent years.

[Anonymous]

Okay! This helps! Thank you so much!

Is there a way of finding out what the specialty schools are in the areas that I mentioned that enroll using a lottery?

Do all counties have a lottery for their respective specialty schools?

Thanks again!

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure if this is on the website, but there are three different Montessori programs (apply for these when your child is 3), three French immersion program (at kindergarten only), two? Performing arts programs. Which one you apply for depends on address so approx. north, central, or south county.

[Anonymous]

For the Hyattsville/UP/CP area it would be Goddard for Montessori and French Immersion. I don't know as much about the Performing Arts program - it doesn't get much love in this area, not like Montessori and French Immersion - but I think it is maybe Foulois or Pullen. I haven't known anyone at either of those programs. The TAG centers come in later grades and you have to get the TAG label and then apply via lottery for center placement.

Lottery placement is not something you should count on though - waitlists are very long and it's purely luck as to whether you get a spot (says a veteran lottery loser). So definitely focus on the neighborhood school and whether you are ok with it as you house hunt.

[Anonymous]

Pullen has a fairly good reputation but it's in Landover so I think the long bus commute puts some people off. There's still a long wait list, close to 200+ for each grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure if this is on the website, but there are three different Montessori programs (apply for these when your child is 3), three French immersion program (at kindergarten only), two? Performing arts programs. Which one you apply for depends on address so approx. north, central, or south county.

Why is there so much French immersion? Isn't there a Spanish immersion? Also, you mention "the website." Can you direct me toward the website you are talking about?

Thanks for all of the helpful information!!! I'm definitely not counting on the lottery, just trying to understand all of the discussion I read.

[Anonymous]

French immersion was started years and years ago (as an alternative to court ordered bussing when there weren't many Spanish speaking families in county). It has a good reputation so the county can't get rid of it. There might be Spanish immersion after this year. I've heard rumblings. I'd wait a month or so to buy a house. They'll be redistricting very shortly.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the heads-up on the redistricting! Do you know where and when I can find out the results of that?
Thanks again for all of the info!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the heads-up on the redistricting! Do you know where and when I can find out the results of that?
Thanks again for all of the info!

There have been a series of boundary adjustments each year over the past few. The one coming this year will primarily affect the Hyattsville-University Park-Lewisdale-Chillum area due to the new elementary school opening in West Hyattsville. Other boundary changes have come about due to secondary school reform and the shifting of more sixth grades from elementary school to middle school, as well as attempting to better balance facility usage with population size and density. Because of the change in governance and administration, they are behind schedule in holding public meetings for the SY2014/15 boundary changes, but when ever they are announced, there will be a notice on the Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries page -- http://www1.pgcps.org/pasb/