Public/Charter School Lottery Experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:G,

Welcome to dcum where almost everyone is rude as hell for no reason. I’m sorry you have already been attacked for no reason.

Also, don’t listen to most of these posters. If you strategize you CAN indeed get into a good diverse school. I just moved to dc and this is my first year in the lottery for my daughter who is attending Yu Ying. A good school that is diverse is what I was hoping for, and it worked out. Someone has to get into these good schools and your chances are just as good as anyone else’s.

My strategy was to really do thorough research, choose around 8 schools that I really felt very comfortable with, 2-3 safety schools that I would feel comfortable with my daughter going to just in case, then to list my inbound school last. Remember early education is usually pretty good everywhere, so you’ll have some time if you don’t get the best number next year. You can also participate in Lamb’s lottery and they tend to go pretty deep into their prek3 waitlists.

Don’t stress it because you’ll be fine. And please only take what some of these posters here on dcum say with a grain of salt. Many of them are miserable who purposely steer people in the wrong direction. Good luck

You were fortunate in the lottery. The chances of OP getting all of her wants in the lottery are slim. Those are just the numbers. If she doesn't put her IB on the list - and that's her floor, getting in anywhere will be a long-shot.

Also, OP wasn't attacked for no reason but because of her unrealistic expectations.

What part of me saying that I am new to this did you not understand? I didn't know that my expectations were "unrealistic".

If you thought that a diverse yet high-performing school would be easy to get into, then why were you having "severe anxiety" about the lottery process? Either you knew it would be difficult, or you shouldn't be worried.

[Anonymous]

As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

Yes. But many of those are people who do a list like this (where half the schools fill up with IB kids and the others have about a tenth of the seats needed for all the non-siblings who want in):

Maury
Brent
School Within School
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers 4th Street
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens
Mundo Verde
Bancroft
Yu Ying
LAMB
Hyde-Addison
Shepherd

If OP includes some more likely choices then her odds are quite good of getting one of them. Or it's ok to shoot for the moon and have private day care as a backup. A lot of 3yo programs in DC are easy to get into because so many kids go to public school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

Yes. But many of those are people who do a list like this (where half the schools fill up with IB kids and the others have about a tenth of the seats needed for all the non-siblings who want in):

Maury
Brent
School Within School
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers 4th Street
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens
Mundo Verde
Bancroft
Yu Ying
LAMB
Hyde-Addison
Shepherd

If OP includes some more likely choices then her odds are quite good of getting one of them. Or it's ok to shoot for the moon and have private day care as a backup. A lot of 3yo programs in DC are easy to get into because so many kids go to public school.

What data is this based on? There is virtually no chance at most of these neighborhood schools as an OOB non-sibling. An applicant with this list would likely get nothing. Don't listen to this person, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

Yes. But many of those are people who do a list like this (where half the schools fill up with IB kids and the others have about a tenth of the seats needed for all the non-siblings who want in):

Maury
Brent
School Within School
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers 4th Street
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens
Mundo Verde
Bancroft
Yu Ying
LAMB
Hyde-Addison
Shepherd

If OP includes some more likely choices then her odds are quite good of getting one of them. Or it's ok to shoot for the moon and have private day care as a backup. A lot of 3yo programs in DC are easy to get into because so many kids go to public school.

What data is this based on? There is virtually no chance at most of these neighborhood schools as an OOB non-sibling. An applicant with this list would likely get nothing. Don't listen to this person, OP.

You misread the post. PP is agreeing with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

Yes. But many of those are people who do a list like this (where half the schools fill up with IB kids and the others have about a tenth of the seats needed for all the non-siblings who want in):

Maury
Brent
School Within School
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers 4th Street
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens
Mundo Verde
Bancroft
Yu Ying
LAMB
Hyde-Addison
Shepherd

If OP includes some more likely choices then her odds are quite good of getting one of them. Or it's ok to shoot for the moon and have private day care as a backup. A lot of 3yo programs in DC are easy to get into because so many kids go to public school.

This is a perfect example of how to not do your list. So many of you sort your lists like that this, then you’re surprised when you don’t get in anywhere

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who just went through this process with a desirable pk3 inboundary option, who put 12 schools on the list including several that would be considered "safety schools" by dcum standards, my recommendation is to assume that you will not get a spot at either a DCPS or charter and plan accordingly. I would visit some of the enhanced pk3 options as well as paid preschool if your budget allows. There are a good number of pk3ers who do not get offered a spot at any of the schools on their list. Better to prepare and be pleasantly surprised then go into panic mode when the results come out especially since a number of the other options have closed their application process by then. It is a lottery after all so nothing is guaranteed.

Yes. But many of those are people who do a list like this (where half the schools fill up with IB kids and the others have about a tenth of the seats needed for all the non-siblings who want in):

Maury
Brent
School Within School
Inspired Teaching
Two Rivers 4th Street
School Without Walls at Francis-Stevens
Mundo Verde
Bancroft
Yu Ying
LAMB
Hyde-Addison
Shepherd

If OP includes some more likely choices then her odds are quite good of getting one of them. Or it's ok to shoot for the moon and have private day care as a backup. A lot of 3yo programs in DC are easy to get into because so many kids go to public school.

What data is this based on? There is virtually no chance at most of these neighborhood schools as an OOB non-sibling. An applicant with this list would likely get nothing. Don't listen to this person, OP.

You misread the post. PP is agreeing with you.

Oops, you are so right. My bad! OP, this is a great example of what not to do.

But honestly, if you're anxious about it in August when it's not even due until March, maybe the real issue is not school quality but your anxiety. Most DCPS preschool is perfectly fine, and most people will get a good number if they play the lottery for several years, so really there is little basis for anxiety.

[Anonymous]

As the PP whose PK3er did not get in anywhere, my list looked nothing like the one that was posted. As an aside, LAMB is a completely separate lottery. Also, I am fully aware my child had a bad pull as I think DC may have been the last IB kid on the PK3 waitlist. My post was to manage expectations as I have no bad feelings about the process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As the PP whose PK3er did not get in anywhere, my list looked nothing like the one that was posted. As an aside, LAMB is a completely separate lottery. Also, I am fully aware my child had a bad pull as I think DC may have been the last IB kid on the PK3 waitlist. My post was to manage expectations as I have no bad feelings about the process.

Please tell me what LAMB stands for?

[Anonymous]

My child got in nowhere for preK3 as well, and while I put 4-6 HRCS on the list, the rest of the schools on the list were not highly regarded at all- four DCPS schools that did not have a waitlist at all last year. This is a very real possibility, so we will be at private pre-K for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As the PP whose PK3er did not get in anywhere, my list looked nothing like the one that was posted. As an aside, LAMB is a completely separate lottery. Also, I am fully aware my child had a bad pull as I think DC may have been the last IB kid on the PK3 waitlist. My post was to manage expectations as I have no bad feelings about the process.

Please tell me what LAMB stands for?

Latin American Montessori Bilingual- it’s a charter that does not use the common lottery system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child got in nowhere for preK3 as well, and while I put 4-6 HRCS on the list, the rest of the schools on the list were not highly regarded at all- four DCPS schools that did not have a waitlist at all last year. This is a very real possibility, so we will be at private pre-K for next year.

We’re you like OP and refused to consider your IB? Or are you in a zone without PK3?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child got in nowhere for preK3 as well, and while I put 4-6 HRCS on the list, the rest of the schools on the list were not highly regarded at all- four DCPS schools that did not have a waitlist at all last year. This is a very real possibility, so we will be at private pre-K for next year.

We’re you like OP and refused to consider your IB? Or are you in a zone without PK3?

Were^^

[Anonymous]

We refused to consider our IB. I think it’s a legitimate and justifiable choice. We did have other nearby safety schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We refused to consider our IB. I think it’s a legitimate and justifiable choice. We did have other nearby safety schools.

But you were willing to consider nearby back ups, implying that you didn’t hold out for a unicorn like OP wants.