Kindergarten an easier lottery year - which schools?

[Anonymous]

We're in an okay charter, but would like to find a longer term option by kindergarten or first grade. I keep hearing that the lottery gets easier starting in kindergarten. What schools should we be considering that may have been a long shot for pre-k? We speak Spanish at home, though aren't dominate, so would be comfortable starting immersion in first or second grade.

[Anonymous]

At any school that has a larger K class than its PK4 class. Mundo Verde P St is an example of that. You can use the OSSE Enrollment Audit Data spreadsheet here to identify them. https://osse.dc.gov/page/2019-20-school-year-enrollment-audit-report-and-data

One reason the K lottery is easier is that schools are no longer subject to the PK4 class size cap of 20. They can go up to 24 quite comfortably, and over that if needed. So most schools need a modest net increase of kids. That adds some wiggle room into the whole system. K is also when people tend to move to the burbs, because that's when they can start school there. So there may be fewer applicants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're in an okay charter, but would like to find a longer term option by kindergarten or first grade. I keep hearing that the lottery gets easier starting in kindergarten. What schools should we be considering that may have been a long shot for pre-k? We speak Spanish at home, though aren't dominate, so would be comfortable starting immersion in first or second grade.

Take a look at the schools with short waitlists on the page below. You can sort by grade. You'd have a pretty good shot at getting into many of the schools with short waitlists if you lottery for them next year.

https://www.myschooldc.org/available-spaces-grade

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At any school that has a larger K class than its PK4 class. Mundo Verde P St is an example of that. You can use the OSSE Enrollment Audit Data spreadsheet here to identify them. https://osse.dc.gov/page/2019-20-school-year-enrollment-audit-report-and-data

One reason the K lottery is easier is that schools are no longer subject to the PK4 class size cap of 20. They can go up to 24 quite comfortably, and over that if needed. So most schools need a modest net increase of kids. That adds some wiggle room into the whole system. K is also when people tend to move to the burbs, because that's when they can start school there. So there may be fewer applicants.

Thanks, but I don’t see any particularly stand out options. Anyone know of DCPS schools that have spots open up often enough to be worth listing?

[Anonymous]

If you have a decent lottery number and are willing to accept a spot after school starts you have a good chance at many DCPSs - including some of the 4/5 star schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have a decent lottery number and are willing to accept a spot after school starts you have a good chance at many DCPSs - including some of the 4/5 star schools.

Which ones? It’s not clear from the links above since all of DCPS is lumped together. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a decent lottery number and are willing to accept a spot after school starts you have a good chance at many DCPSs - including some of the 4/5 star schools.

Which ones? It’s not clear from the links above since all of DCPS is lumped together. Thanks!

If you go here you can see which DCPS schools let in OOB students in K:

http://enrolldcps.dc.gov/node/61

For example, Bruce-Monroe is an excellent school and matched 5/24 out of boundary students on the English dominant list for the Spanish immersion program. Not knowing where you live, your commute, and other criteria it's hard to make a recommendation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At any school that has a larger K class than its PK4 class. Mundo Verde P St is an example of that. You can use the OSSE Enrollment Audit Data spreadsheet here to identify them. https://osse.dc.gov/page/2019-20-school-year-enrollment-audit-report-and-data

One reason the K lottery is easier is that schools are no longer subject to the PK4 class size cap of 20. They can go up to 24 quite comfortably, and over that if needed. So most schools need a modest net increase of kids. That adds some wiggle room into the whole system. K is also when people tend to move to the burbs, because that's when they can start school there. So there may be fewer applicants.

Thanks, but I don’t see any particularly stand out options. Anyone know of DCPS schools that have spots open up often enough to be worth listing?

Go figure--all the "stand out options" have waitlists. You are not the only person hoping for a K seat. Go to MySchoolDC, get yourself on the waitlists for any school you'd be willing to switch to from your current one, and hope to get lucky. This year's waitlist movements are going to be different from the recent past: some folks will homeschool, some will decide to use their IB instead of paying for private, some schools will not want OOB because they'll be trying to keep class sizes as small as possible, some schools might take just enough OOB to justify opening another classroom for a grade. Most of the decisions will be made in August or September. So nobody here is going to be able to give you reliable advice. But no, there isn't some secret amazing school with no K waitlist just hoping you'll come and enroll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a decent lottery number and are willing to accept a spot after school starts you have a good chance at many DCPSs - including some of the 4/5 star schools.

Which ones? It’s not clear from the links above since all of DCPS is lumped together. Thanks!

From last year's data, these 4/5 star schools made at least 30 offers from their K waitlist by October - Brent, Hyde-Addison, Key, Lafayette, Stoddert

Many other 4/5 DCPS schools seem to make a few offers off the waitlist as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you have a decent lottery number and are willing to accept a spot after school starts you have a good chance at many DCPSs - including some of the 4/5 star schools.

Which ones? It’s not clear from the links above since all of DCPS is lumped together. Thanks!

From last year's data, these 4/5 star schools made at least 30 offers from their K waitlist by October - Brent, Hyde-Addison, Key, Lafayette, Stoddert

Many other 4/5 DCPS schools seem to make a few offers off the waitlist as well.

This is really helpful, thank you!

[Anonymous]

For a lot of the 4/5-star schools, it's a crapshoot. It depends on how many IB K kids enroll. If the classes are full, they won't let anyone in. But sometimes if they get close enough to open another classroom, so they will take a few IB. There's no secret school that takes a lot of OOB students for K every year. It just depends on the demographics of the neighborhood that particular year.

[Anonymous]

There's no limit on post-lottery waitlist additions, so you might as well put every place you see as a step up from your current school where you'd be willing to tolerate the commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For a lot of the 4/5-star schools, it's a crapshoot. It depends on how many IB K kids enroll. If the classes are full, they won't let anyone in. But sometimes if they get close enough to open another classroom, so they will take a few IB. There's no secret school that takes a lot of OOB students for K every year. It just depends on the demographics of the neighborhood that particular year.

That makes sense, thank you.