Anonymous wrote:I think the lottery works differently this year: they pull your child's number. They go from top choice down to get you into your top-choice school with available space. It's not like last year's.

This poster is correct.

I think the lottery works differently this year: they pull your child's number. They go from top choice down to get you into your top-choice school with available space. It's not like last year's.

PP: Right, I was just trying to clarify that the order doesn't matter in terms of increasing your likelihood of getting into any individual school (e.g., the lotteries themselves don't take into account how you ranked that school...the lottery doesn't give preference to people who had ranked that school #1, for example). The ranking only matters if you get into multiple schools, at which point they'll put you in the one you ranked highest.

Of course the order matters. The lotteries are run separately but if your number gets drawn for several of your choices, then they'll assign you the preferred one of those and eliminate you from the others. That better be your actual preference of the ones you got drawn for!

Also, many of the most reasonable DCPS schools are filling up with inbounds students. So if you are an inbounds family, that doesn't necessarily mean you get in. Who knows how things work in a new lottery scenario, but you should at least look at last year's lottery results to get a sense of things.

Don't forget starting years, generally speaking:
West of RCP - PK4
East of RCP - PS3

Does the order of ranking really matter? Isn't the lottery for each school conducted separately, and you just get put in the school you get into and ranked highest? So the ranking will only matter if you get into multiple schools, and then the only "game" would be to make sure you rank them in the order you prefer. Unless it works differently now?

But in any case +1 for places like Hearst, Stoddert, etc.

Anonymous wrote:Are we all going to have the same list in some varied order?
- Cap City, Two Rivers, Inspired Teaching, Mundo Verde, LAMB, Creative Minds, Stokes, Bridges. Anywhere else?

Basically, yes. There will be a few safe choices (Sela, Lee, Shining Stars) but for the ones participating, yes, all will have the same 6-7 charters.

Don't forget Lee Montessori!

It depends on the grade you are applying for and also what the commute would look like for you. Cap City and Two Rivers are on different sides of the planet, when you consider DC traffic patterns. There's no way I'd consider Cap City if I lived on the Hill or Two Rivers if I lived in NW.

EL Haynes.

And the tier B DCPS - Eaton, Hearst, Stoddert, Hyde and a few others I am forgetting….

It's not going to be what you put down. It's going to be how you rank them.

stokes is holding a separate lottery too.

Also, are you not interested in any DCPS schools?

LAMB and CM aren't participating in the common lottery.

Are we all going to have the same list in some varied order?
- Cap City, Two Rivers, Inspired Teaching, Mundo Verde, LAMB, Creative Minds, Stokes, Bridges. Anywhere else?