Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

I know a family whose son was at Basis from 5th grade but applied out for 9th grade to private. His sister, in the same year, lotteried in to Basis for 5th grade. She was dying to go there. She got in based on sibling preference and started school as her brother started at a private school. The minute Basis figured out her brother was no longer at the school, they rescinded her enrollment and she was asked to leave. This is a true story. The daughter was devastated. She had been there at least a week (maybe longer) and she ended up at their local public school which was fine but not what they had planned. So, yes, Basis will absolutely pull the rug out from under you and you should prepare for that.

This is a real bummer, OP.

But I guess a way to think about it is if they had been one year farther apart and your older kid went elsewhere for high school, your younger kid would have needed to get in on their own lottery luck, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

I know a family whose son was at Basis from 5th grade but applied out for 9th grade to private. His sister, in the same year, lotteried in to Basis for 5th grade. She was dying to go there. She got in based on sibling preference and started school as her brother started at a private school. The minute Basis figured out her brother was no longer at the school, they rescinded her enrollment and she was asked to leave. This is a true story. The daughter was devastated. She had been there at least a week (maybe longer) and she ended up at their local public school which was fine but not what they had planned. So, yes, Basis will absolutely pull the rug out from under you and you should prepare for that.

When was this?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

I know a family whose son was at Basis from 5th grade but applied out for 9th grade to private. His sister, in the same year, lotteried in to Basis for 5th grade. She was dying to go there. She got in based on sibling preference and started school as her brother started at a private school. The minute Basis figured out her brother was no longer at the school, they rescinded her enrollment and she was asked to leave. This is a true story. The daughter was devastated. She had been there at least a week (maybe longer) and she ended up at their local public school which was fine but not what they had planned. So, yes, Basis will absolutely pull the rug out from under you and you should prepare for that.

I guess you could list it and call myschool before enrolling if and when it no longer applies too.

I think you could just not list the sibling preference and then add it later if applicable. You might not initially match at Basis but they always call the waitlist over the summer.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

OP again - Is it possible to register for the lottery and specifically not put in sibling preference? So he matches where he matches on his merits? And then, if DD doesn't get into Walls, and stays at BASIS, and DS doesn't get into BASIS on the merits, add in the sibling preference at that time and hop to the top of the waitlist?

I'm just trying to figure out how to make sure my son doesn't get monumentally screwed here.

If I were you, I would call MySchoolDC and explain the situation and see what they recommend. I would also email the BASIS head of school.

I'm not sure, but I think each child gets a "master number" that doesn't take into account sibling preference. So if the sibling preference goes away, they will just go back to whatever their result would have been without it.

If it were me, I would probably keep the sibling preference and ranks Walls as first for the older and BASIS first for the younger, and then see what happens. I also think if your older child gets in Walls, there is a chance that BASIS DC admin might work with you to make sure the younger kid keeps their spot.

I think only 3 kids from BASIS chose/were accepted this year, so probability is on the side of your older child staying at BASIS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

OP again - Is it possible to register for the lottery and specifically not put in sibling preference? So he matches where he matches on his merits? And then, if DD doesn't get into Walls, and stays at BASIS, and DS doesn't get into BASIS on the merits, add in the sibling preference at that time and hop to the top of the waitlist?

I'm just trying to figure out how to make sure my son doesn't get monumentally screwed here.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

OP here. But where does that leave us? If I put BASIS at the top of my son's lottery list, he won't be on the waitlist for any other schools. He'll be completely SOL, with nowhere to go but our inbound, even though presumably even a pretty crappy lottery number would have given him some options. How is that fair? Or since sibling preference is revoked, and his offer rescinded, will he then be added to the other waitlists at wherever his original lottery number would have put him? How would that even work?

Has anyone actually experienced this? At BASIS or anywhere else?

Anonymous wrote:School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Good find. Here is what it says:

"If sibling status is granted, and the preference granting sibling subsequently withdraws, the sibling
preference will be revoked.

I'm sorry, OP! The lottery gods will have to shine on both kids this year to get Walls/BASIS. Unless your older child opts to stay.

School website has its enrollment policies posted which answers this exact question!

Last line of the definition of a sibling.

Tough position to be facing.

https://enrollbasis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25-26-BDC-Enrollment-Policies.pdf

Different school but a few years ago I was in the same situation. After the lottery, I called myschooldc and asked if my younger daughter’s lottery number would get her in without a sibling preference. They were really helpful and were able to figure it out and confirm that I could move my older daughter without my younger one loosing her seat.

I wouldn’t rely on this board for advice. Call the school b/c many will flag if you have a sibling when applying but doesn’t attend in the Fall. I’m someone that has run this at another school and I had to have several conversations post acceptance when the child giving the sibling preference moves from the school. Do not assume your “logical” assessment based on when the lotto runs will be true. Call MySchoolDC help line and they can answer more definitely.