EdFEST is a great way to learn more about your school options in DC so that you are well prepared to enter the My School DC lottery on December 11, 2023 when the application opens.  AJE is happy to share this information from My School DC about the lottery and we are always available to answer to questions for questions about school selection and navigating the educational decision-making process.  We will be at EdFEST in person both days to answer your questions and share tools like  AJE’s Questions to Ask Prospective Schools to support your decision-making.

You can find key dates and other information here – MSDC – 23 Key Dates Flyer 1.0 ENG.

WHAT IS MY SCHOOL DC?

My School DC is the common application and public school lottery for public and public charter schools in the District that serve PK3 – Grade 12. The lottery is a random lottery; it is not first come, first served. This means that there is no advantage to being the first to apply. Families have until the date of the application deadline to submit their application; they can also edit their application up until the date of the deadline. After the deadlines, families can edit the order of their school list (if they so choose) until March 15, 2024.

All students and families have access to a simple, easy-to-use application and a multilingual hotline for support.

• The application is online-only, mobile-friendly, and is available on MySchoolDC.org. Schools that participate with My School DC can only accept the My School DC application.
• Families can submit an application in English or Spanish. Application instructions in Amharic, French, Chinese, and Vietnamese are available for download HERE.
• Families that need support can call the My School DC Hotline at (202) 888-6336, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. A team member can complete an application over the phone with a family member in their language.

Families can apply to up to 12 schools on the My School DC application. They should list the schools in the order they prefer—starting with their 1st choice, 2nd choice, 3rd choice, and so on. TIP: Families should rank their schools in the order they prefer most. This is important! Students can only be
matched with one school and are waitlisted only at schools they ranked higher than the school where they are matched or enrolled.  The lottery “matches” new students at schools based on four factors: (1) the number of available spaces at each school; (2) any lottery preference(s) the student qualifies for (e.g., sibling, in-boundary); (3) how each student ordered their school choices on the application; and (4) each student’s random lottery number.

FAMILIES SHOULD SUBMIT A MY SCHOOL DC APPLICATION IF THEIR CHILD WILL BE A NEW STUDENT AT A:

• PK3 or PK4 program at any DCPS school, including their in-boundary school
• Dual-language strand at any DCPS in-boundary elementary school (PK3 – Grade 5)
• DCPS school outside their boundary or feeder pattern (PK3 – Grade 12), including DCPS citywide schools
• DCPS selective high school or program (Grades 9-12)
• Participating public charter school (PK3 – Grade 12)

FAMILIES DO NOT SUBMIT AN APPLICATION IF THEIR CHILD WILL:

• Remain in their current school. Simply contact the school to re-enroll.
• Enroll in their DCPS in-boundary or feeder school (Grades K-12), or
• Enroll in their public charter feeder school