After lottery’s second round, about 2,500 students are still not matched with schools

The results of the second round of DC’s school lottery are out: 58% of applicants were matched with schools, and of those 86% got one of their top three choices, according to DC officials.

Although the percentage that got one of their top choices is about the same as in the first round, the percentage that got matched at all is significantly lower. In the first round, 71% found a match. The difference in match rates isn’t surprising since fewer seats were available this time around, said Sujata Bhat, executive director of My School DC, the entity that runs the lottery.

About 6,000 students entered the second round, as compared to over 17,000 students in the first round.

The lottery included most charter schools, as well as DCPS schools that are selective or specialized. In addition, students applying for DCPS preschool programs or out-of-bounds slots at neighborhood schools could enter the lottery.

About 5,000 students were not matched to any school after the first round. The second round was open to those applicants as well as to those who didn’t participate in the first round.

Only about 18% of applicants in the second round were unsuccessful applicants from the first round, according to Bhat. That amounts to a little over 1,000 applicants. The remaining 5,000 or so were entering the lottery for the first time.

The 2,500 or so students who didn’t get matched this time around can now apply through the My School DC website for any schools that interest them. Information about schools that still have openings is posted on the site.

Some highly ranked charter schools still have slots open. Paul PCS Middle School, for example, has 76 openings in 6th grade and 86 in 7th. Washington Mathematics Science Technology has 35 slots available in 9th grade and 37 in 10th. And Achievement Prep has 25 in 4th grade and 15 each in 5th and 6th.

Below is a chart showing the data on the second round by grade level.

As schools take applicants from their waiting lists, Bhat said, some families that haven’t yet been matched will receive offers.

Students who receive a slot through the lottery are not automatically enrolled in a school. They must first submit paperwork directly to the school. Some of them fail to do that, creating openings for those who have been waitlisted.

Bhat said that data about the ultimate rate of successfully matched students won’t be available until October, when final enrollment figures will be available.

Later this year an independent audit will evaluate the year’s lottery, the first of its kind to be held in DC. But My School DC is already planning some changes for next year.

Bhat said the biggest change is that My School DC will manage waiting lists centrally instead of having schools do it themselves.

“This will bring more transparency to the system for parents,” she wrote in an email, “and also help to reduce roster shuffling.”

Bhat said that My School DC is also planning to improve the application and to conduct better parent outreach. This summer My School DC will gather parent feedback on the application and the overall process through focus groups and surveys.

You can also submit feedback on the lottery via email at feedback@myschooldc.org.