My School DC has released the results of the common lottery for school year 2024-25, which matches students who newly enroll in pre-kindergarten, at a public charter school, or at a District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) school aside from their in-boundary option.[1] Total applications are up by 2 percent, similar to the 3 percent gain in applications last year. However, the overall level of applications at 23,312 is lower than 25,198 in the last year of pre-pandemic applications.
By key entry grade, PK3 (the grade with the most applications) is up 3 percent, after being flat last year. This is a good sign, but applications are still 766 lower than pre-pandemic levels. By ward of residence, PK3 applications in Wards 2, 4, 5 are at or above pre-pandemic levels. For middle school, Grade 6 is up 2 percent and at a similar level to pre-pandemic. For high school, Grade 9 is down 2 percent from last year, and higher than pre-pandemic.
Out of these 23,312 applications, 16,816 received a match on results day, or 72 percent.[2] About a third of these matches were through a preference, including equitable access (through both a preference and designated seats) at schools that opt into providing students who are “at-risk” a better chance at matching if they apply.[3] In the common lottery for school year 2024-25, 36 schools[4] offered equitable access through reserving designated seats (increase over 28 in previous years) and 16 offered equitable access through a preference similar to sibling preference (increase over 6 in the previous year) for a total of 52 schools. Over time, instead of just an expansion of schools offering equitable access within schools serving under 40 percent of students who are at-risk, the number of equitable access schools serving 60 percent or more students who are at-risk have also increased.
Out of the 16,816 matches for school year 2024-25, 622 (or 4 percent) matched through equitable access, including 416 through designated seats and 206 through a preference. Over time, the number of matches on results day has increased for equitable access designated seats, almost doubling since the first year these were offered. On the other hand, preference matches for equitable access have only increased by 9 percent since the first year, in part due to a change in the composition of schools offering the preference.
Among other recommendations, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME)’s 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Study recommended that DCPS and public charter schools with less than the citywide average of at-risk students enrolled (currently 52%) should set aside existing lottery seats for students meeting the at-risk criteria.[5] This means that equitable access matches have the potential to increase in the coming years. See the table below for schools that offered equitable access in school year 2024-25.
| Schools offering Equitable Access in school year 2024-25 | Matches on Results Day | Designated seats or preference |
|---|---|---|
| Amidon-Bowen Elementary School | 6 | Designated seats |
| Barnard Elementary School | 16 | Designated seats |
| BASIS DC | 10 | Designated seats |
| Burrville Elementary School | 4 | Designated seats |
| Capitol Hill Montessori | 21 | Designated seats |
| DC Bilingual PCS | 20 | Designated seats |
| DC Wildflower PCS – Blue Montessori | 4 | Designated seats |
| DC Wildflower PCS – The Riverseed School | 3 | Designated seats |
| Dorothy I. Height Elementary School | 10 | Designated seats |
| E.L. Haynes PCS – Elementary School | 5 | Designated seats |
| E.L. Haynes PCS – High School | 15 | Designated seats |
| E.L. Haynes PCS – Middle School | 12 | Designated seats |
| Excel Academy | 9 | Designated seats |
| H.D. Cooke Elementary School | 10 | Designated seats |
| Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS | 20 | Designated seats |
| J.O. Wilson Elementary School | 5 | Designated seats |
| John Lewis Elementary School | 10 | Designated seats |
| Latin American Montessori Bilingual | 16 | Designated seats |
| Lee Montessori PCS – Brookland | 15 | Designated seats |
| Lee Montessori PCS – East End | 18 | Designated seats |
| MacArthur High School | 4 | Designated seats |
| Military Road Early Learning Center | 7 | Designated seats |
| Miner Elementary School | 9 | Designated seats |
| Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS – Calle Ocho Campus | 16 | Designated seats |
| Mundo Verde Bilingual PCS – J.F. Cook Campus | 36 | Designated seats |
| School-Within-School | 8 | Designated seats |
| Stevens Early Learning Center | 7 | Designated seats |
| Two Rivers PCS at 4th Street | 12 | Designated seats |
| Two Rivers PCS at Young Elementary School | 9 | Designated seats |
| Two Rivers PCS Middle School | 1 | Designated seats |
| Chisholm Elementary School | 3 | Designated seats |
| Van Ness Elementary School | 10 | Designated seats |
| Washington Latin PCS – Cooper Campus | 9 | Designated seats |
| Washington Latin PCS – Middle School | 20 | Designated seats |
| Washington Latin PCS – Upper School | 4 | Designated seats |
| Washington Yu Ying PCS | 32 | Designated seats |
| Breakthrough Montessori PCS | 23 | Preference |
| Brent Elementary School | 2 | Preference |
| Digital Pioneers Academy PCS – Capitol Hill | 41 | Preference |
| Digital Pioneers Academy PCS – Johenning | 45 | Preference |
| Garrison Elementary School | 5 | Preference |
| Hearst Elementary School | 2 | Preference |
| Hendley Elementary School | 4 | Preference |
| Ketcham Elementary School | 4 | Preference |
| King Elementary School | 0 | Preference |
| Mann Elementary School | 0 | Preference |
| Marie Reed Elementary School | 0 | Preference |
| Payne Elementary School | 4 | Preference |
| Savoy Elementary School | 4 | Preference |
| The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School | 42 | Preference |
| The Sojourner Truth PCS | 30 | Preference |
| Turner Elementary School | 0 | Preference |
| Total | 622 |
[1] My School DC. 2024. Data. My School DC. Retrieved from https://www.myschooldc.org/resources/data.
[2] This is a decrease from the match rate of 74 percent in 2023-24. For more information, see https://www.myschooldc.org/resources/data.
[3] Applicants to D.C.’s common lottery are eligible for designated equitable access seats if they are experiencing homelessness, in the District’s foster care system, receiving TANF or SNAP benefits, or overage in in high school by one year or more.
[4] This count includes both language programs at Chisholm Elementary School as one school.
[5] Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME). 2024. 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Study. DME. Retrieved from https://dcgov.app.box.com/v/2023dcboundaryreport