How do waitlists work?
Waitlists work according to how you rank your schools on your application.
For example: A student applies to 5 schools and is matched to the school they ranked #4. The student is automatically waitlisted at schools ranked #1-3. School #5 is removed from the student’s active school selections as it was ranked lower (and assumed to be less preferred) than where they received a match. Students who are not matched through the lottery are waitlisted at all schools listed on their application. Remember: Enrolling your child at their matched school will not remove them off any waitlists.
The two exceptions to waitlists are for eligibility and sibling reasons:
- If a DCPS selective high school or program finds a student ineligible, or if a student does not meet the language proficiency requirements for a dual language program, they will not be waitlisted, regardless of how the student ranked the school.
- After being matched an applicant will be placed on the waitlist for any school their sibling is matched to even if the school was ranked below where they are matched.
Schools make offers off their waitlist in order. If a space becomes available at one of the schools at which your child is waitlisted and they are next on the waitlist, that school will contact you by phone to extend a waitlist offer. If you provided an email address on your application or opted in to receive text messages on your application, you will also receive an email and/or text from My School DC when a school extends a waitlist offer.
It is common for applicants to move up the waitlist throughout the spring and summer. Waitlists remain active throughout the duration of a school year and begin anew the following school year. Because waitlists do not roll over into a new year, your child will need to create a new application and reapply to the school for each school year if they do not receive an offer.
If you have already enrolled your child at a school and your child is offered a space off the waitlist at a different school, you can still enroll them at the new school. If you choose to accept the waitlist offer, your prior school of enrollment will be notified by My School DC. Your child's enrollment will be withdrawn from the prior school and your child's name will be removed from all waitlists of schools you ranked below your new school of enrollment.
Waitlists are ordered first by preference group (in-boundary, sibling, etc.). Students with no lottery preferences are placed at the end. Each preference group, followed by the group of students with no preferences, is ordered by the lottery applicants’ random lottery numbers. Students who apply after the lottery are added below lottery applicants on waitlists and are ordered by submission date. The only exception is for applicants that qualify for a lottery preference, such as in-boundary, sibling, etc. More on how waitlists work here.
Important: There is no guarantee that a student on a waitlist will get an offer.
At any time, you can log into your family account to see your child’s waitlist position at the schools you applied to. You can also view historical waitlist movement by school, grade, and lottery year. This video explains how the program and waitlists work.
Can I reapply to a school if my child is on the waitlist?
No. The application prevents families from reapplying to a school if their child is already on that school’s waitlist as a student cannot move up a waitlist by reapplying. If you are not on the school’s waitlist, you can re-apply to that school.
Can I re-rank the schools my child is waitlisted at on my application?
Yes, you can re-rank the schools at which your children are waitlisted. Log in to your family account and click the “Edit Rankings” icon for the application you want to adjust. Please note that re-ranking the order of schools does not give you a better chance of getting into a school. If your child is offered a spot off a waitlist, and you accept by enrolling your child at that school, your child will be removed from all waitlists on your application ranked below that school.
Who manages each waitlist?
My School DC generates and maintains the waitlists of all schools participating in the lottery. However, schools determine whether space is available at their school, when to call students off the waitlist, and the deadline to accept or decline the offer. Schools must offer available spaces to students in numerical order as determined by their waitlist, created by the lottery. For example, students with numbers 1 through 7 on a waitlist must be made offers in sequential order, with studen number one on the waitlist receiving the first offer, followed by students 2-7.
How will I be notified if my child is called off a waitlist?
The school will also contact you by phone and/or email to explain the next steps which includes turning in all required enrollment documents and proving DC residency.
My child was extended an offer from a school’s waitlist. Now what?
Congratulations! You have two options:
- You may accept the offer by enrolling your child at the school, or
- You can decline the offer.
To accept the offer, simply enroll your child by submitting all required enrollment forms, including proof of DC residency, by the school’s communicated deadline. Contact the school for their enrollment and residency verification processes. Accepting an offer will remove your child from all waitlists ranked below the enrolled school, and withdraw the child from the school where they are currently enrolled.
To decline the offer, you may do so online through your family account or by contacting the school directly.
Important: If you do not respond to the school by the communicated deadline, the school will assume you are not interested in enrolling your child and can decline the seat on your behalf.
How long after receiving a waitlist offer do I have to enroll? What if I am out of town? Can enrolling be done remotely?
The time allowed to enroll varies by school. Please contact schools directly to ask about their waitlist deadlines.
If you are nearing the top of a waitlist and plan to be out of town, we recommend you reach out to the school directly and let the school know. Schools may be willing to work with families if they are notified about the circumstances ahead of time. Contact the school for their enrollment and residency verification processes.
Will I be notified each time my child’s waitlist number changes?
No, you will only be notified if your child is extended an offer and your status changes from “Waitlisted” to “Waitlist Offer Extended.” You may log into your family account at any time to view your child’s current position on each school’s waitlist.
If I accept a waitlist offer by enrolling, am I giving up my child’s spot at the school where they are matched or enrolled?
Yes, students are only allowed to be enrolled at one school at any given time. By accepting a waitlist offer and enrolling your child at that school, you give up your child’s previous school placement. Your child will be removed from all waitlists at schools ranked below the enrolled school, as well as withdrawn from their current school.
Please note, the intention of sibling preferences is to allow siblings to attend the same school at the same time. If you accept a waitlist offer at a new school for one child and have other children who applied to the school where that child was originally matched or enrolled, who received a "sibling offered" or “sibling attending” preference, your other children may lose that preference, and possibly have their enrollment or match revoked.
If I accept a waitlist offer, will my child be removed from all waitlists?
It depends on where that school falls in your ranked order of schools. If your child is offered a spot off a waitlist and you choose to enroll at the school, they will be removed from all waitlists of schools you ranked lower. For example, if your child is waitlisted at their 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choice schools, and is offered a spot off a waitlist and enrolls at their second choice school, they will be removed from the waitlist of their 3rd choice school, but remain on the waitlist of their 1st choice school. We do this to maximize placement of all students and to ensure your child is at their most preferred school.
Is it possible for my child’s waitlist number to go up?
Yes. If students who apply after you qualify for a lottery preference (such as in-boundary, sibling attending, etc.) at a school(s) you applied to that you do not qualify for, then it is possible that they will be placed ahead of your child on the waitlist and your child’s number will increase.
I am happy where I am. Can I decline a waitlist offer?
Yes. Once a waitlist offer has been extended, it is up to the individual family whether they would like to accept or decline it. Declining an offer removes your child from that school’s waitlist. If you would like to decline your offer you may do so online through your family account, or by contacting the school directly.