When and how do I receive my lottery results?
Lottery results are released online. Log in to your family account on March 28, 2025 to view your lottery results.
If you created a family account using an email address, you will receive your results via email.
If you do not have an email address associated with your account, we will mail a letter with your lottery results to the address listed on your application. Expect to receive a separate letter for each child’s application.
You can also get your results by calling the My School DC Hotline at (202) 888-6336, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
If I am matched at a school through the lottery, what do I do next?
If you are matched with a school through the lottery, you must accept your space by the common enrollment deadline (May 1) or you will lose that spot. Accepting your space requires submitting the school's required enrollment forms, up-to-date health forms, and proof of DC residency. Please note that accepting your match will NOT remove you from any waitlists, or prevent you from later enrolling at a school where you are waitlisted should space become available.
What happens to my prior school's enrollment and feeder patterns if I enroll at a new school?
Enrolling at a new school removes your child from their current school. If your child was enrolled at an out-of-boundary DCPS school and you choose to enroll at another school, you will also be giving up your right to continue on in the school’s out-of-boundary feeder pattern. Similarly, if your child was enrolled at a charter school that belongs to a feeder pattern and you choose to enroll at another school, you will also be giving up your right to continue in that charter school’s feeder pattern.
If my child is waitlisted at all schools I applied to, what do I do next?
If your child is waitlisted at all schools you applied to, you may apply to additional schools during the post-lottery period. The post-lottery application period opens on March 28, 2025 for applicants who applied through the lottery.
Post-lottery applicants will be added to waitlists on a first-come, first-served basis below applicants from the lottery, except for applicants with lottery preferences. The My School DC Matching Algorithm video explains how the program and waitlists work.
If your child will attend grades K-12, you may also directly enroll at your DCPS in-boundary school. Enter your home address in the School Finder to find your DCPS in-boundary school.
For PK3 and PK4 applicants, click HERE for additional resources or visit MyChildCareDC.org.
Note: Offers off waitlists are not guaranteed. To view historical waitlist movement by school and grade for past lottery years, click here.
What if I no longer want my child to attend the school they were matched to?
If you don’t want your child to attend the school where they are matched, contact the school to notify them so they can offer the space to someone else. Declining the match will not affect your waitlist positions at other schools. You may apply to additional schools in the post-lottery application period, as well as schools that you previously applied to but were not waitlisted at. You may also enroll your child directly at their DCPS in-boundary school for grades K-12. Enter your home address in the School Finder to find your DCPS in-boundary school.
My child was matched in the lottery, but I just found out that they will be held back a grade. What should I do?
Contact the My School DC Hotline at (202) 888-6336 or at [email protected] for assistance. A My School DC team member will update your application, explain how the grade change will affect your lottery results, and help you apply to additional schools, if desired.
I have a child applying to high school. If my child is matched through the lottery, can the school turn them away for past academic performance?
High schools have different policies on credit requirements so it’s best to contact the school directly with questions. For example, some schools do not accept a D as a passing grade. If your child is matched to a school in the lottery and, upon reviewing your records, the school determines that they are not eligible for the grade they applied to based on credit requirements, your child may not have a space at that school in that grade. If you have concerns, review the requirements of the schools you are applying to or talk to the schools’ counselors or admissions officers prior to applying.
What does it mean if my lottery result for a school is "ineligible"?
For DCPS selective high schools and programs, students are not eligible if they do not meet the school's entrance requirements. Other cases when students are deemed “ineligible” are rare, such as a student re-applying to a school from which the student was expelled. If you have questions, contact the school directly or the My School DC Hotline at (202) 888-6336 or at [email protected].
