Washington, DC

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE) are reminding families to apply to the My School DC Lottery ahead of upcoming deadlines for the 2024-25 school year. The application is open until February 1 at 11:59 p.m. for Grades 9-12, and March 1 at 11:59 p.m. for Grades Pre-K3 – Grade 8. Families can login to myschooldc.org and apply to as many as 12 schools. 

“We had a very successful EdFEST, and now we want families to get ahead of the application process, get all your questions answered, and make sure you get your My School DC applications submitted on time,” said Mayor Bowser. “We are proud to have fantastic schools in neighborhoods across all eight wards, and we know that even with the next school year still several months away, planning is already underway and our school communities are eager to welcome families and students.”

In December, Pre-K through Grade 12 public schools in DC showcased their programs at the District’s annual public school fair known as EdFEST. The annual event helps families make their school selections and ask questions to school leaders before they complete the My School DC lottery application. This year’s EdFEST broke previous in-person attendance records across the two weekends that it was held in 2023, with more than 8,000 people in attendance, including exhibitors and volunteers. 
A My School DC Lottery application is required if your child will be a new student in Pre-K or if you are applying to enter your child into: a dual-language strand, a selective or citywide DC Public School, an out-of-boundary DC Public School, or a DC public charter school. 

This year, enrollment in the District’s public and public charter schools also increased in the 2023-24 school year for the second consecutive year, with both DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools seeing the highest enrollment totals since OSSE began compiling public school enrollment data in 2007. Preliminary, unaudited numbers show enrollment in DC public and public charter schools for the 2023-24 school year increased to 98,663 students, an increase of 2,120 students, or 2.2%, from the 2022-23 school year. Audited enrollment for the 2023-24 school year will be released in the coming months. For the 2022-23 school year, audited enrollment in public and public charter schools increased to 96,523 students in the 2022-23 school year, an additional 2,589 students, or a 2.9 percentage point increase, over the previous school year. Since 2007, enrollment in DC’s public and public charter schools has grown by more than 38%.  

“Families in the District of Columbia have excellent public school options – from nationally recognized early learning programs to high schools that offer rigorous academics, state-of-the-art facilities and opportunities to get a jump on a college education through dual enrollment courses,” said State Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant. “We want to make sure all families know about our excellent schools and the deadlines to apply for the My School DC Lottery so they can choose the best schools for their students.”  

The My School DC hotline is available Monday through Friday, 8 am – 5 pm, to support families as they navigate the lottery process. The hotline can be reached at (202) 888-6336 or by emailing info.[email protected]. The team is equipped with bilingual staff and has access to interpreters through a telephonic interpretation service to support non-English speakers. 

To learn more about the My School DC Lottery and to apply your student for the 2024-25 school year, visit myschooldc.org.
 

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