Today, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and My School DC announced the results of the public school lottery for the 2025-26 school year.

There were 22,443 pre-K 3 – Grade 12 total applicants who participated in the public school lottery, and 75 percent of participants were offered a seat at a school to which they applied. This is the highest match rate since the lottery began 12 years ago.

Families received lottery results for their students on March 28 and must enroll at their matched schools by May 1 to accept their lottery match.

“Our schools have a diverse array of offerings—from dual-language immersion and STEM academies to career and technical education to specialized arts programs, and so much more. These options offer students enriching and rigorous learning experiences,” said Acting State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell. “Year after year, we see more families enrolling in our public and public charter schools, showing increased confidence in the quality of the educational opportunities we offer learners across the District.”

The 22,443 applications submitted this lottery cycle represented an overall decrease of 3.7 percent, or 869 fewer applicants compared to last year. A total of 685 applicants for the 2025-26 school year lottery were matched utilizing an Equitable Access preference or designated seat – an increase of 10 percent over the 2024-25 school year.

Since 2013, the My School DC common lottery system has simplified the public school application process, making it easier for thousands of families each year to apply to more than 200 public and public charter schools across the District. Applicants submit a ranked list of up to 12 choices and students are matched to schools on their list based on three factors: the number of available spaces at each school; sibling, in-boundary, and other lottery preferences; and each student's random lottery number. Students are also waitlisted at schools ranked above where they are matched.

Now that the initial lottery results have been released, families can still apply to public schools or add themselves to additional school waitlists by visiting MySchoolDC.org to complete submitting a post-lottery application.

For more information on the post-lottery, or to seek assistance with lottery results, enrollment questions, or other support, families can reach out by phone to the he My School DC hotline (202) 888-6336 Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. or via email [email protected]. My School DC has Spanish-speaking staff and access to additional language interpreters.