D.C. Public Schools launched an online lottery this week to allow families to apply for students in grades K-12 to attend schools outside their neighborhoods.
"The out-of-boundary lottery is an opportunity for parents to explore other schools within DCPS' portfolio to best support their child's academic and extracurricular interests," said DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson in a statement.
The school system is seeing "unprecedented and historic interest in the application," school officials said in a press release. On Monday, the day the lottery opened, nearly twice as many people visited the website as they did on the lottery's launch day in 2012.
Parents can also apply for their 3- and 4-year-olds to attend early childhood education programs.
The lottery closes Monday, Feb. 25. Families can apply throughout the entire application period. There is no advantage to applying early, DCPS officials said.
Parents can attend informational sessions on the following days:
-- Monday, Feb. 4, 6-7 p.m.
Location: Live web chat
-- Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, 5-6 p.m. and 6:15–7:30 p.m.
Location: Turner Elementary School, 3264 Stanton Rd. SE
-- Tuesday, Feb. 12, 3-6 p.m.
Location: National Children's Center, 3400 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE
No paper applications will be accepted. Those without internet access should contact DCPS for help.
DCPS said the results of the drawings will be posted online March 8, and mailed -- along with enrollment forms -- to winners the week of April 1.
