According to WHYY, on Sept. 8 at 4 p.m., a new “Find Your Fit” process will allow students currently in pre-kindergarten through the 11th grade to attend a school outside their assigned neighborhood, pending space availability. Applicants are encouraged to look for schools using the Explore search tool.
The application window will end on Oct. 30 at 11:59 p.m.
What to Know About the Applications
The application process includes three school types — criteria-based, citywide, and catchment — with out-of-catchment applicants still eligible to apply.
WHYY explains the differences:
Criteria-based schools maintain their own set of admissions criteria related to attendance, grades, and standardized test scores. All city students can apply, but students must meet the criteria to be considered for admission.Citywide schools accept students from across the city. These schools do not maintain admission criteria. Students are chosen through an impartial lottery process.Catchment schools have no criteria for students who have attended eighth grade in the school’s feeder pattern. The family’s home address determines the schools the child attends within a certain feeder pattern. Students outside the catchment can still apply through the selection process.
Applicants should rank up to five schools in order of preference, with offers determined by rank, eligibility, and seat availability. Nonresident students can participate, but city residents have priority. Nonresident students will need to pay tuition. They won’t be admitted if their enrollment would knock a resident student out of a seat, according to WHYY.
What Happens With Admission Offers
According to the school district, students will receive admission offers from one of the schools they qualify for based on order of preference. Students will be placed on the waitlist for any school ranked higher than the school where they received an offer. Each applicant will receive either one offer or no offers during the initial response phase.
If a student doesn’t receive any offers, the individual will be placed on the waitlist for all schools they are eligible for. As applicants accept or decline offers, students could receive offers from one or more schools where they have been waitlisted.