As enrollment for the upcoming 2025–26 school year approaches, D.C. continues to evolve its approach to education, particularly focusing on at-risk students.
In May, nearly 100,000 youth completed their enrollment, and many at-risk students received a boost through the D.C. school lottery’s Equitable Access Preference program.
This initiative allows these students to gain admission to 37 public schools and 31 charter school campuses across the District.
The concept of being ‘at risk’ encompasses various situations, including homelessness, foster care, receiving government benefits, or being one grade level behind in high school compared to peers of the same age.
Despite this, data indicates that only 37 percent of schools accommodate a similar proportion of at-risk students.
The purpose of the Equitable Access Preference program is to enhance socioeconomic diversity among D.C. schools.
Currently, D.C. offers a high degree of school choice, allowing eligible students flexibility in terms of which schools they can apply to, including selective schools and charter options.
A common application and lottery system, referred to as My School DC, has seen over 22,000 students participate in the public school lottery for the upcoming year.
Notably, 75 percent of participants were matched with schools, marking the highest success rate since the lottery’s inception in 2014.
This school choice system aims to tackle socioeconomic segregation by disconnecting a student’s residence from their school placement.
However, an analysis by the DC Policy Center reveals that highly competitive schools do not adequately represent the city’s population of at-risk students.
In response to this imbalance, a group of charter schools initiated the Equitable Access Preference program in 2021.
This program has since expanded to include more charter and traditional public schools, though participation remains voluntary for schools.
According to proponents, incorporating at-risk preferences could increase diversity in schools that serve minimal percentages of these students.
The Equitable Access Preference aims to broaden opportunities for at-risk students, while still allowing schools to consider other priorities, such as geographical proximity and sibling enrollment.
Participation in the program is entirely voluntary for schools; they can choose to set specific parameters, such as limiting it to certain grade levels or restricting it to in-boundary students.
For schools that choose to participate, the program serves as an admissions preference for eligible at-risk students.
Some schools may either create a specific preference for these students or reserve a certain number of spots for them.
Additionally, schools can prioritize other preferences, such as for siblings or staff children, before considering at-risk students.
Those schools that reserve seats for at-risk individuals may extend the enrollment offer acceptance timeline to maximize seat fill rates.
Importantly, students are not required to provide extensive verification of their at-risk status; they can simply indicate their interest in being considered for Equitable Access on the common lottery application.
Under this program, at-risk students might receive offers for matches or waitlisted spots ahead of other applicants.
For schools reserving seats specifically for at-risk students, only those eligible can be offered those spots, though everyone still enters the lottery for remaining seats.
District officials initially anticipated that prioritizing at-risk students in the lottery would bolster their chances of being matched with and enrolling in desired schools, thereby enhancing the diversity of participating institutions.
Early data indicates that more at-risk students applied to and successfully matched with schools that used the Equitable Access Preference compared to those that utilized the standard lottery process.
Evidence suggests that the program has successfully led to higher enrollment figures of at-risk students in participating schools.
For the 2025–26 school year, School Within a School, a public elementary institution, showcased a match rate of 19 percent for the seven Equitable Access seats designated for PK3 students, while only a 3 percent match rate was recorded for the 20 available PK3 seats through the common lottery.
Similarly, Washington Latin 2nd Street Campus, a charter middle school, reported a 53 percent match rate for the 24 fifth-grade Equitable Access seats, juxtaposed with nearly a 10 percent match for 71 seats through the common lottery.
These promising outcomes have led to an increased number of participating schools each year.
For the upcoming school year, an unprecedented total of 37 D.C. public schools and 31 charter campuses will implement some format of the Equitable Access Preference program.
However, the long-term impact on student retention, academic accomplishments, and overall social-emotional well-being of students at these schools requires more thorough research.
Looking ahead, concerns have been raised about the potential repercussions of initiatives by President Donald Trump to eliminate diversity-focused programs in schools and universities, which could pose challenges for the Equitable Access Preference initiative.
The sustainability of improved diversity through the program remains uncertain if it is curtailed or eliminated.
Michael Pillera, director of the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, expressed in an email the fear that the U.S. Department of Education’s actions might deter schools from maintaining programs that support all students.
While the Equitable Access Preference explicitly abstains from using race as a criterion, it does factor in income, which some, including the Trump administration, have sought to challenge as a proxy for racial discrimination.
New federal guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education is currently facing legal challenges, with preliminary injunctions served to prevent the termination of federal funding over compliance issues.
Moreover, various state and local educational authorities have refused to validate compliance as per the contested guidance.
In the meantime, an analysis conducted by the District supports that ongoing socioeconomic and racial segregation in schools runs contrary to its commitment to equitable access for all students.
Recent recommendations from a 2023 advisory committee, approved by the mayor, advocate for strengthening at-risk student preferences.
Nevertheless, many recommendations specific to the Equitable Access Preference program have yet to be completely enacted.
image source from：washingtoncitypaper
