New Student Admissions and Enrollment
Any student who is a resident of the District of Columbia is eligible to apply to either campus of Washington Latin. As open enrollment public charter schools, there are no admissions requirements except DC residency. We are not allowed to – and do not – consider test scores, past grades, or other academic factors.
Washington Latin participa en Mi Escuela DC, the District-wide common lottery for K-12 education for all DC residents. The lottery deadlines for the current school year (for enrollment in the following school year) are noted below (these are approximate dates; please see the Latinpcs.org Apply page or the Mi Escuela DC site for specifics) :
- December (Saturday) Virtual Ed Fest (all-DC school information fair for families)
- Mid-December MySchoolDC applications open
- February 1 – Deadline for submitting applications for grades 9-12
- March 1 – Deadline for submitting applications for grades PK3-8
- April 1 – Lottery results released (accepted or waitlisted)
- May 1 – Deadline for accepting seat at Washington Latin or any other MySchoolDC school
- May 31 – Deadline for returning enrollment forms to Washington Latin to secure a spot for the next school year.
Washington Latin primarily accepts new students in grades 5-9; we generally do not accept new students after 9th grade due to the Latin language requirement for graduation. The largest number of openings is generally for 5th grade (95 slots on each campus).
Equitable Access Seats
Washington Latin participates in Equitable Access, administered by MySchoolDC, which allows us to set aside seats for students whose families are:
- Receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
- Receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP)
- Experiencing homelessness
- In the District’s foster care system
- Over-age and under-credited for high school
Washington Latin allocates a certain number of seats at specific grade levels for this preference at both campuses. Students eligible for this preference will automatically appear on the list for these reserved seats. Equitable Access-eligible students will have other enrollment preferences applied, as well (see below). For more information about this program, please contact our student recruiting team at admissions@latinpcs.org.
Enrollment Preference Policies
For all student applicants, both those who are eligible for Equitable Access and those who are not, Washington Latin grants enrollment preferences in this order:
1. Sibling-Attending Preference: Siblings of attending (current) students – the sibling must be enrolled and attending at the time of the lottery.
2. Faculty Preference: Children of current full-time employees who are DC residents
3. Sibling-Offered Preference: Siblings of newly-admitted students – also called matched sibling preference
To enroll a sibling of a current Latin student, the parent or guardian must complete and submit an enrollment application through Mi Escuela DC. A sibling is defined as a biological, adopted, foster, or step-brother or sister with the same primary residence as the current Washington Latin student. Cousins, nieces, nephews, and unrelated children sharing an address with a Washington Latin student are not considered siblings UNLESS there is a documented legal guardianship in place.
If, for any reason, the current Washington Latin student on whom the sibling preference was based withdraws from Latin before the start of the school year, the newly-enrolled sibling may be removed from enrollment and placed on the waiting list.
Washington Latin also offers a sibling-offered preference to students whose siblings are offered a seat at our school through the MySchoolDC lottery. Once a student is offered a seat, the sibling-offered preference is applied by MySchoolDC to any qualified siblings on our waitlist. Note that the sibling-offered preference does not always result in the sibling securing a seat at Latin.
Enrollment preferences are not a mandated policy for DC public charter schools. If Washington Latin does not offer any of these enrollment preferences during an enrollment period, siblings and employee children will be treated like all other applicants through the MySchoolDC lottery.
Faculty Preference
Children of faculty, who are full-time and salaried employees and DC residents at the time of the lottery are eligible for our staff preference for grades 5-9. This preference is applied after the sibling-enrolled preference and before the sibling-offered preference. Employees’ children may not exceed 10 percent of a school’s total student body. To be considered for the employee preference, an employee must return for the following year of employment when the child will begin attending Latin. Independent contractors, hourly employees, on-call employees, and non-DC residents are not eligible. To learn more or request this preference, employees must contact admissions@latinpcs.org.
Re-Enrollment of Current Students
Re-enrollment for the next school year is not automatic for current students.
Please note the following:
- Parent(s)/guardian(s) must submit re-enrollment documentation in the spring by the deadline set by the school administrators (generally in late May) to reserve their place at Washington Latin. If not submitted by the deadline, that student may be dropped from enrollment at the school for the next academic year.
- Submission of the enrollment form only holds a space for a student. Enrollment is not complete until Latin receives the residency verification documents and immunization information, as required by law.
- Students who do not re-enroll for the next academic year are NOT eligible for summer opportunities funded totally or in part by Washington Latin or afforded through a partnership with our organization. If a student participates in a summer program funded by Latin and does not re-enroll for the next academic year, his/her family will be responsible for reimbursing the school for the cost of the summer program(s) and any other related costs.
- Parents/Guardians of currently enrolled students can expect an email with information on re-enrollment in the spring with details on completing the necessary requirements. If you have questions, please contact our Enrollment Teams (2ndStEnrollment@latinpcs.org or AJCenrollment@latinpcs.org).
Withdrawing a Student
As a charter school, we value the ability of parents/guardians to make choices regarding their children’s educational placement. We recognize that for a variety of life situations a family may choose to withdraw their child from Washington Latin Public Charter Schools. Although we regret seeing any member of the Washington Latin community leave, we will assist parents in the transition.
To withdraw a student, parents must complete and sign a Withdrawal and Exit Interview Form and Student Withdrawal Form with the Enrollment Team. Once a decision on the student’s next school has been finalized, the Student Withdrawal Form or Verification of Enrollment form must be completed by the receiving (new) school and returned to the Enrollment Team before the official educational records will be released. Washington Latin will send the academic files to the receiving school within five business days after receipt of the Student Withdrawal Form or Verification of Enrollment Form. However, official educational records will not be released until all outstanding materials and other obligations have been settled.
Once a student has formally withdrawn, the student forfeits her/his assigned enrollment space at Washington Latin Public Charter Schools and may not be eligible to re-enroll. The parents or guardians who withdraw a student before graduation will be asked to participate in an exit interview with a member of our Senior Leadership Team.
Re-enrollment After Withdrawal
According to the rules of the MySchoolDC lottery, students who withdraw from Washington Latin must reapply through the lottery if they wish to return. Re-enrollment is not guaranteed, nor may we offer preference for a returning student over any other applicant, though other preferences (sibling, staff, etc.) do apply in the order outlined above. Students who receive approval from the Principal for extended periods of absence, such as to receive health treatment or for an educational exchange (such as a study abroad program), are exceptions to this rule. In such cases, the student does not withdraw from the school, provided they have made arrangements in advance with the Principal, and questions about particular circumstances should be directed to the Principal. General policy questions may also be directed to admissions@latinpcs.org.
