Charter-School Admissions

Charter schools are required to use a lottery system if they receive more applicants than they have space for, and charters are free to make their own rules for expelling students.One such lottery is depicted in the film Waiting for "Superman" which depicts the lottery system at the SEED school in Washington (one of the city's highest-performing charter schools, and its only charter boarding school). Charter schools do not have to follow DCPS rules and guidelines; they are considered independent, although they must follow the guidelines and directives set forth by the PCSB (which are often the product of an agreement--or charter--between a charter school and the PCSB).