The 2012-2013 Specialty Program Lottery Application Process has ended.  The Lottery drawing will be held on April 10, with parent notification to follow in Mid-May.  Please note, APPLICATIONS ARE DATE STAMPED.  ANY ELECTRONIC APPLICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER THE 5:00 DEADLINE WILL NOT BE PROCESSED. 

Openings are limited in all Specialty Programs/Public Charter Schools. Submission of an application is not a guarantee of placement. The application form permits no more than two Specialty Program choices per student. If two Specialty Program Program choices are selected,each choice will be treated equally and placement will be made according to the first available opening. Please note that the Specialty Program Lottery and Charter School lotteries are drawn separately.  Parents can apply to the Specialty Program lottery and any of the Charter School lotteries.  When completing an application, it is important to complete every section; failure to do so may hinder the processing of your application.    

In order to apply, students must have a valid PGCPS student identification number in order to complete the lottery application. Applications will not be processed without this number.  Numbers will be verified against our SchoolMax student database.    

• For students CURRENTLY attending Prince George’s County Public Schools:  Locate the student number on your child’s report card, or go to your child’s current school with a photo ID and obtain the student identification number from the registrar/records secretary.    

• For students NEW to the county school system, currently attending private school or homeschooling:  Parents and/or legal guardians may obtain a student ID number by going to their neighborhood/boundary school with the following documents: proof of residence (deed or current lease) and birth certificate.  Inform the registrar/records secretary that you need a student ID number to complete the lottery application.  For assistance with proof of residency, please click on the link.     

• For students who have at one time attended, but not currently enrolled:  Parents and/or legal guardians may obtain a student ID number by going to their neighborhood/boundary school with a valid proof of ID.  In addition, parents should please make sure the current address on file for the student is accurate.  If not, proof of residence (deed or current lease) and birth certificate will be required to update this information.  This will ensure an adequate school assignment for the student. 

How the Lottery Works  Lottery placement provides the strongest guarantee of equity in access. The computerized lottery system will assign a random number to each application. Applications are sorted based on this number and assigned a second sequential number.  The lowest random sequential number gets number one, the next lowest number two, and so forth.  Applications are then sorted by program and school.  Final program/school assignments are based upon space availability.  Availability differs by grade level, Specialty Program and Public Charter School. When all available slots are filled, all other applications are given a waiting list number based on their Specialty Program/Public Charter School choice, grade level, and sequence number.  Placement is granted for one Specialty Program/Public Charter School choice only. The other selected choice is void and no longer an option.  Once a student is enrolled, that student will not have to compete for his/her seat via lottery again.    To view a diagram of how the lottery works, please click here.