Apply Today!
We are now accepting applications for grades PreK-5 for the 2024-2025 school year. Complete the online general charter school application. You may also apply in-person at 15 Kennedy Street NW (Wash, DC). Our main office is open Monday-Friday between 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM.
How My School DC Lottery Works
My School DC Lottery determines the order in which students are granted admission into Roots PCS. Once all available spaces are filled, names are drawn to determine the order of the waitlist. Students will be admitted from the waitlist as spaces become available in each grade.
The My School DC lottery is a school-choice service provided to families interested in enrolling children in public schools within the District of Columbia, including:
-
Selective high schools
My School DC lottery application is not required to attend an in-boundary or feeder-pattern school. To identify your in-boundary and feeder schools, visit the Enrollment Boundary Information System (EBIS). To apply, visit the My School DC lottery website at MySchoolDC.org.
Roots PCS' 2024-2025
Charter School Lottery
Applications for K-5 for the 2024-2025 school year are being accepted now. In order for your child to be included in the Roots PCS lottery, you must submit a 2024-2025 Lottery Application Form by March 1, 2024. Legal parents or guardians may complete the online school application. Lottery results will be available on Friday, March 29th!
We are excited to announce that Roots Public Charter School is now participating in My School DC, the common application for nearly all DC-based public schools that opens on December 2023. Families interested in joining the Roots PCS community are invited to attend one of three Open Houses that will take place in January-February. Enrollment Day is Saturday, April 27th from 9:00 AM - 12 PM.
New student applications for the upcoming year will be accepted through www.myschooldc.org. When selecting a school, you will select Roots Public Charter School. Once your application has been submitted and you receive notification that your child has been matched/accepted to our school, the following documents must be submitted to the school:
● School Enrollment Application Forms (All)
● Re-Enrollment Form (Returning Families Only)
● Home Language Survey (New Families Only)
● Proof of DC Residency
● Proof of DC Residency (Spanish)
● DC School Immunization Requirements Guide
● DC School Immunization Exemption Details
● DC Universal Health Certificate
● DC Oral Health Assessment Form
● DC Asthma Action Form
Students are not enrolled in the school until all supporting documents have been received. Parents must attend the Parent Orientation in August to secure their child's seat for the Fall. For more details, please visit MySchoolDC.
The school year will consist of 180+ instructional days beginning in September and ending in June, with the same federal holidays and snow days as the D.C. Public School system. School day hours are as follows:
School Day Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM for K-5 | 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM for Pre-primary
Before Care - 7:00 AM | After Care - 6:00 PM (included at no cost, upon request)
Roots PCS participates in the National School Lunch Program (free and reduced lunch) for all enrolled students. RPCS is an equal opportunity organization committed to non-discriminatory practices in hiring and services rendered based on race, color, or national origin.
The Closing Date is Important
The My School DC common lottery close date—not open date—is what matters. The My School DC common lottery opened on December 12, 2020, but closes March 1, 2021. There is NO advantage to completing the lottery application early. I repeat: You will NOT get a better or worse lottery number depending on what day you complete your lottery application. I filled out our lottery applications the day before they were due and successfully got two kids into PK3.
Recently Moved to DC?
Have you recently moved into the District or are you seeking to apply to transfer to another DC public school (DCPS or charter) during the current school year? You can submit a mid-year application by calling the My School DC Hotline at (202) 888-6336 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. No application is needed to enroll at a DCPS in-boundary school for students in grades K-12. You can locate your DCPS in-boundary school by entering your address into the School Finder.
Lottery Tips for Parents
In-bound Guarantee
There is an in-bound school guarantee for kindergarten and up, but not for PK3 or PK4. You are guaranteed a spot in your in-bound DCPS school for Kindergarten and above. However, there is no in-bound guarantee for Pre-K3 or Pre-K4. To me, this made the My School DC common lottery make so much more sense. I previously really grappled with why there was simultaneously so much pressure to try to live in a good school district and get a good lottery number.
You do not have to visit dozens of schools. One of the resources available to parents participating in the lottery—at least before COVID—is school open houses. You can get a real sense of the school—meet the principal, tour the facility, and some offer tours while school is in session. Some parents run themselves ragged going to lots and lots of open houses. I have friends who went to almost two dozen. Personally, I approached school visits differently. I went to one school fair where a number of public, charter and private schools were present, then only went to the open houses for a very small number of schools. Other than the temporary feelings of mom guilt for not going to more, this was the right decision for us.
No Need to Visit, but...
Location, Location, Location
While considering schools for nearly three-year-olds, location was a major factor in how I ranked schools. But, I had very little awareness of the schools near me other than my in-bound area. School Finder is an easy way to know what schools are near you. You can type in your address and then filter by grade, ward, STAR rating, and a number of other options, e.g. whether the school has before or aftercare or requires uniforms. I searched far and wide for a resource showing all schools, DCPS, charter, parochial, and other private schools on a map, but alas—this still eludes me.
With so many charter schools to choose from, what makes Roots PCS a good fit for you and your child? Well, first, the teachers and staff of Roots believe that children of African heritage have unlimited potential, that if nourished properly can flourish and bring about a brighter world. Second, we provide an African-centered learning environment, which includes hands-on and holistic activities. We strongly believe it takes a village!
Third, our school is designed to facilitate organized activities using open spaces which are strategically divided. Students are grouped in a multi-grade activity so they can grow and develop naturally as siblings do in a family; the younger children learn skills faster and the older children acquire a sense of responsibility and maturity along with advanced academic skills. In this simulated family, homeroom teachers remain with the group as the group advances in grade: Pre-Primary (3-5 years old) and 1st through 5th grades.
Finally, but no less important, our motto is “Youth are the roots of change and exposure is the key to intelligence”. Roots, therefore provides its students with a stimulating academic curriculum of language arts, math, social studies, science, music, art and physical education. The goal is to enable students to become successful, lifelong learners and valuable, contributing agents of change in our global community. Here's what RPCS alumni and supporters say.