Reviewed and Updated August 2025
Sibling Preference
The District of Columbia Charter Law states that siblings of enrolled students receive preference for admissions. The sibling preference is managed by My School DC. Thus, if a family of an enrolled student would like a sibling to attend E.L. Haynes, the family must submit a completed application to My School DC prior to the lottery deadline. Siblings of enrolled students will receive a preference over applicants from new families. If there are more siblings than spaces available for a particular grade level, the student will be placed on the preference wait list in the order of their assigned lottery number.
E.L. Haynes uses the following definitions for sibling:
- Siblings are children who share one or more biological or step-parents or who share a custodial guardian. First cousins residing in the same dwelling each with their own parent and no common guardian are not considered siblings for the E.L. Haynes Sibling Preference.
Founding Board Member and Staff Preference
The law also provides for a preference for Founding Board Members and full-time staff. These individuals must also apply through the My School DC lottery on time, and claim their preference through the Operations Team. The school distributes information about these preferences directly to founding board members and current staff.
Admissions Preference Order
E.L. Haynes implements its admissions preference in the following order:
- Staff Preference: Student is the child of a full-time E.L. Haynes staff member and/or founding board member
- Sibling Attending Preference: Student is the sibling of a student who is currently enrolled at E.L. Haynes
- Sibling Offered Preference: Student is the sibling of another student who was offered enrollment at E.L. Haynes for the upcoming school year
Equitable Access Preference
E.L. Haynes currently offers an Equitable Access Preference via designated seats in grades Pre-K3, 6, and 9. Eligible applicants are those who meet at least one of the following criteria:
- Experiencing homelessness
- In the District’s foster care system
- Receiving Temporary Assistance for Need Families (TANF) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits
- In high school and are one year older, or more, than the expected age for the grade in which they are currently enrolled
The designated seat preference sets an amount of seats in the above grade levels and designates them for those who meet the definition above. Only applicants that have applied to the school and meet the criteria of that specific group are entered into the lottery for the designated seats. All applicants (including those that meet the criteria for that specific group) are entered into the lottery for the remaining general seats.