D.C. schools that prioritized admitting “at-risk” students for the first time for this academic year saw more applications and higher enrollment from that population, according to a new report published Wednesday by the D.C. Policy Center, a non-partisan think tank.

Out of more than 200 schools in D.C.’s common lottery – through which most students are matched with public or public charter schools – 25 schools adopted the policy, known as the ‘Equitable Access’ option. The 25 schools that opted in have historically had lower enrollment of “at-risk” students. Students are considered at-risk if they are unhoused, in the foster care system, or are eligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

Chelsea Coffin, director of the Education Policy Initiative for the Policy Center, says some schools are less accessible to the at-risk student population and that Equitable Access could change that.

The new report supports earlier research by the D.C. Policy Center, which has shown that while the Equitable Access option may only do so much to increase diversity across the public school system, it can “significantly change access” to highly sought after schools. Most — but not all — of the Equitable Access schools saw an increase in the percentage of new students who were at-risk.

The policy also impacted applicant behavior, according to the report. Equitable Access schools saw applications from at-risk students double. Overall common lottery applications by at-risk students increased by more than 8% from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023. Matches with Equitable Access schools were also more likely to result in student enrollment, compared to overall matches.

The common lottery, also known as My School D.C., first rolled out in 2014 with the aim of matching more students with schools of their choosing. While students are guaranteed spots in schools in their neighborhood – known as “in-boundary” schools – they have to enter the lottery if they want to go to a public charter school or any public school that is “out-of-boundary.” In 2022-2023, there were 33,525 common lottery applicants, 47% of whom were considered at-risk. Overall lottery applications last spring for this academic year went up by 3%, mostly due to high schoolers.

Schools that opted into Equitable Access did not all give preference to at-risk students in the same way. Most had “designated seats,” meaning they guaranteed a certain percentage of admitted students would be at-risk. Those seats are reserved until they are filled, or until June 1 prior to the start of the academic year. Six of the schools, however, chose a “preference” option, meaning that while they bumped up students on the waitlist who were at-risk, they also accommodated other preference groups, like the siblings of currently enrolled students. Schools that had designated seats saw greater enrollment of at-risk students than those with a preference option.

Going forward, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education is considering a recommendation to expand the option to all D.C. public and public charter schools where less than 30% of the student population is at-risk.