During spring term of 2022, every student will receive a computer generated lottery number. This number determines admission priority. It is also used as a tiebreaker in competitive funding applications.

Lottery numbers are generated based on class level information obtained from the Registrar’s Office. Students with good lottery numbers have a better chance of being assigned to a preferred school. Students with low lottery numbers are more likely to be assigned to larger schools.

The algorithm used to calculate lottery numbers has been tweaked over the years to account for different admission priorities. These include set-asides for low-income students.

The lottery number is then emailed to students. Students can also view this number on the Housing Portal. However, there is a $300 fee for requesting this information.

After the lottery number is received by a student, each individual or group is assigned an appointment date and time. This process is used to optimize the outcome for students.

The lottery number is then compared from left to right, increasing in order. The lower the lottery number, the earlier the appointment time. The higher the lottery number, the later the appointment time. However, longer lottery numbers are still used as tiebreakers.

A lottery playslip is available at the Lottery retailer. It allows for up to 10 draws with a single purchase. Using the lottery playslip, a student can choose to purchase a lottery ticket with a random number.

The lottery number has a 32-character code. The code is likely generated by a random number generator. However, the DOE declined to provide information on how the algorithm is used.