Denver's most coveted schools are evident on choice waitlists

More than 2,500 students in Denver did not get accepted at the top school of their choice for the upcoming academic year, leaving families scrambling.

Why it matters: Colorado's school choice model gives families the ability to pick any school — even outside their districts — if they don't want to attend their assigned neighborhood institution.

• But the most coveted schools, often those perceived as the best, boast lengthy waitlists.

State of play: 19 Denver schools — about 10% of the total — waitlisted at least half of the students who applied, according to a new Axios analysis of data from our education reporting partners at Chalkbeat.

• Smaller and specialized schools, such as Montessori academies and STEM facilities, saw some of the largest waitlists compared to those admitted.
• Middle schools and kindergartens were the hardest to gain admission.

Yes, but: Waitlists in the district are shrinking as enrollment decreases, Chalkbeat reports.

• 76 schools saw waitlists shrink from last year, compared to 33 that grew. Another 18 schools did not submit data for comparison.

The intrigue: The trend is most visible at East High School, where the waitlist for incoming ninth graders fell to just 28 students, an 87% decrease compared to five years ago.

• The decrease comes as the prominent school suffers from negative publicity after three shootings at or near the campus led to two student deaths and a broader crisis regarding how to protect students.

Between the lines: East's feeder middle school and the district's largest, McAuliffe International, accepted all applicants after the first round of selections, despite having the second-longest waitlist for incoming sixth graders five years ago at 183.

How it works: Families rank up to 12 schools on applications at the start of the calendar year for the fall term.

• If there are more applicants than seats at a school, the district conducts a lottery. Those not accepted are put on the waitlist.
• The second round of choice applications is open through Aug. 31.

What they're saying: Laurie Premer, the district’s enrollment director, said shorter waitlists are a result of declining student numbers and families that are satisfied with their assigned neighborhood school.

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