Shopping for the Perfect School at EdFEST

Hundreds of parents and guardians headed to Eastern High School and the DC Armory for some shopping. Not for holiday gifts but for the school that their child will call MY School in the 2025-26 school year. This year’s EdFEST school fair makes it easy for families to explore the city’s public school options for students in grades PK3-12.

Hundreds of parents and guardians headed to Eastern High School and the DC Armory for some shopping. Not for holiday gifts but for the school that their child will call MY School in the 2025-26 school year. This year’s EdFEST school fair makes it easy for families to explore the city’s public school options for students in grades PK3-12.

For many parents, like Perique Wimes, the convenience of having so many resources in one place is invaluable. “I think this is great because it's all in one place—you have everything that you need. I plan to talk to schools and teachers about what kind of support they offer students, specifically tutoring,” she shared.

Other parents came with specific goals and questions in mind. Gina Kidd is particularly interested in public charter schools. Her daughter is currently an eighth grader at a public charter school and they both are happy with her experience. “Her grades are better than my grades were when I was in high school and I want to make sure she continues doing well.” Anthony Garrett’s priority was ensuring his daughter remains academically challenged. “I need to make sure that my daughter has a proper education. Right now we're in a situation where she's at the top of the class. I need to make sure that it stays that way.”

EdFEST is timed to coincide with the launch of the My School DC lottery application, opening on Monday, Dec. 16. The lottery system determines placement for new students based on available seats, preferences, and a random lottery number. Families can apply to up to 12 schools using the My School DC application. The School Finder tool allows applicants to search by address, grade, and program type for all DC public schools. Every school that participates in My School DC had booths and representatives at EdFEST.

The event also offered free services and fun activities, including vaccinations, flu and COVID shots, recreational activities with the DC Department of Parks & Recreation, and meals from DC Central Kitchen. The My School DC team and their Parent Advisory Council were also on-site to guide families through the lottery process.

Families left EdFEST with valuable insights to inform their decisions about where their child will attend class next school year. Whether their priorities are academic performance, social-emotional support, or extracurricular opportunities, EdFEST helped them take a critical step toward finding the right fit for their children’s educational journey.