Lottery

Lottery Lottery Process

Lottery Process

The lottery process provides a consistent approach across our system. It was established to ensure fair and equitable access to schools, programs (regular, alternative) or grades with a student population at capacity or over capacity.

The 2025-26 lottery will take place on Feb. 12, 2025. The deadline to submit your registration or expressions of interest for schools with lotteries is Feb. 11, 2025, at 12 PM (noon).

Regular program registrations received after the lottery draw will be overflowed to their designated overflow school and be added to the call-back list (based on the appropriate priority level) in the order they are received. Students registering for an alternative program after the lottery draw must register for their designated regular program school, as no additional spaces will be available for the next school year.

Lottery Process Steps

  1. A school, program or grade is identified to be at or over capacity and is moved into lottery status

Follow the process below that applies to you:

New To CBE

  1. Parents/Legal Guardians or Independent Students complete a registration or expression of interest before the lottery deadline of Feb. 11, 2025, at 12 PM (Noon). ​ Start Registration

  2. School processes registrations and expressions of interest as they are received. Every submission is assigned a unique number.
  3. Lottery Draws are Completed

    Lottery draws will be completed on Feb. 12, 2025. ​​Lottery draws are supervised by more than one person, including the school principal or administration delegate, school council member and administrative assistant.

    Schools create a call-back list.
  4. Parents or Independent Students are Notified
    Schools inform parents/independent students if they have or have not been accepted into the program.
    What if I was not accepted?
  5. Parent or Independent Student Response
    If you applied to multiple schools/programs, wait to be notified by all of them.
    If You Accept:
    You are automatically placed into that school/program.
    Any other programs you applied for will be notified, and you will be removed from their lists.
    If You Decline:
    If an acceptance or placed on a call-back list is refused, the student is removed from the list.
    If the refusal is based on the inability to take all members of a family, the student may remain on the call-back list and be contacted if there is space for all.

Currently Enrolled With CBE

  1. Students are automatically designated to their next year's program by their designated school and are included in the lottery.
  2. Lottery Draws are Completed

    Lottery draws will be completed on Feb. 12, 2025. ​Lottery draws are supervised by more than one person, including the school principal or administration delegate, school council member and administrative assistant.

    Schools create a call-back list.
  3. Parents or Independent Students are Notified
    Schools inform parents/independent students if they have or have not been accepted into the program.
    What if I was not accepted?
  4. Parent or Independent Student Response
    If you applied to multiple schools/programs, wait to be notified by all of them.
    If You Accept:
    You are automatically placed into that school/program.
    Any other programs you applied for will be notified, and you will be removed from their lists.
    If You Decline:
    If an acceptance or placed on a call-back list is refused, the student is removed from the list.
    If the refusal is based on the inability to take all members of a family, the student may remain on the call-back list and be contacted if there is space for all.

How We Prioritize Students For Lottery

There are 3 steps to determine the priority for accepting a student into a lottery school.

Priority

  • Students living within the walk zone who have a sibling (brother/sister [half or step, not cousins]) that will be attending the same program in the same school; concurrently (occurring or existing simultaneously).
    • Priority

  • Students living outside the walk zone but in the designated area for the school, who will have a sibling in the same program at the same school concurrently; or
  • Students living within the walk zone who do not have a sibling in the school.

    • Priority

  • All other students living in the designated attendance area.



    • ​

    Was Not Drawn In Lottery

    Regular Program

    If the student's name was not drawn in the lottery process, they will attend their designated overflow school.

    You do not need to register at the overflow school.

    The student's registration information will automatically be transferred to the overflow school.

    View Overflow Schools

    Alternative Program

    If the student's name was not drawn in the lottery process, they will attend their designated regular program school.

    If you select more than one alternative program, you will be notified by each school on whether or not you have been accepted. If you were not accepted into any of the lottery schools, you will attend your designated regular program school.

    Call-Back List

    A call-back list is used for regular program schools that are over capacity and cannot accommodate all students that live within the school's designated boundary. 

    The call-back list is prioritized based on the draw order established by a lottery. If a school reaches capacity mid-year and must cap enrolment, the call-back list is based on priority designation, registration date and time. ​

    If space becomes available throughout the school year, that space will be offered to students on the call-back list who are currently attending their overflow or regular program school.

    Lottery Ti​meline​ for the
    ​2025-2026 School Year

    • To have your Registration / Expression of Interest considered for the Lottery, it must be completed and submitted by Noon on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025.

    • Schools will hold lotteries at Noon on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.

    • Results of the lottery will be communicated to families within 10 business days.

    • Families will then have 10 business days to respond to any offers of placement.

    All families are encouraged to wait until they have received communication from each of the schools that they have expressed interest in whether they were successful in the lottery process, as once they accept a placement, they may not receive any further offers.

    All communications of offers of placement or confirmation that they were not successful will come through SchoolEngage.​​

    ​What is a Walk Zone?

    A walk zone is a CBE-set boundary around a school, generally between 1.6 km and 2.4 km. Walk zones play a role in determining lottery priority and the call-back list. Although changes to walk zones will be implemented for the 2025-26 school year, families registering now will not be affected. The current walk zones from the 2024-25 school year will still apply during the 2025-26 lottery and enrolment process. Further updates will be provided once the new walk zones are finalized.​

    To find your school's walk zone:

    1. Go to our Find a School​ tool
    2. Enter your address and select 'Go'
    3. To view other programs/schools, select the 'View Program Options' dropdown
    4. On the school you want to see, select the link "View more information about this school" or click on the school name
    5. This will pop up the school profile in a window.
    6. Scroll down to the bottom of the school profile, and you will see a map with the walk zone outlined in red.

    Learn All About Walk Zones &
    Why We Use Them​​

     
    Last modified: 1/9/2025 10:13 AM
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