UPDATED: 1/14/23, 2:16 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia public school students will have to wait longer to find out if they’ve won a seat in one of the city’s special-admissions schools.
Lottery results were originally expected to be announced on Friday, but the School District of Philadelphia said it’s taking longer than expected to process appeals from students who believed they were academically eligible for the magnet and other special-admissions schools they sought to attend.
Of nearly 1,000 appeals received, the district has less than 10 left to review, district spokeswoman Monique Braxton told KYW Newsradio.
“We understand that parents are anxious and wanting the schools of their choice,” Braxton said in a statement. “Our goal remains to provide an excellent education for all students in Philadelphia.”
Braxton said the district expects to announce the results of the school lotteries by January 31.
Historically, there have been more white and Asian students at Philadelphia magnet schools than at the district overall.
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In an effort to increase diversity, the district in 2021 revamped its process for its special-admissions schools, to give preference to eligible students in underrepresented zip codes.
The district continues to require the PSSA standardized test as part of the eligibility criteria of special-admissions schools, but it will weigh test results along with grades and attendance.
Some parents have taken the district to federal court over the system, claiming it’s unconstitutionally based on race.