School In Charter’s Clothing

Parents wait in 'agony' for school entrance lottery results

Geneva Armstrong is worried and waiting. This summer, she will find out whether her 12-year-old daughter will be admitted next school year into one of the highest-achieving schools in Kern County. She wants her daughter at Downtown because it's a good school, a safer school, it provides daycare, and it's convenient for her downtown-area job and residence. The lottery is a necessity for Bakersfield City School District because more parents want their kids in Downtown School than space is available. It's a rarity for a public school in Kern County to host a lottery, yet Downtown has one every year. The school itself is a rarity in the United States.