Virtual Meeting for All Languages

The virtual meeting is hosted by the world languages office and includes all general program information.
Date: February 1, 2024
Time: 6 p.m.
Register for the virtual meeting.

Lottery Process

Seats in the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) programs are filled via a computer generated random lottery process.

Siblings of students currently enrolled in or who have completed the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program receive sibling status at the same school. Sibling status is granted as long as the application has been received on time. Students may be considered for sibling status as long as the sibling is currently enrolled in FCPS.

Important Deadlines

Deadlines are listed below. Items highlighted in bold indicate parent action items.

Grade 1 Applicants

Kindergarten Applicants

Please contact the World Languages office via email ([email protected]) or phone (571-423-4602) if the deadlines have passed and you have not yet received communication regarding initial status or final acceptance or wait listing.

General DLI Registration Questions

Lottery Registration

• All residents of Fairfax County are eligible to apply.
• Parents of rising first graders or Kindergarteners already enrolled in Fairfax County Public Schools will follow the grade 1 or Kindergarten Registration link and use their FCPS SIS parent account to register their child for the grade 1 or kindergarten Dual Language Immersion (DLI) lottery. View additional information regarding SIS parent accounts.
• Parents with rising first graders and Kindergarteners in a NON-FCPS kindergarten or preschool need to register their child at their base school to obtain a SIS parent account prior to registering their child for the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) lottery.  
• If your child is already enrolled in an FCPS Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program at the kindergarten level, you do not need to reapply. Your child will automatically continue in the program at the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) school. 
• If your child is currently on a wait list for a Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program, you will have to reapply. Only students currently enrolled in a FCPS Kindergarten Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program will automatically continue in that school’s program. Since programs open additional seats in first grade, wait lists are newly established.
• If you need to make any changes to the original registration, please contact the World Languages office with your request (571-423-4602 or [email protected]).

Registration for multiple Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Programs

• You may register your child for any county-wide lottery school. Since rush hour traffic in this area can be difficult, it is recommended that you drive the distance to the DLI school during morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up time in order to see if participation in that school’s DLI program is a viable option.
• Registration at more than one school does not affect the odds of program participation. Each school’s lottery is run separately.

Late Registration for Kindergarten or Grade 1 DLI Programs

• Late online registration is possible. The Grade 1 late registration window opens on February 29, 2024. The kindergarten late registration window opens on March 19, 2024 and remains open until November 19, 2024. Your late registration will be added to the end of the lottery-generated wait list according to the date and time received.
• For late registrations beyond November 19, 2024, please contact the DLI school directly.

Admission to the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program beyond Grade 1

Lottery registration only applies to kindergarten and grade 1. Program entry after 1st grade is handled by the individual DLI school and is left to the discretion of the principal. Contact the DLI school directly to inquire about the possibility of placement into the DLI program.

Lottery Registration for Military Families with Orders to the Fairfax County Area

Contact the World Languages office (571-423-4602 or [email protected]) regarding further application instructions. You will be asked to submit your orders to be eligible to apply for the lottery process.

Determination of Fluent Speaker or Language Status

• A child is considered a fluent speaker of a language if:
  • the child’s first and spontaneous response to the question in the target language is in that target language.
  • the child can elaborate with details when prompted.
• If your child fully understands the question in the target language, yet answers in English, your child does not qualify as a fluent speaker. They will be able to participate in the general lottery process.

Age Eligibility

• State regulations regarding age for entry into kindergarten and Grade 1 also apply to the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program. A child must be 5 years old by September 30, 2024. to enter Kindergarten and 6 years old to enter Grade 1. See Policy 2201 for more information.
• If your child has completed kindergarten and will not be 6 years old by September 30, your child will be considered an underage applicant and final acceptance into the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program is pending conditions below.
• For rising first grade, a child must be 6 years old by September 30, 2024. The Code of Virginia and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) regulation state that a child's fifth birthday must fall on or before September 30 of the school year for the child to be eligible to attend a Virginia public school. If a parent elects to place a child in a private kindergarten program because the child did not meet the public school age requirements, the child will be considered eligible for kindergarten the following year. However, the principal has the option of promoting the child to first grade upon review of the child's academic records and staff assessment of performance. The Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) has been granted authority through the Code of Virginia to accredit private schools. If a student was enrolled, successfully completed, and promoted to the first grade from a Virginia private school accredited by one of the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) the student shall be enrolled in the first grade without an assessment regardless of age. Parents must provide a final report card that indicates that the child has successfully completed the kindergarten program at the accredited private school. Verify the accreditation status of a Virginia private school on the Virginia Council for Private Education (VCPE) web page.

Program Pupil Placement Fee

On May 25, 2017, the Fairfax County School Board approved a one-time non-refundable pupil placement fee of $100 per student Notice 5922, Section XVII.  This fee applies to all students accessing DLI program placements outside of their base school and is integrated and collected within the online final school selection and acceptance process.

This fee does not apply to any student currently enrolled in the DLI program.

Fee Payment

• This pupil placement fee is integrated into the online Dual Language Immersion (DLI) placement acceptance process and appears after selecting and accepting an out-of-boundary DLI placement. 
• Parents and guardians will pay the non-refundable Pupil Placement fee online using a debit or credit card, or electronic check through MySchoolBucks, when completing the final DLI program selection and acceptance process. If you have questions about this online payment process, please contact Financial Services at 571-423-3636.
• For questions regarding the MySchoolBucks website or application, please see the MySchoolBucks Frequently Asked Questions page.

Fee Waivers

Fees are waived for:

• Students who qualify for the free and reduced-price meals program and have submitted the consent to share their status. These forms are found on the Food and Nutrition Services, Free and Reduced-Price Meals web page.
• Students who reside on a military installation or in military housing located in Fairfax County.
• Students requesting family relocation into the school’s boundary.
• Parents/guardians who are fully benefited FCPS employees.
• Families who are undergoing an economic hardship and are financially unable to pay the pupil placement fee, assistance is available as noted in the current version of Regulation 2135, Assistance to Students. Parents and guardians should contact the student's enrolled school to be considered for the Pupil Placement fee waiver prior to completing final program placement.

Refunds

The pupil placement fee due at the time of acceptance of an out-of-boundary Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Program placement is non-refundable. You may choose, however, to enroll your child at your base school at any time.

Acceptance and Enrollment Process

Final Program Acceptance

1. Once you receive your Status Notification email, you will need to log into the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) Registration system (Grade 1 or Kindergarten) using your SIS parent account and view the status of the application.
2. Make your final school selection.
3. Electronically sign the disclosure statement.
4. Pay the one-time, non-refundable pupil placement fee (applicable only if accepting an out-of-boundary DLI placement).
5. Once the online program acceptance has been completed, you will receive a final confirmation email. Please contact the World Languages office immediately via email or phone (571-423-4602) if you have not received the acceptance email.

Your child has not been accepted into a school’s DLI Program until all steps in the program acceptance process have been completed and the pupil placement fee (if applicable) has been paid.

If your child has been invited or wait listed for multiple DLI programs, you will be able to select only one final placement.  

Enrollment

Once you have received your Final Acceptance Notification, your child’s records will be transferred to the DLI school.

Wait Lists

• Kindergarten wait lists will stay active throughout the kindergarten year. If your child has not been admitted into the program, you will have to reapply for grade 1.
• Grade 1 wait lists remain active until either all students have been admitted or students are no longer eligible. Dual Language Immersion (DLI) schools will be able to admit students without prior language knowledge through the beginning of second semester of grade 2. After second semester of grade 2, all incoming students’ target language skills need to be assessed to ensure that target language skills are consistent with grade level expectations.

Transportation

Transportation is not provided for students living outside the Dual Language Immersion (DLI) school’s attendance area. Many students come from areas adjacent to the DLI school and PTA liaisons often help with organizing car pools. You may call the DLI school to inquire about car pool options.

Since Bailey’s Elementary School is also a Magnet Program, students accepted to Bailey’s may access depot transportation provided for magnet students. Designated bus depots are predetermined and finalized in the summer. When considering Bailey’s, take into account the travel time for your family and child. It is the responsibility of a family member to transport the child to and from the bus depot location. Also, consider the length of travel time for your child to and from the magnet school location. Transportation is dependent on the adoption of the FY2023 - 24 budget. For transportation related questions for Bailey's Primary and Bailey's Upper, please contact Sherrie Ladd at 703-446-2050. Information on average commute times between bus depots and school can be accessed on the Magnet Program page.

Applications for the 2023 - 24 School Year

Late applications for the Kindergarten and Grade 1 Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program for the 2023 - 24 school year should be submitted directly to the DLI school.  Late applications will be added to be bottom of the generated wait list.