The DoE is now putting the random number in your MYSCHOOLS profile when you begin the process to apply for 3k or Prek. It is a hexadecimal 32 digit list of letters and numbers that kinda looks like your computer’s serial code. The only characters that really matter are the first two. The sequence goes from 0-9 and a-f. The “best” number is 00. The “worst” is ff. If you care to know, it is all explained here, including a chart that has estimated what % of people have a higher number than you.
SUPER IMPORTANT: Don’t freak out about your number. It is only used as a tie breaker when there are candidates of equal priority. Each time you apply for schools; for Prek, K, 6th grade and 9th grade, you get a different number. Each time you are on a wait-list, you get a different number.
DON’T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS! IT IS NOT THE ORDER IN WHICH YOUR APPLICATION IS CONSIDERED. It is a tie breaker whenever there are candidates of equal priority. For example: all zoned families have the same priority for their zoned school, but they are ordered according to their random number within that group.
There are many factors that matter in this match, like, if you are continuing at a school that has 3K or Prk, if you have a sibling in the school, if you are in District for a Prek Center, or if you are in-zone for a DoE school. If you are placed in a program depends on a whole bunch of factors including your priorities if any, the number of seats available, and the popularity of the school, as well as your luck with the random number.
The best advice is to rank a robust and diverse list of programs. Make sure that there are lots of seats available to you that are not mostly prioritized for other people. Try to leverage any priorities that you can. Rank schools in true preference order.
