Options beyond the assigned school

At a glance

Each route has its own decision-maker and calendar. None of them is tied to buying or renting a particular home, and none guarantees a seat.

Inter-district school choice

Under M.G.L. c.76 §12B, a child may attend public school in a city or town where the child does not live, and the state pays the receiving district a tuition rate set under the statute. A district can withdraw from accepting choice students for the following year if its school committee votes to do so after a public hearing before June 1.

DESE publishes the list of receiving districts; the version on its page was dated August 26, 2026. Families contact the superintendent’s office of a participating district. When non-resident applicants exceed available seats, the school committee must select students on a random basis, which the statute requires twice: once before July 1 and once before November 1. Ask the receiving district about transportation; the statute provides for a state reimbursement program, subject to appropriation, for eligible lower-income students.

METCO

METCO is a state program that gives students living in Boston and Springfield the opportunity to attend public schools in participating neighboring districts. It operates under M.G.L. c.76 §12A, which lets a school committee adopt a plan, approved by the state board, to accept non-resident students. Families do not apply through the suburban district: DESE directs Boston families to METCO Inc. at 617-427-1545 and Springfield families to Springfield Public Schools at 413-787-6959.

Charter schools

Charter schools are public schools governed by M.G.L. c.71 §89. They must be open to all students on a space-available basis and may not discriminate in admission, and DESE’s enrollment advisory states that charter schools may not charge tuition.

When there are more eligible applicants than seats, the school holds a lottery. Commonwealth charter schools give enrollment preference to residents of the city or town where the school is located and to siblings of current students; a regional charter school gives the residence preference to students who live anywhere in its charter region. Applicants not admitted go on a waitlist. Apply to each school directly by its own deadline.

Career technical education (Chapter 74)

State-approved career technical education programs, often called Chapter 74 programs, run in regional technical schools and in some comprehensive high schools. Under 603 CMR 4.03, each must publish an admission policy that describes its application process and any criteria or lottery, and that gives families a way to appeal a denial to the superintendent. Resident students who meet the minimum requirements are admitted before non-residents seeking the same program.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 admissions cycle, for students entering in fall 2026, oversubscribed programs must admit by a lottery held in public with at least a week’s notice. If your district does not offer the program you want, ask about non-resident admission; DESE publishes non-resident access resources with its admissions guidance.

Private schools and home schooling

Under M.G.L. c.76 §1, attending a private day school approved by the local school committee satisfies compulsory attendance. The committee approves a private school when its instruction equals the local public schools in thoroughness and efficiency, and may not withhold approval because of religious teaching. Admission, tuition and financial aid are set by each school. The same section requires the school committee to provide transportation within the district for pupils of approved private schools who live more than two miles away, or another minimum distance the committee sets for public school students.

Home schooling also rests on c.76 §1. DESE explains that for children of compulsory school age (6 to 16), home schooling requires advance approval by the district where the child lives, under the policy its school committee has adopted, and that home schooling is not remote learning provided by a district. Ask the district for its policy and annual renewal steps before you withdraw a student.