The School Choice law (MGL c.76, s. 12B) was enacted in 1991 and permits parents who are Massachusetts residents to send their children to public school in communities other than that in which they reside. School committees choose whether or not to become school choice receiving districts, and they may designate a maximum number of available school choice seats for an upcoming year. If there are more applicants than available openings, the selection of students is conducted on a random basis, and must be free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national original, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, ancestry, athletic performance, physical handicap, special need or academic or proficiency in the English language. This opportunity is only available for Massachusetts residents. If accepted to attend within the district, students will NOT be eligible for district provided transportation. Parents/guardians are required to transport their children to school and must do so in a timely manner to maintain enrollment.
Openings vary year to year, school to school, and grade to grade, but Triton currently participates in the School Choice program at the elementary, middle and high school level.
The application process is completed the year prior to the year a child is to begin at Triton. Applications are accepted throughout the academic year, and decisions are made for the following school year on the last day of the preceding school year. For example, we would accept applications all summer, fall, winter, and spring of a given academic year (say 2021-2022). We then make decisions about enrollments by the last day of that school year (in June of 2022) for the start of the following school year in September of 2022 (2022-2023 year).
As noted above, this is a blind process that requires us to hold a lottery if there are more students who have applied than there are seats available. To that end, someone who applies in October has no greater chance of acceptance than someone who applies on June 1st. Letters are sent out on the final day of school to families notifying them of their acceptance or denial for the start of the next year.
Though not technically part of the School Choice Program, Triton offers Intra District Choice, allowing students to attend an elementary school not in their home town if space is available. The same application form should be used for these applicants.
If you are interested in applying, please use the link at the right to complete the online application form in its entirety. If you have questions about the application process, please reach out to the Superintendent's Executive Assistant, Nichole Staude, at [email protected].
If you have questions about School Choice overall, including the process available openings, please contact Brian L. Forget, Superintendent of Schools, via email at [email protected].