METCO'S NEW APPLICATION PROCESS

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EFFICIENT | EQUITABLE | TRANSPARENT

When METCO was designed in 1966, there were no personal computers, internet, or smartphones. As of 2018, much of the application process was still on paper records in file folders. Families still signed up newborns in person, then waited for years on a waiting list of thousands.

In 2019, after a year-long study and community feedback from families and education officials, METCO is proud to announce the first major upgrade of the application system in decades.

This NEW APPLICATION PROCESS took effect for all applicants beginning on October 2, 2019 (enrolling in the 2020-21 school year).

SPECIAL NOTE

Transition Year

Priority Status was given to those who completed applications for 2019 and to incoming Kindergarteners from the Wait List.

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READ THE ANNOUNCEMENT

Step one: APPLY ONLINE

Why go online?

TO REMOVE BARRIERS from eligible families

  • Application can be accessed by anyone at anytime
  • Documents can be photographed or scanned in using personal devices; no need to make copies

TO STRENGTHEN INTEGRITY of data security and selection process

  • Only complete and eligible applications will be automatically verified
  • Data is kept up-to-date by families themselves
  • Families can save incomplete applications and return to them when they are ready
WHY GO ONLINE?
Line of kids

All eligible Boston families with school-age students are invited to apply...

through an online application from any device, or in the METCO Headquarters...

Schoolmint phone
Calendar

during an annual application window between October and December.

Step two: SELECTION BY LOTTERY

Why a lottery?

TRANSPARENCY AND EQUITY for all

  • Parents apply when they are making a timely decision about Kindergarten education, rather than years in advance
  • Families learn the outcome promptly and can track their progress through the process
  • Equal odds for families in a wider range of communities, including recent Boston residents
WHY A LOTTERY?
Crowd

At the end of the application period, everyone eligible has an equal chance to be referred through a random lottery.

If not accepted, families can re-apply every year and have another, equal chance.

Repeat
Siblings

Siblings are prioritized when space is available in the enrolled student's district.