MANCHESTER ESSEX REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT

SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAM

The 2025-2026 MERSD School Choice Survey will be posted in the Winter of 2024.

Thank you for your interest in attending Manchester Essex Regional School District!

School Choice Policies

Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 76, Section 12B was enacted in 1991 to allow parents to send their children to public schools in communities other than the one in which they reside.

The Manchester Essex Regional School District currently participates in accepting out-of-district students from all communities outside the Manchester Essex region in Grades K through 12. MERSD will determine the grade level and the number of openings that will be available for the following fall. School Choice students are accepted for the fall only. Please note: intra-district placement is not an option for Manchester and Essex residents.

School Choice Lottery

MERSD lottery applications are available from December through early March, with a final submission date of March 3, 2025, at 5:00 PM. The selection must be free from any type of discrimination. Because the number of applications received usually exceeds the number of slots available, a lottery system is used to ensure fairness in the random selection process. On the day of the lottery, names are randomly drawn. 

Siblings

The state recognizes the difficulty parents have if siblings are separated in different school districts. Thus, in 1994, an amendment to the School Choice law was enacted: “Any sibling of a student already enrolled in the receiving district shall receive priority for admission to said district.” Once those preferences are honored, the remaining openings must be filled through a random selection process. If the number of siblings applying for a certain grade level exceeds the number of slots available, then a sibling lottery will take place and no other applicants will be considered.

Yearly Application Process

Once a non-resident student has been admitted under the School Choice program, the student has the right to remain in that district until graduation from high school unless there is a lack of funding for the program. This right exists even if the school district decides that it will no longer participate in the School Choice program. If an applicant is not chosen in the lottery system, a new application must be submitted for the following school year during the application process time frame.

School Choice Transportation

Transportation for School Choice students is to be provided by their parents/guardians.