Student Assignment Policy

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NOTE: This page provides only a partial overview of the BPS Student Assignment Policy.  For more detail about assignment and registration policies and procedures, consult Introducing the Boston Public Schools 2008.

Contents:
The assignment zones
How does Boston Public Schools assign students?
What are "priorities"?
Sibling priority
Walk zone priority
What about students who have no "walk zone schools"?
Priority for EEC / ELC students entering Grade 2
Random numbers
East Boston assignments
Wait lists
Administrative assignments
Transfers

For questions and answers about transportation, click here.

The assignment zones

Under Boston’s student assignment plan, the city is divided into three geographic “zones” — East, West, and North — for elementary and middle schools. Students may apply for:

• Schools in the zone in which they live
• Schools in other zones if the schools are within their “walk zone”
• Citywide K–8 and middle schools open to all students

All high schools are citywide.

For a customized list of all the schools, visit the "What Are My Schools?" application.

How does the Boston Public Schools assign students?

Assignments are made by a computer that is programmed with a mathematical formula. The computer program tries to assign students to their highest listed choice for which they have the highest priority.

What are "priorities"?

Sometimes a school doesn’t have room for every student who lists it as a choice. When this happens, the computer assigns students based on choice and priorities. Here are the major priorities, with the highest listed first:

1. Sibling + walk zone
2. Sibling
3. Walk zone (a priority for 50% of available seats)
4. Random number

Each of these is explained below.  Within each assignment period, students with the highest priority are assigned first.

Sibling Priority

We try to assign children in the same family to the same school if the parent requests it. If you want your children to go to the same school, ask the Family Resource Center staff how to apply for sibling priority. However, sometimes a school doesn’t have room for all the siblings who apply for it; so we can’t guarantee sibling assignments. Be sure to list sibling preference the first time you apply.

Walk Zone Priority

Fifty percent (one-half) of each school’s seats are set aside for applicants with walk zone priority. Students have walk zone priority if they live approximately:

• 1 mile or less from elementary school
• 1.5 miles or less from middle school
• 2 miles or less from high school.

Students will receive priority for their walk zone schools within each registration period. No distinction will be made between students who live in one assignment zone versus another for assignment purposes.

Your child may be eligible for transportation to some of his or her walk zone choices. That’s because the distances between home and school used to determine eligibility for bus transportation are different from the distances used to determine walk zone priority. Schools coded ‘WT’ on the application are walk zone choices for your child with transportation provided.

What about students who have no "walk zone" schools?

• K2–Grade 12: Every home address in Boston has at least one walk zone school.
• K1: Students who don’t have a walk zone K1 program will have walk zone priority for the K1 program closest to home.
• K0: Due to the very limited number of K0 programs, students who don’t have a walk zone K0 program will not have walk zone priority for any school.

There is no walk zone priority for citywide elementary and middle schools (except for Mission Hill School).

Orchard Gardens K–8 School sets aside 75% of its seats for students in its walk zone.

Priority for EEC and ELC students applying for Grade 2

Students completing grade 1 at an Early Learning Center (ELC) or Early Education Center (EEC) will be assigned to available grade 2 seats before students new to the BPS or those applying for transfers from other elementary schools.

When assigning these students to grade 2 seats, including assignments from wait lists, the usual factors will be considered, including the registration period when the students applied, priorities, and random number.

Random numbers

The computer gives each application a random number. Random numbers are used to break “ties” between students who have the same priorities for the school.

How does this work? Let’s say there is one seat left for K2 at the Kenny School. All applicants with sibling and walk zone priority have been assigned. Three additional students, all without sibling or walk zone priority, listed the Kenny as their first choice. The student with the lowest (“best”) random number will be assigned.

East Boston assignments

Because of East Boston's unique geographic location on the other side of the tunnel, any student who lives in East Boston (EB) is guaranteed a seat somewhere in the neighborhood. This applies to students in all grades and programs, K2–grade 12. To take advantage of this guarantee, families must list their EB choices higher on the application than their non-EB choices.

Wait lists

If you don’t get your first choice, the computer will assign your child to one of your other choices, or your child will be "administratively assigned" (see below). Your child may also be placed on a wait list for one or more of your other choices. Here are the rules for wait lists:

• The BPS will create wait lists for all schools where there are more applicants than available seats for a particular grade.
• A student’s place on the wait list is based on the registration period when the student applied, sibling priority, the school choices selected on the application, and random number.
• No student will have a lower place on a wait list than any student who applied in a later registration round, regardless of priorities.
• Students applying for kindergarten through grade 12 who are not assigned to their first choice school may be placed on up to two wait lists from among their other choices.
• Students applying for grades 1–12 who do not receive an assignment to any of the schools of their choice—students who are “administratively assigned”— will be placed on wait lists for up to three of their schools of choice.
• Families may request that a student be added to any wait list (to a school for which they are eligible to apply). However, students may not occupy more than the number of wait lists prescribed above. Students already on the maximum number of wait lists must go off one list in order to be added to another.
• Any student who remains a Boston resident may remain on a wait list after the beginning of the school year, regardless of whether or not the student attends the Boston Public Schools.
• All wait lists expire at the end of the second marking period (January of the following year).

When seats become available, students will be assigned from wait lists in the following order, beginning with students who applied in the earliest rounds:

If the school has not reached its 50% walk zone target, students are assigned from wait lists in this order:

1. Students with sibling + walk zone priority
2. Students with sibling priority
3. Students with walk zone priority
4. Students with no priorities

If the school has reached its 50% walk zone target, students are assigned in this order:

1. Students with sibling priority (no additional priority for walk zone)
2. All other students (no walk zone)

Random numbers will be used as “tiebreakers” among students with the same priorities. You can find out your child’s wait list status by calling any Family Resource Center at the end of each application period. In August and September, you can also call the School Hotline, 617-635-9046.

Administrative assignments

State law requires that every child must attend school beginning in September of the calendar year in which the child turns six years old. If you don’t receive one of your school choices, or if you don’t return an application for a student age six and older starting a “transition grade,” we will assign the student to the school closest to home that has a seat.

For the most part, kindergarten students are not administratively assigned.  However, if your child will turn six years old before December 31, the district will assign your child to a school even if you do not receive one of your choices. If child will remain five years old (or younger) through December 31, and you are not assigned to one of your schools of choice, you may return to a Family Resource Center to make additional choices.

Transfers

If your child is already enrolled in the Boston Public Schools and you want to enroll in a different school next year, you may apply for a transfer. For the best chance of receiving approval for your transfer request, apply during the first opportunity for your child's grade level:

• Kindergarten, grades 6 and 9: Apply during the first registration period.
• All other grades: Apply during the second registration period.

You may apply for a transfer in later registration periods, but your chances of having the request approved decrease the longer you wait. All transfer requests received within each registration period are processed together. 

Families also may apply to change schools during the current school year. Requests received by September 30 will be processed as they are received. Requests received after September 30 will be processed in two batches: mid-November and late January. Regardless of when you apply, we can’t guarantee your transfer request will be approved.

School Committee policy limits the number of times students may transfer to a different school:

• Elementary School: Once per year in kindergarten–grade 5
• Middle School: Only once in grades 6–8
• High School: Only once in grades 9–12