The METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) Program is a grant program funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is a voluntary program intended to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation for students in urban and suburban communities, by fostering the opportunity for children from Boston and Springfield to attend a public school in neighboring communities in order to students to develop a deeper understanding of one another in an integrated public-school setting.

Tuition and transportation costs are paid for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Whan a child is accepted into the host community; the child is treated as a community child with all the same expectations up through graduation. Many students have graduated with a host community diploma and have gone to college.

The goal and purpose of the METCO program are to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation by permitting students in Springfield to attend public schools in other communities that have agreed to participate.

To apply and be eligible for the program, the child must be a resident in Springfield and be of a racial background that is non-white. The participating host communities in the Springfield METCO Program are East Longmeadow, Hampden/Wilbraham, Longmeadow and Southwick-Tolland.





HOW DO I APPLY METCO?


STEP 1: ONLINE REGISTRATION

a. The student must be registered at Power School.
b. Complete the online application. Apply during the
    application window that is from February 1st to April 1st.
c. The link for the METCO registration is provided on our SPS
    website.

STEP 2: LOTTERY

a. At the end of the application window, all students who
    applied have an equal chance to be referred through the
    random lottery.
b. If you are not accepted, you can re-apply every year and
    have another, equal chance.
c. If your lottery number comes up, your student will be
    referred to one of the partner districts if there is space
    available in the applicable grade.
d. Siblings are prioritized when space is available in the
    enrolled student district. However, siblings are not
            guaranteed a seat.
e. Partner districts do not accept students at every grade
    level every year. Accepting grade levels within partner
    districts are finalized by their individual school
    committees. 

STEP 3: COMMUNICATION

a. Once accepted, students in the METCO program are fully
    enrolled in their new school, with the support of their
    METCO liaison.
b. The parent will receive a notification with the district name
    and the contact information.
c. The new school communicates with the families.

 



For more information about the METCO program visit:
The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity