Superintendent Allison told the Westborough School Committee on June 11 that the district will begin a consultant-led study of elementary school boundaries after noticing uneven enrollment across its K–3 schools.

Allison said, “we have this interesting thing happening where there's kind of an overall decline…with not much of a decline at all, actually, at Armstrong,” and that Hastings and Fales are trending down. She said the 2025–26 enrollment numbers cited in the presentation are current as of the meeting and “could shift” before fall enrollment is finalized.

The superintendent said the district will seek a consultant experienced in school redistricting and enrollment analysis, that the work is not expected to require a formal bid but will use preapproved vendors, and that the cost is expected to be modest. The goal is to complete the consultant’s study by the end of the summer and present options to inform the 2026–27 budget and any boundary changes.

Allison stressed that the process is in an early phase and that the district will not be redrawing lines for the coming school year. She said the internal project team will include Anita, the student services director and the three elementary principals; she invited a school committee member to serve as a liaison to the group. The superintendent said the district will be mindful of siblings, traffic and bus impacts, and efforts to avoid disrupting neighborhood attachments where possible.

Committee members said redistricting is an anxious topic for families and reminded the community this is a multi-year concern, not an abrupt initiative. A school committee member noted that the district has discussed inequities related to student needs and staffing levels in recent years and that redistricting is intended to better balance enrollment and services across the three schools.

Allison said the district will ask any consultant to consider demographic data (including development and housing trends) beyond what available market-demographic products provide and to account for special education and English‑language needs when proposing options. “We’ll be careful to look at things like siblings and how do we make this shift happen in a way that works for families,” she said.

No formal action or vote was taken on redistricting at the meeting; the committee will be asked to review consultant findings and any recommended boundary changes at a future meeting.