The Nashoba Regional School Committee voted April 30 to partially open the districts school-choice program for the 2025-26 school year, adopting the superintendents recommendation that limits openings by grade and location and sets a timetable for applications and a public lottery.

Superintendent Kirk Downing presented the recommendation during a public school-choice hearing and review of slides that repeated guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): districts remain open to school choice unless they vote to close by June 1, they may limit seats and assignment locations, and lotteries are used when applicants exceed seats. Downing recommended not opening choice for kindergarten through grade 2, holding class-size buffers (no more than 22 students per class for choice enrollment in younger grades, 24 in grades 3 and up), and capping district and school-level totals in order to avoid exceeding target grade ceilings.

Downing said the district would cap fourth-grade acceptance to four students across the district to avoid surpassing a 260-student threshold in the affected grade levels and summarized school-level seat openings: Nashoba Regional High School would add four seats at grades 10, 11 and 12 (grade 9 would remain closed because it exceeds the 220-student threshold); Florence Sawyer, Mary Rowlandson, Luther Burbank, Center School, and Hill Middle School had school- and grade-specific openings and closures as detailed in Downing's slides. He also said employees may enroll children under the same rules and that siblings of enrolled choice students receive preference prior to any lottery.

For the application process, Downing said applications will open Friday, May 2, and the deadline is May 29 at 12:00 p.m. A public lottery, if necessary, will be held Friday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the School Committee Room at 50 Mechanic Street in Bolton; late applications after the lottery will be held on a first-come, first-served basis if seats remain available. Downing added that no applicants will be accepted after June 26, 2025, to allow planning for the next school year.

During the hearing staff answered parent questions about how to access the application (a pop-up on nrsd.net), and committee members heard from at least one resident who asked about specific grade availability. After the public-hearing portion closed, the committee moved to a formal vote in regular session and approved the superintendents recommendation. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with all members present voting yes.

The committee and administration noted the motions stated limits are intended to preserve balance across grades and schools and to avoid unplanned staff increases. The superintendent and staff will manage application intake, lotteries if needed, and communication to families.

The approval means the district will participate in school choice in the limited fashion presented; the committee also recorded the procedural details for application windows and the lottery date so families and school staff can plan.