School Choice

Students admitted through the Massachusetts School Choice Program may remain enrolled only in the district that accepted them, through the highest grade level offered in that district, as long as they maintain continuous enrollment and remain in good standing. School Choice does not allow automatic continuation into another district within the region. For example, students School-Choiced into Amherst Public Schools (Grades K–5) must reapply for School Choice to attend Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools (Grades 6–12). Likewise, students School-Choiced into Leverett or Shutesbury must apply for School Choice into Amherst-Pelham Regional to attend ARMS or ARHS.

Unless accepted into the Amherst, Pelham, or Amherst-Pelham School Choice Program, non-resident students must attend school in the town in which they reside. The School Choice Program permits non-resident students the opportunity to attend our schools while residing in a surrounding town. Each of the three districts of the Amherst-Pelham Schools must annually vote to participate in the School Choice program, which is generally voted in February or March of the preceding school year.

There are a limited number of School Choice seats, and an application is required for each student applying. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but they must be received by a deadline which is annually established - generally in mid-June of the school year preceding. Applications from siblings of students already enrolled in the Amherst-Pelham Schools under the School Choice program and who will remain in the School Choice program during that school year will, by law, receive priority in acceptance for available Choice seats. Once siblings have been placed, and if there are more sibling applicants than the number of seats, a lottery will be conducted to determine placement. Should the number of applications exceed the number of vacancies, all applicants not accepted will be randomly selected and placed, in the order of their selection, on a waiting list.

Parents will receive a Notice of Acceptance indicating their child's status (tentative seat awarded or wait list status) via email, and a response from parent must be emailed by the deadline provided in the notification by the Superintendent’s Office. If your child is accepted into the Choice program, the student is entitled to attend the Amherst Schools through high school graduation, if continuously enrolled.

Bus Transportation is not available for School Choice students. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the parents/Guardians to provide daily transportation and to ensure students arrive at school on time and are promptly picked-up after school.

The School Choice Lottery will take place in June, with notifications emailed the following week.

Please be aware that residents of Amherst, Pelham, or the four towns which comprise the Amherst­ Pelham Regional Schools who move out of the district but wish to have their child(ren) remain as students in the district do not have any unique claim to the seats their children vacated. Those parents must apply for admission to the school choice program in the same manner as any other parent who does not reside in town.