Hi Friend,

Did you know that the METCO program is now in its 53rd year? As the nation's largest voluntary school desegregation program, METCO refers more than 3,100 children to over 190 suburban public schools across 33 districts in Massachusetts.

New for 2019: METCO has moved from a waitlist system to an Online Lottery Application process. With a new process comes new deadlines—and if you're interested in considering METCO as one of your school options for next year, the time to apply is right now.

METCO Lottery Verification Deadline

As part of the online lottery application, Boston residency documentation is required; click here for a full list of all required documents. You can't submit your application without it and METCO must verify these documents for each application.

To speed up the process, submit your METCO Lottery Application online—with all complete documentation—by 11:59 PM on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. 

Verification vs. Final Deadline: Why Does It Matter?

The Final Deadline for the METCO Lottery Application is Friday, Jan. 3, 2020. However, if you wait until the final deadline to submit your application and there are issues with verifying your documentation, you will likely be excluded from the lottery. 

Beat the holiday rush and rest easy by completing your METCO lottery application by the Verification Deadline on Dec. 8th.

Apply for the METCO Lottery Right from Your Phone

It's even easier to apply for the METCO Lottery when you use your phone. If you're reading this email on your phone right now, click here to launch the METCO Lottery application. You can also text METCO to 33-777 to get the application link sent right to your phone for easy applying right in the palm of your hand.

METCO Is Just One Part of Your School Choice Journey

The METCO Lottery will take place in early/mid January (official date TBA). Participating METCO districts can make placement offers to students anytime between February and October 1st.

As such, we recommend that every family applying to METCO should also register and apply for other Boston school options. Head to our School Registration Toolkit to explore your Boston school options and get started.

Your Last Chance to Apply to Exam Schools

The free ISEE Makeup Test takes place this Saturday, Nov. 23 at 8:00 AM at Boston Latin Academy on 205 Townsend St. Interested students can register on site the morning of the test; here’s what you need to bring with you. This is your last chance to take the FREE test required to apply to Boston's Exam Schools.

Have a great week!

Warmly,
Latoya Gayle, Executive Director
Boston School Finder