Hi Friend,

After a week off, the second round of Priority Registration for Boston Public Schools is now live. Here's what you need to know this week, as well as some big changes to the METCO Lottery and Exam School admissions in the fall.

Kindergarten (K2) Registration Is Now Open!

If your child will turn age 5 by September 1, 2020, it's time to register them for kindergarten. In addition to kindergarten, registration is now open for all BPS grades.

Even though this round of Priority Registration closes on April 3, we recommend you register as soon as you can well before the April deadline so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle of February vacation plans and beyond as your child's activity calendars fill up.

Our BPS Welcome Center Registration Guide has you covered: from recommendations about what to do before your Welcome Center appointment, to everything you need to bring with you to your appointment, our guide outlines everything you need to know to make registering your kindergartener for school as smooth as possible.

Did You Miss Priority Registration for Grades K0, K1, 6, 7, or 9? Here's What to Do Now

The Priority Registration deadline for grades K0, K1, 6, 7, and 9 was on Friday, Jan. 31. If you missed registering your child for any of these grades, you can STILL register—and register your child as soon as you can. 

The longer you wait to register your child, the fewer the school options you'll have available to you—so make your Welcome Center appointment ASAP to register your child for school.

METCO Will Now Offer Winter & Spring Lotteries

METCO has now opened up two lottery application cycles. The Winter METCO Lottery Application is open now through Saturday, Feb. 29 and can be completed online. The Spring METCO Lottery Application will be open from Apr. 1 through 30.

You don't need any documents to complete the METCO Preliminary Application online; you'll only submit your child's basic information. Once your family receives a lottery number, you'll have two weeks to upload the documents for required for residency, identity, and school records.

For more information, check out our METCO Lottery Application Guide.

Big Changes Coming to Exam School Admissions

You may have seen last week's news about the decision to no longer use the ISEE test for admission into Boston's three exam schools. As BPS begins the process of finding a new exam school entrance standard, we plan to keep you up to date on all the changes coming to exam school admissions in the months ahead. Read our full statement about exam school admissions here.

Have a great week!

Warmly,
Latoya Gayle, Executive Director
Boston School Finder