Kindergarten Selection Process Unique to Acton

Real estate listing sheets for residential houses include a section naming the public schools that children moving into the home will attend. Typically, there are three schools identified: one elementary school, one middle school, and one high school.

For Acton homes, there is a notation saying “choice of five,” a list of all fives schools, or an asterisk leading to a brief explanation of the model  used here in town.

Families of preschoolers who move to Acton and elect to enroll their offspring in the local public schools are made aware of the rules governing registration:  Any child reaching the age of 5 by September 1^st of a given year is expected to enter kindergarten that year.  Children who turn 6 by September 1st are required to attend at that time, bound by state law. 

Preschoolers with special needs are entitled to early screening and placement.

For most parents, the road to their eldest child’s first day of school begins at an annual general meeting held in January. At that gathering, the elementary school principals and their respective kindergarten teaching staff are joined by administrators who present an overview of the selection process.

A booklet detailing the timeline and including descriptions of , , , Merriam, and schools is handed out; the most recent version is 37 pages in length.

In each school, there are three kindergarten classes. Two are half-day sections that hold class all five mornings or four afternoons and then switch schedules mid-year. One is in session all day.

Early registration for those students with “priority admission status” occurs in mid-January. Siblings of already-enrolled students and children who live close enough to one of the school to walk there are permitted to register at this time.

In mid- February, results of early registration are published. This year, 119 students were given priority status; parents of 72 of them requested all-day kindergarten.

Remaining open seats broke down as follows: Conant- 35, Douglas- 26, Gates-34, McCarthy-Towne-38, and Merriam-36, for a total of 169 spaces.

Parents of students not subject to early registration are invited to information sessions at each of the individual schools. These are held on separate evenings from late January to early March.

Tours are conducted between mid-January and early February. These take place during school hours so that visitors can observe the educational settings first-hand.

Holly and Jason Fitzgerald took advantage of all the available opportunities to learn about the five schools. Their mission: choose the environment that’s right for their son, Jason, and his two younger siblings, 2 ½  year-old Grace and 11-month old Helen.

The couple secured baby-sitting. Jason took time off from work for the daytime tours.

“We decided in the beginning of this process to tour all the schools, attend all the info nights so we would be making the most informed choice,” said Holly.

In early March, the couple was still debating the merits of the five options.

“We haven’t decided yet, “said Jason. “ Each school has its own personality. Some you know won’t fit. We’re more into the traditional schools.”

Neighbors with children in Douglas, Gates and McCarthy-Towne, offered unexpected advice.

“They told us to go to Merriam,” said Jason.

Holly, a self-described second-guesser, spent the summer before her son entered preschool wondering if she and Jason had chosen wisely. This uncertainty has reappeared during the kindergarten selection process.

“I worry it’ll be the wrong one,“ said Holly of the decision to be made.

In the end, the couple came to a consensus.

When the mid-March registration dates arrived, the Fitzgeralds named Douglas as their first choice school. Gates was second.

“Jason had it (Douglas) as his first choice since we first toured it,” said Holly. “I thought back to telling a friend about it after our tour before she did hers and realized that, in telling her, I basically sold it to myself.”

Jason Jr. has been asking about where he will attend kindergarten. His parents have told him that they are not sure yet. They’re hesitant to tell him their rankings lest he take on any disappointment.

With the family living in West Acton, he’s likely to be happy with his school assignment. “He wants one of the close ones,” said Holly. “He doesn’t want a long bus ride.”

Jennifer Lewy is another parent that went through the recent kindergarten selection process.

Having chosen Acton primarily for its schools’ excellent reputation, Jennifer said she and her husband felt “very overwhelmed, initially” by the task.

After deciding against attending five information sessions and five site visits, calling it “overkill,” Jennifer said they toured four schools. McCarthy-Towne emerged as the first choice for their daughter, Elsa, and son, Oscar. Oscar will enter kindergarten  one year after his sister does.

“I had a hard time understanding the ‘education speak,’” said Jennifer, who credited other parents with helping her discern the differences among the choices presented. “They helped me get a better sense of the cultures of the schools.”

Of McCarthy-Towne, Jennifer said, “They emphasize the process of learning, not just the outcome.”

Elsa Lewy and Jason Fitzgerald have been entered in what’s termed the “Kindergarten Lottery.”  In late April, names will be drawn, matching openings at the five schools with parents’ requests whenever possible.

Once the students are assigned a school, the drawing for all-day slots will be held.

Parents are informed of the results via letters mailed to their homes.

Registrar Ruth Cvitkovich is charged with conducting the lottery. “Ten parents will observe,” she said. “There will be two from each PTSO that do not have incoming kindergarteners.”

Any children not assigned to the desired schools are eligible for placement on a waiting list.  Often, changes that occur over the summer will cause space to open up and allow for movement from the list.

Last year, 98% of students were matched with first-choice schools. Then over, the summer, the remainder were offered the same.

It’s too soon to tell if this good fortune will extend to this year’s incoming kindergarteners.

Jennifer Lewy has a positive attitude toward the lottery process. “Every school is great,” she says. “If we don’t get in (to McCarthy-Towne), we’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s college admissions.”

Editor's Note: A previous version of the piece had a description of early admission policy for children turning 5 by 12/31, but that policy is no longer in effect. We apologize for the error.