Alternative Education

Alternative Education

Alternative Education is an instructional approach under the control of a school committee that is offered to "at-risk" students in a nontraditional setting. "At-risk" students may include those who are pregnant/parenting teens, truant students, and suspended or expelled students, returned dropouts, delinquent youth, or other students who are not meeting local promotional requirements.

The alternative setting is designed to provide an educational environment where teaching and learning is student-centered, and where multi-tiered behavioral supports, social and emotional supports, individualized instruction and remediation, flexibility in schedules and individualized post-secondary planning through My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) are available to help students meet state and local graduation requirements. Alternative programs, whether in the school building or in another location, must offer students an education that meets the same academic rigor, standards, and expectations of all students in the district while attending to both the academic and non-academic needs of every student.

Alternative Education may operate as a program or as a separate self-contained school:

  • Alternative Education programs may function within a single school or be a program affiliated with one or more schools or school districts. Alternative Education programs must be affiliated with at least one school that has a school code assigned by the Department.
  • Alternative Education schools that operate as self-contained public schools must comply with Massachusetts laws and regulations that guide the operation of schools in the Commonwealth and must be assigned a school code by the Department.

Alternative Education programs/schools do not include private schools, home schooling, General Educational Development (GED) services, or gifted and talented programs. Alternative Education programs/schools may serve some students with disabilities but are not designed exclusively for students with disabilities.

For more information, contact:

Lisa Harney
Drop-Out Prevention and Re-Engagement Coordinator

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway
Everett, MA 02149

781-338-3903 (phone)
Lisa.M.Harney@mass.gov

Last Updated: February 26, 2026

Top