Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions

(Updated September 2016)

The Enrollment Processes Technical Advisory and the following Enrollment Policy and Practice Frequently Asked Questions provided by Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) should be read carefully and reviewed in its entirety. An answer to one frequently asked question might lead a reader to an inaccurate conclusion when read in isolation from the Department’s guidance and answers to other frequently asked questions. Answers should not be reviewed or relied upon in isolation from the entirety of the Department’s guidance regarding enrollment processes. Please reach out to the Department if you have a question or concern that is not currently found in this FAQ.

Eligibility Criteria

Enrollment Process and Lottery Procedures

Waitlist

Backfilling

Acceptance of an Offer of Admission and Students Attending

General Inquiries

All

Backfilling

36.

During the same school year, may a school backfill a vacancy in one grade by admitting a student into a different grade?

No. If there is a vacancy in a grade where there is a backfilling requirement, the statute, G.L. c. 71, § 89(n), states that the vacancy must be filled in the grade level in which it occurs. If the vacancy occurs after February 15^th, the statute requires the vacancy to "remain with the grade cohort and . . . be filled in the following September if it has not previously been filled." If a vacancy occurs in a grade for which the charter school statute does not require backfilling, the school fills the vacancy in accordance with its enrollment policy and applicable laws and regulations regarding charter school enrollment.

Last Updated: April 28, 2020