Written by Julie Spencer-Robinson, Education Consultant

If you have a child who will start elementary, middle or high school in the fall, you may be deciding on where they will go. Here are your primary options:

Your local public school: Our state constitution guarantees all children the right to a free education, and requires each city or town to provide it. Children with special needs can’t be excluded from public schools, and transportation has to be offered to those who don’t live close by. The education is paid for with local property taxes, but the state and the federal government also provide some funding. The amount spent per student in Northampton is about $18,000.

A public school in another city or town: This is also called inter-district school choice, and it’s an option in places where the school committee has voted for it. The school committee decides how many seats in which grades will be available to out-of-district students; if there are more interested students than seats, they hold a lottery. Children with special needs can’t be excluded, and transportation is provided by parents. The state gives the receiving district $5,000 for every student it enrolls, plus a little more if they are in special education.

A charter school: A public school that is governed by an appointed board, a charter school is created when a founding group’s application to the state is approved. Just like with inter-district choice, children with special needs can’t be excluded, transportation isn’t provided, and a lottery is held if there are more interested students than seats. The education is funded by tuition payments from the city or town where each student lives, and it is roughly equal to what would have been spent if they had attended their local public school.

A vocational or technical school: This is a public high school. The right to a free vocational education is guaranteed by our state constitution. Each city or town has to provide access to a vocational program for any interested student, and this includes free transportation. Most vocational schools have minimal admissions criteria, but some are moving to a lottery system. The state determines each vocational school’s tuition rate, and the city or town where the student lives must pay that amount.

A private school: Students apply for admission to private schools. Parents pay tuition and are responsible for transportation. Private schools can exclude students with special needs and those who do not meet admissions criteria. Like charter schools, they are governed by an appointed board. A private school must have the approval of the elected school committee in the city or town where it is located.

Homeschool: Parents have the right to educate their children at home. But the locally elected school committee has some oversight. This typically means that the homeschooling parents submit a plan of study to the school committee every year. If parents decide they no longer want to homeschool, they can enroll their children in the local public school.

For more information, visit www.doe.mass.edu.