SCHOOL CHOICE

Guidelines: Beginning in the 2022-23 School Year

Guidelines: Beginning in the 2024-25 School Year

Town-Resident Assignment

The Town-Resident Plan uses a student's home as the starting point.
  • Kingdom East School District offers a Town-Resident school for every family based on their home address. Transportation will be provided to every school for children and families living in the town of their home residence.
  • Every family will also have a K-8 choice of all public schools in the towns of Burke, Concord, Lunenburg, Lyndon, Newark, Sheffield, Sutton, or Wheelock.
  • Families may select any Kingdom East school, the family would need to provide their own transportation. Parents may transport their child to the closest available bus stop.
  • Residents of towns that do not operate a K-8 school (eg East Haven, Kirby) are out of district and receive priority after children who are town residents. However if a student from a town that does not operate a school is already enrolled in any school, a choice applicant can not displace them.

Priorities for the Town-Resident school choice plan

What are "priorities?" Sometimes a school does not have room for every student whose parent/guardian lists it as a choice. When this happens, the student is assigned a school based on priorities. Please see below for details.

1. Town-Resident zone - highest priority

Children will be given priority to attend the school that is in the town in which they reside, except Sheffield and Wheelock, in which case the school is Miller's Run.

2. Continued Enrollment- second priority

Children currently enrolled in a school as of January 2017, regardless of their town of residence, will be given priority. No child who is attending a school in the current school year will be displaced by school choice.


For example, if a family is paying tuition for a child to attend Lyndon Town School for the 2017-18 school year and are residents of Lyndon and are residents of another Kingdom East town, that family has priority over a Kingdom East Choice application. Another example would be if a family lives in Sutton and attends Sutton for the year, and then move to another town in Kingdom East, they have priority to continue to attend Sutton. A third example, a child lives in Kirby and is currently attending Burke. This child would have priority to continue to attend Burke.

3. Siblings- third priority
  • If one sibling is attending a school out of the Town-Resident area, the other sibling will be given priority to attend that school as well.
  • For example a 3rd grader who lives in Newark and has exercised school choice to attend Concord, and the child has a younger sibling entering kindergarten, this younger child will be given priority for attending school in Concord.
  • Siblings are defined as biological or step children living in the same household.
  • The sibling priority does not apply to children who attended pre-kindergarten and are applying for choice in a subsequent year.

Availability of school choice

  • The Kingdom East School Board has a class size policy.
  • School principals submit to the superintendent their class size limits and given student population, the number of school choice slots available as guided by the policy.
  • Factors taken into consideration include the physical classroom size (fire code limits the number of children in particular classrooms); migration buffer numbers (each school must allow for several slots to allow for students moving [migrating] and becoming legal residents.

Wait lists

If parents do not get their first choice, their child will be placed on a waitlist for one or more of their other choices.


Rules for wait lists are:
  • Kingdom East will create wait lists for all schools where there are more applicants than available seats for a particular grade.
  • A student’s place on the waitlist is based on a lottery for all choice applications received prior to March 9th for the next year. The application must include names of siblings and schools, and school choices selected on the application.
  • Anyone who applies for school choice after the March 9 deadline will be placed at the end of a waiting list.
  • After August 25, any unfilled migration buffer slots can be filled with students who are on the waitlist.
  • A son or daughter is defined as a biological or legal step child.

Coming off a waitlist

  • When seats become available, students will be assigned from wait lists based on the order the children were selected in the lottery.
  • From mid-March through mid-August, as seats become available, children are automatically moved off the waitlist. Parents will be notified of the space in their chosen school.
  • Families receive notification about their new school assignment by letter sent via mail and will have two weeks to accept the school choice option.
  • Families interested in school choice who submit an application after March 9th will be placed at the end of the waitlist.

School Changes

Families may apply to change schools during the current school year. This is not recommended if it is not in the best interest of the child or the family. As a rule, most school changes will be considered for the following school year. However, in extenuating circumstances, school changes mid-year will be considered on a case by case basis. Parents must complete a school choice application; exercising school choice will be determined based on availability of space.

Procedures for school choice

To apply for school choice, families must complete the school choice application form and return it to the Kingdom East School District (119 Park Avenue, PO Box 107, Lyndon VT 05851) by March 9, 2018. Parents will be notified by April 6th of their child’s placement in a choice school.

Procedures for accepting a school choice placement

Parents must notify the Kingdom East School District Offices by April 27th to confirm if they will accept the school choice placement.


This plan will be reviewed and may be modified yearly and any changes to the guidelines will be completed by January 15th of subsequent years.

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School Choice FAQ's

  • What is school choice and who is allowed to exercise school choice?

    Children entering grades K-8 who live in the towns of Burke, Concord, Lunenburg, Lyndon, Newark, Sheffield, Sutton, or Wheelock may exercise school choice to any of the public k-8 schools in these towns. Our goal is to both allow options for families and also balance class sizes to provide a positive learning environment for all of our children. Parents may apply to exercise choice in any of the public schools in the towns listed. Given space availability, we will work to meet as many families’ needs as possible. 


    By exercising a local school choice options we can:

    • Create balanced class sizes in all schools
    • Create optimal learning environments in all schools
    • Meet diverse needs that parents and families have for their children
    • Provide options
  • Who gets school choice?

    School choice will be limited to the amount of available space in each building. If you are interested in choosing a school other than the one located in your town, complete and submit the school choice application. After the March application deadline, we will assign students. If there is more interest in one particular school than spaces available, we will conduct a lottery.

  • What if there is not enough space in a school?

    We will conduct a lottery and then maintain a waiting list.

  • How is class size determined?

    The Kingdom East School Board has a class size policy, under which school principals will submit to the superintendent their class size limits and the number of school choice slots available. Factors that are taken into consideration include the physical classroom size (fire code limits the number of children in particular classrooms); migration buffer numbers (each school must allow for several slots in the case of student’s moving [migrating] into the town and becoming a legal resident). After August 25th, any unfilled migration buffer slots can be filled with students who are on the waiting list.

  • Will my child be able to attend this same school for all of his/her K-8 school years?

    For grades K-8 your child will be able to attend the same school and continue through the highest grade offered at that school. This school choice program does not include preK.

  • If we exercise school choice and we have younger children, will they also be able to attend the choice school?

    A priority of the school choice policy is for younger siblings entering school after a child who has exercised school choice to attend the same school as his or her older sibling. We will make every effort to meet the needs of families so children in the same family can enroll in the same school- both younger and older siblings. This may not always be possible, however every effort will be made. Siblings are defined as biological and step children living in the same household.

  • My child is currently attending one particular school and we feel a change of schools would be in his/her best interest, we would like school choice next year.

    School choice is extended to all students K-8 next year.

  • I live at one end of the district (for example in Sheffield), and I work near the other end of the district (for example in Lancaster) and I would like my child to attend Lunenburg School in Lunenburg as opposed to Millers Run in Sheffield, will the district provide busing?

    At this point we have limited school bus routes. There is no busing provided for school choice. In some circumstances if routes pass a location we may be able to provide bussing. Parents are welcome to drop their son/daughter at the nearest bus stop.

  • What do we do if, after a year or two of exercising school choice, we want to change back to our original resident school?

    In future years we hope to continue school choice, and you would re-apply for school choice for your hometown elementary or middle school. Choice will be provided if space is available. If you are a resident of a town, you will get first priority for attending the school in your town.

  • If more children want to exercise school choice than spaces available who gets priority?

    First priority goes to children who live in the resident geographic area of a school. If parents list a choice school that is not in their resident geographic area, and there are more children interested than spaces available, the central office will conduct a lottery. Once school choice is established, siblings will be given priority for school choice. Please refer to the school choice guidelines for more information.

  • Who will my son/daughter's teacher be?

    We let parents and families know about their classroom teachers in early summer.

  • What if I miss the deadline for school choice?

    We will honor requests for school choice after the deadline only if there is space available on a first come, first served basis.

  • How will I know if my child got their first choice school?

    We will notify parents of their school choice by April 6th. Parent will need to confirm their acceptance by April 27th.

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Lottery Process

1. All school choice applications are given a number (KE offices, name of applicant is confidential)
2. In a public location, with at least 3 individuals present, one being a non-school employee:
  • Applicant numbers placed in a container.
  • Container is randomized (jostled, shaken, mixed up).
  • A non-employee selects/pulls the numbers from the container randomly, one by one.
  • The numbers are recorded in the order in which they are removed from the container.
  • The Kingdom East Choice Lottery List page is filled out accordingly.
3. The Kingdom East Choice Lottery List page is given to the Kingdom East Central Office and the numbers are matched with the names (KE offices, names of applicants kept confidential).
4. Lottery Results
View 2023 Lottery Process Information View 2023 Lottery Waitlist/Placement
5. Parents are notified by April 7th of their acceptance into the school choice program, or of their position on a waitlist (KE offices).
6. Lottery results are posted on the Kingdom East Website.
7. Parents are notified if any positions become available off the waiting list on a rolling basis.
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School Choice Timeline

Important Dates

March 7

Choice applications due to Kingdom East


April 7

Notifications mailed to parents


April 18

Confirmation from parents of exercising choice due back to Kingdom East


Timeline

January 15

Kingdom East Schools communicate to parents the availability of school choice and where to access information if they wish to apply for school choice.


January/ February/Early March

Parent(s) or guardian(s) fill out a school choice form, and return the form by mail to PO Box 107, Lyndon VT 05851; or in person at 119 Park Avenue, Lyndonville.


March 7

School Choice applications due. To exercise school choice, all forms are due either via mail or dropped off in person at the Kingdom East School District.


April 7

The Kingdom East School District will mail letters to parents/guardians explaining school choice placement for their child and general information and timelines for their son/daughter’s individual school.


April 18

On or before this date, parents who have received acceptance into the school choice program must notify Kingdom East School District if they would like to exercise their school choice. Once confirmation is received, the central office will forward the enrollment information to individual schools. The school will add children and parents to their rosters and database -- communication about next year will then be through the choice school.


April- August

If slots become available in a school, parents with children on the waiting list will be notified by order they appear on the waiting list.


May 15

Notification sent to school choice applicants who submitted applications after the March 7th deadline. For individuals who submit applications after May 15, responses will be on a rolling basis. For parents who missed the deadline, if slots are available in a school, parents will be notified by the order that they submitted their application.


Early Summer

Principals will determine classes, rooms, teachers, move up day, explore day type activities and choice parents will be notified. Exact dates may vary in each school. Activities will occur within each school. At this time, letters will be sent home with the child’s teacher's name.


August 25

For children on a waitlist when spaces become available, parents will be notified. 

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