METCO

The METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) Program is a grant program funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is a voluntary program intended to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation for students in urban and suburban communities, by fostering the opportunity for children from Boston and Springfield to attend public schools in neighboring communities in order for students to develop a deeper understanding of one another in an integrated public school setting.

If you are an interested family or caregiver based in Boston, please contact the service provider, METCO Inc., at (617) 427-1545. If you are an interested family or caregiver based in Springfield, please contact Springfield Public Schools at (413) 787-6959.

If you are seeking additional information about the METCO grants, the list of current and previous grants can be access via the Department's Grants website.

METCO has been in existence since 1966 and was originally funded through a grant by the Carnegie Foundation and United States Office of Education. In that year the first METCO legislation was filed, METCO Inc. was established, and seven school districts began accepting the first two hundred METCO students. Currently, there are about 3,200 students participating in 38 school districts in metropolitan Boston and at four school districts outside Springfield.

Detailed information about the history of the program, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's role, legislation related to the program, and other pertinent information, may be found via the links to the left.

Last Updated: March 22, 2024