Administration and Finance

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools: Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Tuition Adjustment for Inflation

To:Superintendents, Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School Leaders, School Business Officials
From:Robert O'Donnell, Director of School Finance
Date:March 6, 2025

At its December 17, 2024 meeting, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) voted to amend the certificates of the Greater Commonwealth Virtual School and TEC Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School to specify a tuition rate1 of $13,114 per pupil, effective for fiscal year 2026, with $75 retained by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) for program administration.

Additionally, during the meeting, the Board voted to delegate to the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education (Commissioner) authority to adjust the tuition rate for fiscal year 2026 to reflect the annual Chapter 70 inflationary adjustment and amend their certificates accordingly. The tuition rate approved by the Board and adjusted by the Commissioner for Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual Schools (CMVSs) is in effect for the entire fiscal year and does not change over the course of the year.

This memorandum informs the CMVSs and sending districts about the Commissioner's adjustment in the tuition rate for fiscal year 2026. In fiscal year 2026, each CMVS will receive $13,291 per pupil; sending districts will be charged a total of $13,366 per pupil. These final tuition rates for fiscal year 2026 reflect the annual inflationary adjustment in Chapter 70 of 1.93 percent.2

The Department calculated the final CMVS tuition rate of $13,366 for fiscal year 2026 as follows.

  • To determine the base rate for CMVS tuition in fiscal year 2026, the Department begins with the tuition rate of $13,114 the Board granted and subtracts the $75 administrative fee. The base rate is $13,039.
  • To determine the inflationary adjustment, the Department multiplies the base tuition rate of $13,039 by the Chapter 70 inflation rate of 1.93 percent. The inflationary adjustment is $252.
  • To determine the adjusted base rate for CMVS tuition in fiscal year 2026, the Department adds inflationary adjustment of $252 to the base rate of $13,039. The adjusted base rate for CMVS tuition in fiscal year 2026 is $13,291, which is the amount these CMVSs will receive per pupil.
  • To determine the final CMVS tuition rate for fiscal year 2026, the Department adds the administrative fee of $75 to the adjusted base rate. The final CMVS tuition rate for fiscal year 2026 is $13,366, which is the amount sending districts will be charged per pupil for students attending a CMVS.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Alison Bagg, Director, Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign (781-338-3218) or Rob O'Donnell, Director, Office of School Finance (781-338-6512).

1 For fiscal year 2025, the CMVS tuition rate is $9,802, less $75 per pupil retained by the Department (total rate of $9,727 per pupil paid to each CMVS).

2 The inflation rate is based on a third quarter to third quarter comparison, in this case third quarter 2023 to third quarter 2024, from state and local government price deflator issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce's and capped at 4.50 percent, which Chapter 70 sets as the maximum.

Last Updated: March 6, 2025