Regional district discusses plan to accept Acushnet students at Apponequet High School

Apponequet Regional High School could become a primary destination for students from Acushnet under a tuition agreement now being discussed, the superintendent told a joint meeting of the Freetown and Lakeville select boards on Nov. 3.

Dr. Stockey, superintendent of the regional school district, said the district made a public presentation in August and subsequently hosted Acushnet staff and school committee members for on-site visits. "We are talking to Acushnet about potentially entering some type of tuition agreement where students who are in Acushnet in eighth grade looking for a high school would be able to attend school at Apponequet Regional High School," she said.

The superintendent said Acushnet annually has about 100 eighth-grade students and is considering a range of high school options outside Old Colony and Bristol Aggie; Apponequet is one of four districts under consideration. If chosen, the district anticipates accepting "what we believe could be between 40 and 50, if not more, students coming from Acushnet annually," Stockey said. The district presented staffing and budget projections to its school committee and said it would hire teachers incrementally rather than all at once.

School leaders described the timeline as compressed: Acushnet staff plan a second visit to Apponequet on Nov. 10, and Stockey said she understood Acushnet might decide by December. Several select board members asked whether the new students would be incoming eighth-graders who then matriculate through high school or transfers; the superintendent said the details would be defined in the agreement but that Acushnet’s intent appears to be to allow students to complete where they are.

On financing, the superintendent said the district expects the arrangement to be a revenue stream rather than a net cost and that a tuition-payment schedule could mirror those used with other sending districts. She emphasized that the school committee—not the towns—has authority to enter the tuition agreement. The district is specifically seeking a shorter-term contract than some existing long agreements with other towns to allow both sides to assess whether the arrangement is working.

Select board members asked about risks to existing programming and competition from nearby new facilities. Stockey said the district has factored anticipated hires into its proposals and is seeking to restore programming that has diminished with lower enrollment. She offered to hold an informational meeting for residents once terms permit.

The matter remains a negotiation; no formal agreement or town votes were reported at the Nov. 3 meeting.