FY'26 Budget Document (December 10, 2024)

Wellesley Public Schools: Fiscal Year 2026 Budget

Legal Autonomy Wellesley Public Schools is a department of the Town of Wellesley. Since it is not an independent entity, the district does not have the authority to levy taxes, issue bonds or incur debt. In addition, surplus funds in the general fund account on June 30 th are returned to the Town and may not be held by the school district as a positive fund balance. Information about Wellesley Public Schools Wellesley Public Schools include one (1) pre-school, six (6) elementary schools, one (1) middle school, and one (1) high school. The pre-school, also known as the Pre-School at Wellesley Schools (PAWS), has nine (9) total classrooms with three (3) classrooms operated out of the Sprague Elementary School due to limited space in the PAWS building. In Wellesley, the grade configurations are Kindergarten through Grade 5 in the elementary schools; Grades 6 through 8 are located at Wellesley Middle School; and Grades 9 through 12 are located at Wellesley High School. Resident elementary students are assigned to their neighborhood school.

As of October 1, 2024, the enrollment at the schools is:

Pre-School at Wellesley (PAWS)

87 Students 286 Students 278 Students 280 Students 294 Students 291 Students 290 Students 920 Students 1,257 Students 3,983 Students 53 Students 4,036 Students

Bates Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Fiske Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Hardy Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Hunnewell Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Schofield Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Sprague Elementary (Kindergarten – Grade 5) Wellesley Middle School (Grades 6 - 8) Wellesley High School (Grade 9 - 12)

Sub-Total Enrollment Out of District Placements

Total Wellesley Public Schools Enrollment

In 1966, as one of the seven founding districts, Wellesley Public Schools joined the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program. The METCO program is a voluntary desegregation program that brings approximately 158 students, grades K-12, from Boston to Wellesley. Elementary School Attendance Zones 6 : The Wellesley Public Schools are organized around a neighborhood school model in which students attend elementary schools that service specific geographic areas of the Town. Among the primary considerations that govern the establishment of a school attendance zone include a desire to maintain established neighborhoods, enrollment trends, travel distance, natural boundaries, safe walking routes, traffic patterns, and school capacity. Elementary students attend the school in the attendance zone in which they live unless they are participating in a program outside of their home school; are approved for the elementary transfer option outside of their attendance zone; or are reassigned to another school due to a grade level closure.

6 School Committee Policy JC: Elementary School Attendance Zones

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