School-aged children & the Cambridge Public School System

Have school-aged children? Looking into the Cambridge Public School System? Start early!

I had been planning my adventure in Cambridge for the last 3 years or so, and most seriously over the last year (I was admitted to the program w/ the class of 2010, but opted to defer admission). I knew that my daughter, now age 11, would be relocating with me and that I'd need to "look into" schools. However, based on my experience with schools in Los Angeles and in the Seattle area, I was predisposed to believing that the apartment address dictated the school. In L.A, in Seattle, and in most other civilized U.S towns, public schools are assigned to district zones and where you live determines where you may learn, unless you're part of a magnet program or have a crazy talent or something like that.

So, in about March or so, I started looking into schools and behold the CPS (Cambridge Public School) surprise. Within Cambridge city limits, all schools are assigned by lottery. Parents apply to the district, rank the schools of their preference, and the system runs through a crazy algorithm that attempts to diversify gender, race, and socio-economic factors (ex whether or not a child qualifies for free lunch).

Why is this system a pain for parents?
1. The "good" or popular schools have a long waiting list. The waiting list is prioritized primarily by the date your application is submitted.
2. In order to submit an application, you must have secured a place to live within Cambridge city limits.
3. The application must include your choice of schools - in order to rank school choices, you have to conduct lots of research and arrange school tours (time, stress, reading, time, stress, reading).
4. The application must be submitted, in its entirety IN PERSON at the Family Resource Center in Cambridge.
5. The coup de gras for me is that you're forced to select an apartment...then your school is selected for you...and the school selected could inflict more time and stress due to transportation, after-school programs, accessibility concerns.

So, what happened in MY case? I found out about the CPS process in mid March and picked 5 schools I was interested in [also note that in Cambridge, most elementary schools service grades K-8]. I also found out about a program called Intensive Studies Program (ISP), offered at 2 Cambridge Public Schools. The program covers the same curriculum as every other class, but is geared towards students with a motivation and interest in learning. Nothing fancy - same breadth, but more depth. As my luck had it, the application for the program was due early April, and in order to apply to the program, I had to concurrently apply to the district. In order to apply to the district, I had to secure an apartment.

So...I attended LGO Open House in early April and set up 5 school tours while I was in town for 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days. I flew in on a red-eye from Seattle, arrived Thursday AM and went on 3 school tours and 1 apartment showing that day. I also attended most LGO activities. The following day, I went on 2 school tours and 3 apartment showings. I picked an apartment, signed a lease, got my affidavit of residency notarized, ranked my top school choices, and ran to the Family Resource Center to hand in my registration packet!! Months later, I heard back and was happy to hear that we got our first choice and the ISP!

In summary, life worked out and despite the heartache the CPS system caused ME, I must say that I appreciate the effort that goes into ensuring multi-faceted diversity in the classroom. As far as YOU are concerned, please start the process early!

For more information on registering your kids with the Cambridge Public School system, go here: http://www.cpsd.us/FRC/forms.cfm

I'm tackling after-school programs next!