Parents whose children attend the six elementary schools in Roslindale have long been advocating for a K-8 feeder which would allow their children to have a seamless pathway from early through middle grades. Roslindale is the only neighborhood in Boston without a school that serves students from Kindergarten through 8th grade which is the traditional K-8 model.
The Irving Advisory Group. (IAG), with representation from all six elementary schools as well as the Irving Middle School, has been meeting regularly for 3 years starting in April 2009, working with and surveying hundreds of parents and community leaders on ways to support programming at the Irving Middle School and create easier access to the school for students who attend the six Roslindale elementary schools.
On March 10, 2010, after a two year process which was driven by parents of students attending the six Roslindale elementary schools who wanted a K-8 option for their children, the Boston School Committee unanimously approved the "Roslindale K-8 Pathway" proposal put forth by Superintendent Carol Johnson in conjunction with the Irving Advisory Group.
With the School Committee’s endorsement of the plan, 5th grade students who attend the Bates, Conley, Haley, Mozart, Philbrick, and Sumner Elementary Schools will be offered priority admission to the Irving Middle School.
This means that students from these six schools would be designated as part of a Roslindale school feeder pathway, which provides a priority, but does not require these students to attend the Irving Middle School. This change still requires families to participate in the BPS school choice lottery process, as this model is not an automatic feeder structure. This second highest priority follows sibling preference, which is the first and highest priority for enrollment. If availability remains after the selection by Roslindale elementary school students (who come from the entire West Zone), students living within the walk zone of the Irving will retain a priority for the first 50% of seats. The second 50% of seats would be open to students throughout the West Zone who had not attended one of the six schools.
