HAVERHILL – In its first year of using a lottery for admissions, all 11 municipalities served by the Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School saw an increase in the number of student applications for next year.
Some cities and towns – Georgetown, Ipswich, Newburyport, Rowley and West Newbury – saw double-digit increases in their percentage of applications over last year.
Whittier Superintendent Maureen Lynch attributed the increase to the excitement of the lottery selection method. “I think some of the students saw it as a game. We’ll see,” Lynch said.
Last year, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education required all career and technical schools to adopt a lottery-based admission system. Under the new system, every student who submits a completed, on-time application will have an equal opportunity to be selected for admission.
“These new regulations were not changes that Whittier Tech sought, but we are required to implement them,” Lynch was quoted on the school’s website. “Our focus now is to ensure the process is handled in the most fair and transparent way possible, while maintaining the high expectations that define a Whittier Tech education.”
Next year’s freshman class will have 360 students. Applications increased from 657 this year to 771 for next year.
In applying for next year’s class Amesbury saw a 29 percent increase in students, from 56 last year to 72 students. Georgetown had an increase of 80 percent, from 25 to 45 students. Haverhill, the largest city in the district, saw an increase of 5.5 percent, from 438 to 462 students.
Ipswich jumped from 16 applying students last year to 33 students for an increase of 106 percent. Merrimac and Newbury showed only a slight increase from 28 to 30 students in Merrimac and from 13 to 14 students in Newbury.
Newburyport applications increased from 12 to 22 for an 83.3 percent increase. Rowley also had a large jump of 64 percent, from 14 to 23. Salisbury saw only a 6 percent increase in applications from 33 to 35.
West Newbury saw a 57 percent increase from seven to 11 students.
Lynch said the lottery system has not changed the school’s mission. “We remain dedicated to empowering students to succeed in a safe, supportive and challenging environment. While this change is required by the state, our commitment to our students and families is unwavering.” ©
