School districts in Massachusetts must finalize their comprehensive plans for the start of the school year by August 14th. Schools will choose from the following: an entirely in-school experience, an entirely remote approach, or a hybrid of the two.
We've compiled a general list of the school districts on the Cape, South Coast and Islands to give you a glimpse of what their plans are for the beginning of the school year. Each district name is a hyperlink to their direct sites. Next to some of the names is a short description of what the plan is.
All school districts across the state were given permission to delay the start of the school year by ten days to give staff time to prepare for changes.
*Please note this information was gathered on the day of the DESE deadline—August 14—check each school district's website for updates.
Barnstable Public Schools - PK-3 may attend school four days per week. Grades 4-12 will attend in-person learning through a hybrid model.
Bourne Public Schools- The plan is to begin with a remote model, with the intent to provide in person instruction for high needs students within the first two weeks of reopening. A target date to transition to a hybrid model would be within the first eight weeks of instruction.
Dennis-Yarmouth Public Schools (Dennis/Yarmouth) - K - 7 will prioritize an in-person model. Grades 8 through 12, will prioritize a hybrid learning model: students will be spilt into two distinct cohorts that will attend school on an alternating day schedule.
Falmouth Public Schools - PreK - 4 will attend school in-person full time or 100% remote as preferred by each family. Students 5-12 will have a hybird model (in-person and remote) or 100% remote as preferred by each family. Proposed opening is Monday, September 21st.
Mashpee Public Schools- In-person learning for PreK - 3 and a mix of in-person and remote learning for grades 4-12. Families may choose 100% remote learning. School will begin September 16 for grades 1-12 and September 17 for pre-K through kindergarten.
Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools - The Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School is planning for mostly-remote instruction for the first quarter of the year. The elementary district are planning to tailor their approach to reopening.
Monomoy Public Schools (Chatham/Harwich) - Families can choose two options: In-Person Learning or Distance Learning. In the In-Person Learning program, students in Preschool through Grade 7 will attend school in person daily, while students in Grades 8 through 12 will attend school in person two of every three days and learn at home on the alternating days. The Distance Learning program is available to students in Preschool through Grade 12, and will engage students in learning at home via synchronous and asynchronous lessons and activities.
Nauset Public Schools(Brewster, Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet) - Nauset Regional High School students will go hybrid. They'll attend school twice a week and stay home for remote learning on the other three days. Pre-K - 8 in the district will return to classrooms five days a week beginning Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Nantucket Public Schools- Nantucket will have a hybrid model that will have most students in class two days a week and remote learning the other three days starting in September. School is slated to start on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Old Rochester Regional School District (Mattapoisett, Marion, Rochester) - The district plans to break up students into two cohorts. On Mondays, all students will learn remotely, and the cohorts would alternate in and out of school throughout the rest of the week. Students will also have the option to learn 100% remote and can switch to a hybrid model at any time.
Provincetown Public Schools- Provincetown will announce its plan the week of August 17th.
Sandwich Public Schools - At the elementary schools, students will be in their classrooms four days per week with face-to-face instruction. 7th and 8th-grade students will be in school four days per week, but will have a combination of face-to-face and “synchronous” learning from within the building. The high-school will have students attending class in person two days each week while participating in synchronous learning from home two days each week, with one day scheduled as an at-home day for all students.
Truro Public Schools- September 17 – begin instruction remotely for all students. September 28 – begin in-person instruction at Truro Central. Families may choose to go 100% remote.
Wareham Public Schools - The opening of the 2020-21 school year for Wareham Schools will begin in a remote setting and will transition to a hybrid setting on or about October 5, 2020.
