Enrollment

Greater Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) is a tuition-free, statewide public virtual school serving students across Massachusetts. This page provides important information to help families learn about our program and begin the application process.

If you have questions or would like to speak with someone before applying, we invite you to schedule a time with an Enrollment Specialist, who can help determine whether GCVS is the right fit for your student.

• Elementary School: Live-taught instruction only
• Middle School: Live-taught instruction only
• High School: Students may participate in one of the following models:
  • Live-taught instruction
  • Asynchronous instruction
  • A combination of live-taught and asynchronous instruction
• As a virtual school that serves the entire Commonwealth, all GCVS services are delivered virtually. Given the GCVS statewide geographic catchment, GCVS is not equipped to provide in-person services.
• As a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Virtual School (CMVS), GCVS is not an Approved Special Education School (ASES) under 603 CMR 28.09.
• Upon enrollment, families acknowledge and accept that the GCVS program is fully virtual, and individualized in-person services are not available through GCVS.
• Once enrolled, students will receive appropriate educational supports and related services virtually, including:
  • Speech-language therapy
  • Occupational therapy
  • Counseling and social-emotional support
  • BCBA services
  • Nursing consults
  • Assistive technology support

Enrollment Caps

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education places enrollment caps on virtual public schools, so there may be a waiting list for enrollment. But don’t let this discourage you from applying; we often have space.

You’re welcome to take a look at the Cap Towns* for the 2024–2025 and 2025–2026 school years.

Lottery

When we receive more applications than the number of available spots, we conduct a random-number lottery, prioritizing the students with enrollment preferences. We publish the lottery results on this website and notify selected families via email.

We place selected families on a waitlist. If spots become available throughout the school year, we will offer placement to those families based on the assigned lottery number.

SY 2025–2026

SY 2026–2027

Enrollment Preferences
The Greater Commonwealth Virtual School will provide an enrollment preference to:

1. Students who are unable to attend school in person because of the student’s medical condition
2. Students who are out of school due to bullying or other safety concerns
3. Students with disabilities
4. Students out of school due to pregnancy or parenting
5. Students who seek advanced coursework not available in their current school
6. Students in training for competitive arts or sports whose schedules prevent them from attending school regularly
7. Students of currently enrolled siblings