To help you navigate the revised state budget for fiscal year 2027, we've put together an analysis detailing all the education funding changes in the budget and what they mean for students in your community and across the state. Additionally, we've created a resource that lists the additional state education funding each town will receive and explains how that funded was calculated and will be distributed.
Open Choice is a program in which Connecticut students can attend schools in local public school districts outside the community in which they reside. This fact sheet covers the basics of the Open Choice program, including its objectives, how it operates, who can participate, and how it is funded.
This policy brief focuses on Connecticut's Open Choice program, and discusses its objectives, history, administration, and funding. Open Choice is a program in which Connecticut students can attend schools in local public school districts outside the community in which they reside. Connecticut’s statutes currently allow for districts in the Bridgeport, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven, New London, and Norwalk areas to send and receive students from participating districts in their respective regions.
There are a variety of types of public schools of choice in Connecticut, including magnet schools, career and technical high schools, vocational agricultural centers, and charter schools. Connecticut also has two additional school choice arrangements that are not as common: designated high schools and endowed academies. This policy briefing discusses both of these options and how they are a part of Connecticut’s public education landscape.
This frequently asked questions document provides information about Regional Educational Service Centers (RESCs). RESCs are voluntary regional partnerships made up of local and regional school districts that provide cost-effective education resources, programs, and services. There are six RESCs in Connecticut that offer fee-based services and programs to public and private school districts, municipalities, and nonprofits.
This policy briefing provides an overview of charter schools in Connecticut, including the students they serve, the background and history of Connecticut's charter schools, the state oversight and regulations for charter schools, and the distribution of state education dollars to charter schools.