Families interested in enrolling students in the district’s Dual Language Program should complete the dual language lottery application form. Applications will be entered into the appropriate lottery round based on the date of submission (more information below). If your child is already enrolled in the Dual Language program, you do not need to fill out the lottery application.
The dual language program is right for all students, including students who are English dominant, Spanish dominant, already bilingual, not exposed to either language, on an IEP, not on an IEP, etc. There is an age requirement. For the 2025-26 school year, students entering preschool must be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2025. All students applying for grades 1 and up will need to be evaluated to determine their verbal, written, and reading level in Spanish. Those students must meet the Spanish language criteria for the grade they are applying to in order to be accepted into that grade.
Students are accepted into the Dual Language Program through three lottery rounds beginning in winter 2025: Round 1, Round 2, and Rolling Admission. We aim to accept an equal balance of students that are Spanish-dominant speakers, English-dominant speakers, and bilingual speakers. The lottery opens Monday, February 10.
Round 1 opens on February 10 and will close on March 20, 2025. This round is open to all students across the district, but priorities will be for siblings currently enrolled in the dual language program, children of HPS employees, and residents of the E.N. White and Kelly zones.
Round 2 opens on March 21 and will close on May 1, 2025. This round is open to all students across the district.
Rolling admission opens on June 16 and is also open to all students across the district.
For the 2025-26 school year, Dual Language will be offered in the following schools:
E.N. White and Kelly schools for grades PreK-5;
Sullivan Middle School for grades 6-8; and
Holyoke High School North for grades 9-11.