About METCO

On August 14th, 1967, the Natick School Committee (consisting of members Paul Ambler, Gail Cosgrove, Minot MacDonald, J. Vincent Saunders, Thomas J. Shea, C. Bernie Siglove and Chairwoman Helen Sellew) voted unanimously to charter a “pilot program” named the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) within the Natick Public Schools (NPS).

Superintendent Alfred Maffeo, and NPS administration, worked to build the inaugural class of twenty students from Boston who started attending  John F. Kennedy Jr. High School and Natick High in September 1969. What started in 1967 as a "pilot program" has grown into a larger community that everyone now recognizes and knows as the Natick METCO program. Today this program has evolved into a sustained commitment and become part of the fabric of Natick Public Schools. 

Currently, Natick Public Schools has over 70 students, with diverse backgrounds from Boston, enrolled in the district. METCO participants bring their talents academically, socially or athletically to complement and enhance the community of Natick. The pendulum of time does reveal there is more work required to achieve educational equity in all school districts.

However, today, we take the time to acknowledge the successes of the METCO program and its 50th anniversary as a change agent moving us in the right direction.

METCO Mission 

Our mission is to provide students with educational opportunities designed to enrich their academic, personal and interpersonal experiences. The METCO experience provides a strong academic foundation, as well as an environment rich in cultural, educational, ethnic and racial diversity.

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In August 2024, Audi Lynch was named the new METCO Director.

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