Free full-day Pre-K starts fall 2026, ending tuition for 117 families

What happened

On November 19, 2025, the School Committee voted to end tuition for its full-day Pre-K program starting the 2026-2027 school year. Currently 117 of the program's 147 four-year-olds pay tuition on a sliding, income-based scale; going free-of-charge makes Taunton eligible for a higher state per-pupil rate, an estimated $593,744 in new Chapter 70 aid, more than double what the tuition brought in.

Why it matters to families

About 117 families who currently pay a sliding-scale fee for full-day Pre-K will pay nothing starting next school year, and the district says the change needs no new city money because it is funded by the extra state aid the free program unlocks.

The evidence

The November 19, 2025 minutes record Superintendent Cabral's proposal and the committee's roll-call vote (4 yes, 1 absent) approving free full-day Pre-K for all eligible 4-year-olds for FY27, describing it as cost-neutral and funded by new Chapter 70 revenue of about $593,744.

The source