H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media | Julia Perkins - June 15, 2021 - Updated: June 15, 2021 6 a.m.
Students from Danbury and Norwalk will be able to attend schools in neighboring districts beginning in the 2022-23 school year.
The legislature approved additional funding in the state budget to expand the “Open Choice” program to Danbury and Norwalk.
This program allows students from these city schools to attend suburban schools. It’s meant to address increasing enrollment in Danbury and Norwalk schools and declining student population in nearby towns. The program also helps to make suburban schools more diverse, supporters have said.
The budget provides $275,000 in the 2022-23 fiscal year and $900,000 in 2023-24 to establish the program, according to State Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury,’s office.
In the first year of the program, 50 students from Danbury and 50 students from Norwalk will be able to attend nearby schools. Danbury students can go to New Fairfield, Brookfield, Bethel, Ridgefield and Redding, while Norwalk students can go to Darien, New Canaan, Wilton, Weston and Westport.
