With a growing student population, the Old Rochester Regional School Committee decided to keep school choice slots at 72 for the high school. No slots will be offered at the junior high.

Schools that opt into the school choice program can open slots for out of district students to enroll in return for $5,000 from the state for each student.

From 2010 to 2014 the number of school choice students grew from 15 to more than 90 students. Last year was the first time the ORR School Committee reduced the available slots, bringing the number to 84. No new slots were opened at the seventh grade level.

Of the decision, Junior High Principal Kevin Brogioli said, “It seemed counterintuitive to bring kids in when our class sizes were going up.”

The high school has also seen an influx of students, though Principal Mike Devoll said school choice helped ORR out when the population was falling. Now that the high school population is around 780, Devoll said keeping the slots at 72 was doable, but did not advise more.

Having school choice students has been a positive experience for the school, and they have fit in well, he said.

“Once they’re accepted through school choice, they’re our students, and I don’t care where they live,” said Devoll.

He added that the needs of the school choice students mirror that of in-district students.

School Committee member James Muse said he values the school choice program as a way to be part of the greater South Coast community.

“I’m firmly pro school choice,” he said.

The school is bound to keep the 66 school choice students who are already enrolled at ORR and will be returning next year.

Finances also factor into the issue as both the junior high and high school have used the $5,000 received for each student as revenue in the budget. Both the junior high and high school are adding staff this year to accommodate larger class sizes, which has a bearing on the budget as well.

School Committee members were unanimous in their decision to keep the slots at 72. They plan to reassess school choice at the junior high next year.