Freetown & Lakeville Public Schools, formally the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District and Superintendency Union #34 is a school district

School district

School districts are a form of special-purpose district which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools.-United States:...

 serving the towns of Freetown

Freetown, Massachusetts

Freetown is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,870 at the 2010 census.Freetown is one of the oldest communities in the United States, having been settled by the Pilgrims and their descendants in the latter half of the 17th century. The town once included...

 and Lakeville

Lakeville, Massachusetts

Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,821 at the 2000 census.For geographic and demographic information on the village of North Lakeville, please see the article North Lakeville, Massachusetts.-History:...

 in Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Local vs. District

The Freetown and Lakeville schools historically existed on two tiers: the local schools, controlled by each town individually, and the district schools, controlled by both towns. The elementary school

Elementary school

An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

s (originally 1-6, subsequently K-4) were controlled by each town's school committee, owned by each town individually, and were not subject in any way to the other town. The regional schools (originally Apponequet, subsequently Apponequet and the then-Austin Middle School) were likewise controlled by the both towns under the District.

Under this system, an elementary school teacher is employed by either Freetown or Lakeville, but a middle or high school

High school

High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

 teacher is employed by the District. The Superintendent and other main administrative personnel are actually employed by three different entities: Freetown, Lakeville, and Freetown-Lakeville.

A theoretical "third tier" was added in 2004 when the former Austin Middle School reopened as the George R. Austin Intermediate School. GRAIS contained not only the District's fifth grade, but Lakeville's local fourth grade, creating a system where one building was under the control of two different school committees. This has led to minor confusion over which entity is ultimately responsible for the building, even though it remains the property of both towns. This was eliminated in 2009 with the fourth graders moving back to Assawompsett. Soon the fifth grade will be moving to the middle school, leaving the intermediate school.

Principals, Vice Principals, and Superintendent

• Assawompsett Elementary School: Mrs. Laurie Hunter (Principal)
• Freetown Elementary School: Mr. R. Frizelle (Principal)
• George R. Austin Intermiediate School: Ms. Bethany Pineault (Principal, former 3rd grade teacher at FES)
• Freetown-Lakeville Middle School: Ms. Sarah Duggan (Vice Principal) and Mr. Dave Patota (Principal)
• Apponequet Regional High School: Mr. Gary Lincoln (Principal) and Mr. Christopher Costa (Vice Principal)
• Superintendent: Mr. John McCarthy

Freetown-Lakeville Schools

• George R. Austin Intermediate School
• Freetown-Lakeville Middle School
  Freetown-Lakeville Middle School
  Freetown-Lakeville Middle School opened on September 15, 2002, then serving students in grades 5 to 8 from the towns of Freetown and Lakeville, Massachusetts. Since September 2004, it has served grades 6 to 8. Grade 5 students currently attend the George R...
  
  
• Apponequet Regional High School
  Apponequet Regional High School
  Apponequet Regional High School opened September 21, 1959, and serves secondary academic education students from the towns of Freetown, Assonet, and Lakeville, Massachusetts.- History :...