All 16 towns in the Minuteman High School district have approved a new regional agreement paving the way for a new building project to move forward, but six of those communities also decided to withdraw from the region as of July 2017.

Boxborough, Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston voted to leave the vocational-technical school district; Dover considered withdrawing but will remain.

“We will have a smaller district that is made up of towns that really want to be part of the district,’’ said Minuteman Superintendent Edward Bouquillon.

The towns that will remain in the district are Acton, Arlington, Belmont, Bolton, Concord, Dover, Stow, Lancaster, Lexington, and Needham.

Bouquillon said most of the towns leaving, with the exception of Sudbury, send among the fewest students in the district so it won’t likely have a major effect on the Lexington-based school or its finances.

Sudbury sends 25 students; Boxborough, seven; Carlisle, five; Dover, two; Lincoln, 11; Wayland, 2; and Weston, five.

Some communities, such as Wayland, opted to leave for financial reasons. Town officials said it would be less expensive to send students there as a nonmember, especially as plans are in the works for a new $144.9 million school.

But officials in other towns, such as Sudbury, have long been concerned about how the school is run and the high cost to member towns.

Bouquillon said all existing students from the 16 member towns will be able to continue and graduate from Minuteman. He also said that eighth-graders from all current member communities will be guaranteed a spot in the school in the fall.

He said future students from Boxborough, Carlisle, Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland, and Weston will still be able to apply to Minuteman, and there will likely be places available in the short term.

But once the new school is built, Bouquillon said, all bets are off. The superintendent said he expects a large enrollment boost from member towns after the new school is completed. Bouquillon said other towns may also be interested in joining the district. Watertown, for example, already sends 66 students; Waltham, 44; and Medford, 34.

Now that voting is over for the regional agreement, Bouquillon said officials will focus on the school building project.

The Minuteman School Committee is expected to vote March 15 to approve borrowing funds for the new school. The member towns will then have 60 days to take up the request at town meetings.

Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo.com.