Boston Public Schools proposes school closures and mergers by end of next school year

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper officially announced on Tuesday that they plan to close three schools, including Excel High School in South Boston, at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.

Dever Elementary School and Mary Lyon Pilot High School would also close while the Winthrop and Clap elementary schools would merge. The merged school would move into the current Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School building near Grove Hall after that school closes this spring.

Wu said these proposals come after three years of “focused intentional work to get this right for every student and family.”

“Every family recognizes that these facilities issues are not new to the district,” said Wu. “I have a fourth grader and a second grader in BPS. I’ve seen directly how many stops and starts the district has had and the needs and gaps that have been holding us back for a very long time now.”

The proposed closures and mergers are part of the district’s Long-Term Facilities Plan, which was finalized in 2023. The plan envisions a future BPS with fewer but larger schools with more diverse offerings.

The proposals also recommend redesigning the Community Academy and reconfiguring the grades offered at a handful of schools, including four pilot schools.

The district currently has 110 school buildings, which the plan says is too much space given that enrollment has declined by more than 13% since 2006.

“I know, as a BPS mom and mayor, the magic that is happening in every single one of our classrooms across the district everyday,” Wu said. “But I also have seen far too often that that is happening thanks to our educators and our students and families despite the condition of the buildings that they are in.”

Wu also said the proposals come after an intensive community input process, including 10,000 surveys and hundreds of focus groups with various stakeholders.

The closures still need to be approved by the Boston School Committee, and the recommendations will be officially presented at the committee’s next meeting on Jan. 22.

The announcement has already raised questions among some parents and advocates.

Parent and Quality Education for Every Student member Travis Marshall said such proposals from the district are always piecemeal.

“Once again BPS is making decisions about school closures without presenting any kind of a long term facilities plan, without consulting families or presenting an equity analysis, which is really the thing that’s most glaring,” Marshall said.

Boston Education Justice Alliance parent organizer Suleika Soto questioned the district’s engagement with school communities before announcing the plans. She said school closures cause a lot of disruption, and she worries how historically vulnerable students will be affected.

“The students with the highest needs are the ones who need more stability,” Soto said. “What’s the plan for these students? Where are they going to go? What is BPS going to do to follow up with those students, which is something that, historically, they haven’t done?”

Both the Dever and Excel schools serve majority Black, Latino and high needs student populations, according to state data. But BPS data finds that those buildings can’t support the necessary services for English learners and students with disabilities.

The Boston Teachers Union said in a statement that the district should ensure that closures are paired with a “more aggressive and detailed commitment to the construction and renovation” elsewhere by committing to completing the construction of three buildings per year.

“The conversation cannot be simply about whether to retain or close poorly crumbling and dilapidated buildings – the conversation must be about how soon the district can complete the construction and renovations necessary to provide high-quality learning environments for every single BPS student, without exception,” the BTU said.

Skipper said the district will work directly with students and staff affected by the closures and that the estimated 1,300 impacted students will receive first priority in the annual registration process.

“While it’s true schools all have different cultures and climates and foci, we’re one district and what happens in one school impacts other schools,” Skipper said. “This is an opportunity…to be there for any of the students, families or staff who are impacted by the changes that are being recommended.”