The Boston School Committee has approved the closure in 2026 of three high schools and an elementary school, as well as the merger of two more schools.
The Boston Globe reports that Community Academy, Excel High School, Mary Lyon Pilot High School and Paul A. Dever Elementary School will close at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The closures are expected to affect as many as 1,300 students.
The plan also calls for the Winthrop and Clap elementary schools to be merged into the Lilla G. Frederick Middle School, which closes in June.
Superintendent Mary Skipper says the closures and merger are projected to save the district about $20 million.
For months, scores of parents and educators have protested the proposed closures.
District administrators say the campuses are being closed because the buildings aren’t capable of offering a full range of student services, including special education inclusion, and most have too few students for the size of their buildings. They also don’t have enough room to provide a high-quality student experience.
Enrollment in the district has declined in recent years. The Boston Teachers Union says 35 Boston schools have closed since 2002--16 over the last decade. The district now has 119 schools, many of which are aging and in need of significant upgrades, according to the district.
Student numbers in Boston are expected to stabilize in the coming years. Enrollment in 2030 is projected to be around 47,000 students, which is about 3% less than now.
