About Boston

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The Boston Public Schools (BPS) continues to improve, but like most things still have room for improvement. Over the past decade, BPS has been transformed from a failing school district to one of the most renowned urban school districts in the country. Over the past couple years many media outlets have heralded Boston as a model for urban school district reform. These publications included the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and U.S. News & World Report. In fact, in 2006, Boston won the Broad Price for Urban Education as the best city school district in the nation.

Since 1998, the City of Boston has constructed six new school buildings and will be home to 24 pilot schools in September 2009 with an anticipated four more being opened in the near future. Today, Boston offers 38 citywide high school options with 27 housing less then 400 students. U.S News & World Report recently ranked Boston Latin School #19 on the first list of America’s 100 Best High Schools with 8 other BPS schools receiving metals of silver and bronze.

This isn’t the only “first” that BPS has received! In 1635 Boston was home to the first public school (Boston Latin School) and would later open the first public elementary school in 1639 (Mather Elementary School). In 1647 Boston became place to the first public school district with the first public high school following in 1821 (English High School). It is because of these many “firsts” that Boston Public Schools are considered the birthplace of public education in this nation.

Striving to improve is the reason that BPS continues to push towards the advancement of education through technology. In 1996, there was one computer for every 63 students, today the ratio is one computer for every four students. In 1998, Boston became the first urban school district in the country to provide high speed internet access and wire all of its schools.

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BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL REPORT CARD

***Facts and figures are based off of www.bostonpublicschools.org. Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.