SchoolsFriday, November 6
BPS is weighing a plan to close Charlestown High School, and the neighborhood is pushing back
The BOStoday team
If you have a teen in Boston Public Schools or live in Charlestown, this one's moving fast. BPS is considering closing Charlestown High School, where enrollment fell from 820 students in 2023 to 559 in 2026, spokesperson Sujata Wycoff said. Students, parents and teachers voiced outrage at Thursday night's Charlestown Neighborhood Council meeting.
Charlestown High's building is only 53% full
53%of the building is full, the district says
Source: NBC Boston
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| of the building is full, the district says | 53% |
“Mayor Wu herself called us a flagship school 12 months ago. And yet, what has changed now?” said Becca MacLean, a teacher at Charlestown High School. Superintendent Mary Skipper says closing it is part of the district's long-term facilities plan.
- Grade 12 enrollment: 207 students, versus 48 in grade 7
- Students who live in Charlestown: 21%
- Students with disabilities: 45% of the school
- Also proposed for closure: East Boston Early Education Center, Greater Egleston High
The School Committee is expected to consider the plan Dec. 2
- Oct. 31BPS announces it is considering closing Charlestown High School.
- Dec. 2The Boston School Committee is expected to consider the proposal.
- June 2028The school would close if the proposal is approved.
Source: CBS News
Under the proposal, eligible students in grades 11 and 12 would graduate as planned, and others would get priority to enroll elsewhere. The Boston City Council is urging school leaders to delay the vote, and BPS says it hopes to know by spring which school could move into the building.
Sources: CBS News, WHDH, WCVB, NBC Boston