FYI from BSF, 08.18.23
Summer Reading
Another article this week about Boston high schools and enrollment. This one focuses on enrollment pressures in high schools given plans for Madison Park and the John D. O’Bryant high schools to add seats.
In the last 10 school years, enrollment in Boston high school grades 9-12 has decreased by 1,772 students. That is equivalent to losing a high school the size of Boston Latin Academy of students. (Note: For this analysis, we look at just 9-12 enrollment for easier comparison. Only recently have more Boston high schools shifted to 7-12 to align with the exam schools grade configuration.)
But, the enrollment challenge is not a new one. As we showed last week, enrollment declines in Boston high schools began around 2010. Declines have impacted some schools more than others, with the city’s open enrollment high schools impacted the most.
These enrollment declines have left Boston with two big problems:
Schools are not able to offer equivalent and robust high school experiences with all courses, extracurriculars, career and technical preparation, college preparation, arts, and athletics that students deserve and parents expect.
Many large high school buildings are underutilized, serving student populations that are as much as less than half of the size the school was intended to serve.
Advocates this week pointed out that without a complete plan, adding over 1,600 seats combined to Madison Park (1,113), O’Bryant (400), and also the new Quincy Upper school (120) has the potential to exacerbate both of these problems even while making needed new quality high school seats available.
Demographic trends predict a smaller school district in Boston tomorrow than today. There are over 1,000 less kindergartners in BPS than there were 10 years ago. This will eventually mean even less high schoolers when proposed new buildings come online.
As BPS outlines building plans this fall and winter, it will have to address both improving the quality of buildings to fit the smaller size of the current (and future) student population as well as significantly increasing access to the quality high school seats that students and families deserve. It’s a big opportunity for Boston that for too long has gone unaddressed to the detriment of Boston students.
Back to school season is in full force. Free School Meals for all. BPS bus driver hiring is on track. Superintendent Skipper is emphasizing that “every classroom, in every school, every day students are getting that high quality access to instruction."
At BSF we had the opportunity to join Boston’s dedicated, brilliant, and always-resourceful school leaders at two different major back to school events.
The BPS August Leadership Institute, where we joined over 300 BPS school leaders, and our BPS Academics Team partners to support our PEAK school leadership teams with planning for high-quality curriculum implementation this school year.
2. The launch of the newly created Catholic School Support Network, where we joined over 50 Boston area Catholic school leaders in planning for strong academics, enrollment, operations, and partnerships.
Enrollment declines in major cities are the new normal with pandemic shocks and demographic trends. WBUR explores this with Indianapolis, a district that, similar to Boston, is navigating school closures, mergers, reconfigurations, and major facilities investments.
The Associated Press and Stanford University education professor Thomas Dee released data on the growth of chronic absenteeism since pre-pandemic (2018-19), including a doubling of chronic absenteeism in Massachusetts.
Spotlight on a Chelsea High School program that could be a national model for supporting pregnant and parenting teens, and likely all teens in staying on track in school.
Maui students went back to school this week, highlighting the increasing frequency of school districts managing and helping students and families recover in the aftermath of major climate disasters.
Continued criticism of the leveled reading approach. MA Governor Healey recently line-item vetoed an annual set aside in the state budget for a leveled reading program.
More political pressure on ending legacy admissions in higher education from MA politicians and US Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
In the land of strange coincidences, the GA prosecutor at the center of the latest President Trump indictment developed her current legal strategy on a major education case: the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal.