Boston Plans to Close 3 Schools in 2028 as Enrollment Drops as Much as 58%

Boston Public Schools on Monday, Nov. 2, recommended closing three schools in June 2028: Charlestown High School, Greater Egleston High School in Roxbury and the East Boston Early Education Center. The BPS school closures plan, released by the Wu administration and Superintendent Mary Skipper, goes to the School Committee on Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a vote expected Dec. 2.

3 schools to close June 30, 2028 · 97 schools left after the plan · 53% Charlestown High building use · -58% Greater Egleston enrollment since 2016

The recommendations are the latest round of the district’s Long-Term Facilities Plan, which aims to shrink BPS to about 95 schools by 2030 as enrollment keeps falling. If approved, the changes would leave Boston with 97 schools, officials said. Enrollment has dropped by about 3,000 students in the last two years alone, according to district officials, and the Boston Globe reported that BPS enrollment has fallen more than 25% over 25 years, citing lower birth rates and a decline in immigration.

“Our public education dollars should be going to serving students and delivering outcomes,” Mayor Michelle Wu said at a press briefing, according to the Globe, “rather than keeping open half empty buildings or schools that are too small.”

Which schools would close, and why

Charlestown High School. BPS says enrollment fell 32% in three years, from 820 students to 559. The building can hold 1,046 students, so it is only 53% used. Classes are getting smaller as they move up: there are 205 students in grade 12 but 65 in grade 9 and just 48 in grade 7. Students with disabilities now make up 45% of enrollment, and only 21% of students live in Charlestown, according to the district. If the plan passes, there would be no grade 7 in 2027-28, eligible juniors and seniors would graduate as planned through June 2028, and other students would get priority in registration for 2028-29. Wu said a different high school would move into the Charlestown building by fall 2028 so it does not sit empty.

Greater Egleston High School. The Roxbury alternative school serves students ages 16 to 21. With 76 students, it is the lowest-enrolled standalone alternative school in the district, BPS said. The district also pointed to unused seats across its alternative programs, a leased building and a Building Experience Score of 1 out of 4.

East Boston Early Education Center. The pre-K through grade 1 school has dropped 42% in three years, from 196 students in 2023-24 to 114 this year, and its building is 63% used, below the district’s 84% to 114% target range. The number of elementary students in East Boston has fallen by 969, or more than 25%, over the past decade, according to BPS. Pre-K classes would stay in the current space as part of the adjoining McKay K-8, and current K1 to grade 1 students would be guaranteed seats at the McKay.

What the enrollment data shows

All three schools have lost a large share of their students, though over different periods. By TBR calculations from district figures, Charlestown High lost 261 students (32%) in three years and East Boston EEC lost 82 (42%). Greater Egleston has 106 fewer students than the 182 it had in 2016, a 58% drop, even though the Globe reported its enrollment is up from last year.

Charlestown’s grade pattern points to further decline. The current seventh-grade class of 48 is less than a quarter the size of the 205-student senior class (TBR calculation). As seniors graduate and smaller classes move up, enrollment would keep falling even if nothing else changed.

Other changes in the BPS plan

The plan would also move three schools. Boston Green Academy in Brighton would relocate in fall 2028 to the former South Boston High School building on G Street after a renovation. Boston International High School & Newcomers Academy in Dorchester and the Boston Adult Technical Academy in the Back Bay would move to the Cleveland Building on Charles Street in Dorchester next school year, the Globe reported.

The Hurley K-8 School in Roxbury and the Kilmer K-8 School in West Roxbury would phase out grades 7 and 8 by fall 2028, with current seventh and eighth graders finishing as planned. Officials are also exploring adding grades 7 and 8 to Boston Arts Academy and Fenway High School, which now serve grades 9 to 12. The School Committee does not vote on grade changes, and it does not need to vote on the Boston Green Academy move because the school is an in-district Horace Mann charter, the district said.

Protest in Charlestown and next steps

The Charlestown proposal first surfaced over the weekend, as we reported in our story on the possible closing of Charlestown High. On Monday afternoon, about 20 protesters gathered outside the school, according to the Globe, and students marched into the building chanting “save our school.” Skipper left the school flanked by two Boston police officers as protesters chanted at her. “The emotion is extremely strong right now,” she told reporters afterward, adding that the city will make sure students from the closing schools find seats elsewhere.

The School Committee hears the recommendations Wednesday and is expected to vote Dec. 2. BPS has scheduled community meetings: Charlestown High families meet virtually Nov. 5 and Nov. 16; East Boston EEC families meet virtually Nov. 9 and in person Nov. 17 in East Boston; and Greater Egleston families meet virtually Nov. 9 and in person Nov. 23 in Roxbury. The district is also taking comments through an online survey. The vote will be a major test for the Wu administration, and for neighborhoods like East Boston, where the number of elementary students has fallen by more than a quarter in a decade.

Sources

• Boston Globe: Wu administration proposes closing 2 Boston high schools, early ed center
• Boston Public Schools: Charlestown High School closure recommendation
• Boston Public Schools: Greater Egleston High School closure recommendation
• Boston Public Schools: East Boston Early Education Center closure recommendation
• NBC Boston: Boston Public Schools proposing closing 2 high schools for 2028
• Boston 25 News: Boston Public Schools recommends closure of 3 schools