BPS to recommend closing four schools, including Excel High

Local News

BPS leaders are implementing a long-term plan to consolidate some of Boston’s many schools.

Boston officials are planning to recommend that multiple schools close in the coming years, including Excel High School in South Boston, according to a letter to families posted online and multiple reports. 

A total of four schools within the Boston Public Schools system are slated for closure, the Boston Teachers Union said in a statement Monday night. In addition to Excel High, Dever Elementary could also close, The Boston Globe reported. 

Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper are holding a virtual press conference Tuesday morning to discuss new proposals, a BPS spokesperson said. Students and their families were notified of updates regarding the district’s Long-Term Facilities Plan Monday night, they added, without providing more specifics. 

That plan, finalized in late 2023, envisions a future where there are fewer BPS schools in total. Instead, officials would focus on supporting large schools with more diverse offerings. 

BPS prioritizes sharing information with impacted families first before the general public, the spokesperson said. Screenshots of the letter that was sent to some families Monday were posted on social media. As part of the Facilities Plan’s ongoing implementation, Skipper is going to recommend Excel High close at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The “next steps” will be officially recommended to the School Committee on Jan. 22.

The Excel High closure is part of a package of proposals that include “a number” of school closures, a merger, and “grade reconfigurations” that would go into effect for the beginning of the 2026-27 school year if approved, according to the letter. 

“We understand that news of the closures can bring a range of emotions for students, families, and staff. We also know that these steps are necessary to ensure that every student has a high quality seat in each of our schools – with high quality options close to home,” officials said in the letter. 

In its response, the BTU called on BPS officials to ensure any school closures are paired with a “more aggressive and detailed commitment to the construction and renovation” of new and improved buildings. Specifically, the union said the district should commit to completing the construction of three buildings annually and share a plan to do so with the public in the coming weeks. 

“The conversation cannot be simply about whether to retain or close poorly crumbling and dilapidated buildings – the conversation must be about how soon the district can complete the construction and renovations necessary to provide high-quality learning environments for every single BPS student, without exception,” the BTU said. 

There have been 35 BPS school closures since 2002, the union said, with 16 occurring over the last decade. This does not count the four recommended closures apparently announced by the district Monday. 

At least one elected official is expressing concern about the availability of information regarding the proposed changes. In a statement, City Councilor Erin Murphy said she was “deeply frustrated by the lack of communication” from BPS officials.

“I reached out today to Superintendent Skipper and other BPS officials after hearing rumors about potential closures of several schools, yet my questions were ignored. It’s unacceptable that I, along with families, had to wait for official confirmation while decisions were being made behind closed doors,” Murphy said Monday. 

There are currently 119 schools in the BPS system, many of which are aging and in need of significant upgrades, according to the district. Only about one third of BPS schools have comprehensive heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. Only about 14% of BPS facilities were found to fully support a “holistic high-quality student experience.” A total of 74 out of the 124 current BPS school buildings were built before 1940 and 36 buildings are more than 100 years old, according to the BTU.

Excel High had only 387 students last year, according to state data. Enrollment has generally trended down over the past decade, and the school’s peak enrollment was 660 students in 2011-12. 

The Facilities Plan and its vision of school mergers comes after the “small schools movement” of the ’90s. The district converted four large high schools, including South Boston High, into 13 smaller new schools in 2003. This resulted in a patchwork system where notable disparities in the opportunities available to students abound, the Globe previously reported.