Major Changes to Exam School Admissions This Year: Attend a Virtual Info Session

For the past 25 years, Boston Public Schools has used the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) as part of its admission criteria to its three exam schools. As of February 2020, the makers of the ISEE test severed its relationship with BPS and the ISEE will no longer be used by or exam school admissions. 

In October 2020, the Boston School Committee voted to temporarily suspend the use of a new standardized test during the 2020-2021 school year for Fall 2021 admission into the three exam schools. 

Admissions Information for Fall 2021 Applicants

Students can qualify for the exam school applicant pool based on one of the following two criteria:

1. Met or Exceeded Expectations on the 2019 ELA and Math MCAS, or
2. Earned a B or higher average GPA during the first two terms of School Year 2019-2020
    

Invitations to each of the exam schools will be allocated to students in the applicant pool using two methods:

1. The first 20% of seats at each exam school will be reserved for the top-ranking students citywide based on GPA.
2. The remaining 80% of invitations will be distributed using a combination of GPA and student home zip code, and broken down as follows:
   • Each zip code in the city will be allocated a number of seats that is proportionate to the percentage of school-aged children living in that zip code
   • Students in each zip code will be invited based on their GPA, starting with the highest GPA.
      

Exam School Virtual Information Sessions

To help families and students better understand how this new admissions process will work for Fall 2021 entry, BPS is hosting a series of Exam School Information Sessions. These sessions will take place online via Zoom and are free. No registration is required in advance.

(Can't attend any of the dates below? Click here to view a previously recorded Exam School Info Session.)

Friday, December 4 – 4:30 - 6:00 PM
Interpretation in Arabic, Cabo Verdean, Cantonese, and Somalian
Click here to join via Zoom Link
 
Tuesday, December 8 – 5:00 - 6:30 PM
Interpretation in Cantonese and Mandarin
Click here to join via Zoom Link

Wednesday, December 9 – 3:15 - 4:15 PM 
Interpretation in Haitian Creole
Click here to join via Zoom Link

Wednesday, December 9 – 5:30 - 7:00 PM 
Interpretation in Mandarin, Cantonese, Spanish, and Portuguese. 
Click here to join via Zoom Link

Friday, December 11 – 5:00 - 6:30 PM 
Interpretation in Cabo Verdean, French, Haitian Creole, and Vietnamese. 
Click here to join via Zoom Link