How to Register for Boston Public Schools (BPS)

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View our complete School Registration Toolkit for Families.

Click here to register for BPS Grades K0, K1, K2, 6, 7, and 9.
Priority Registration Starts: Wednesday, January 4, 2023
Priority Registration Deadline: Friday, February 3, 2023

Click here to register for all other BPS grades.
Priority Registration for all other grades starts: Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Priority Registration Deadline for all other grades: Friday, April 7, 2023

What is the Boston Public Schools (BPS) district?

Boston Public Schools — also commonly referred to as BPS — is the free public school district for the city of Boston. Approximately 73 percent of Boston’s school-aged children are enrolled at a BPS school. There are more than 113 BPS schools in Boston. BPS schools serve students in grades K0 to K2 (ages 3 to 5 years old) through 12th grade and beyond.

List of Public Schools in Boston

Click here to view our School Profiles for all BPS schools with our School Finder Tool.

BPS Registration Timeline & Checklist

Registration for BPS schools starts very early. The priority registration period is January through March in the same year that your child will enter school. For example, if your child will enter grade K2 in September 2023, you must register your child for school in January 2023.

Boston School Finder strongly encourages registering during priority round registration for the grade your child will enter, because this gives you the best chance to get a seat in a BPS school you want.

If you are considering enrolling your child in a BPS school, here are the steps to apply for Boston Public Schools for the 2023-2024 school year and when you need to complete these steps.

November 2022

Understand how BPS assigns students to its schools. Your child is not guaranteed a “neighborhood” school. BPS uses a Home-Based Assignment Policy (HBAP) that factors distance from the school, school quality, and sibling preference into the school options available to your child.
Get your list of your available BPS school options from DiscoverBPS.org.
Learn more about each school on your list by using our Boston School Finder Tool to view detailed School Profile pages for each BPS school on your list.
Visit schools during their BPS School Preview Days in November, December, and January.

December 2022

Pre-register for Boston’s online school registration system. This will make registration easier at your Welcome Center appointment if you complete this ahead of time.
Make an appointment to complete your residency verification either in-person at a BPS Welcome Center OR remotely over the phone so you don’t have to wait during peak registration times.
- Visit a Welcome Center to complete your residency verification, OR
- Complete your residency verification over the phone with a BPS registration specialist.
BPS requires families to provide proof of identity*, Boston residency*, and immunization records to register their children for school. Parents/guardians must bring EACH of the following documents to their BPS Welcome Center appointment:
1. Parent/guardian picture ID
2. Your child's original birth certificate (or, if necessary, passport or I-94)
3. Your child's most up-to-date immunization record (Here is a list of immunizations required by the state to register for school.)
4. Two (2) proofs of Boston residency
5. If a medical accommodation is required or your child has a disability, documentation must also be provided.
  
  *Boston Public Schools is proud to offer education to all students regardless of their immigration status. Boston has over 3,000 homeless students and is required by law to provide school assignment and transportation to such students regardless of where they are temporarily residing. Your BPS school choice list will not be based on address. Some documentation rules will be relaxed. Call BPS at 617-635-9000 to find out how to register and enroll your child if you or your child do not have a permanent address and/or are undocumented.

January 2023

Priority registration for students entering grades K0, K1, K2, 6, 7, and 9 begins on January 4, 2023 and closes February 3, 2023.
There are two ways to register your student for Boston Public Schools for the 2023-2024 school year:
1. In-Person at a Welcome Center: Schedule an appointment at the Dorchester, East Boston, or Roslindale Welcome Center. To make an appointment, click here or call (617) 635-9046.
2. Remotely over the phone: Schedule an appointment to register your student over the phone with the help of a BPS registration specialist. To make an appointment, click here or call (617) 635-9046.

February 2023

Priority registration for students entering all other grades begins on February 7, 2023 and closes April 7, 2023.
There are two ways to register your student for Boston Public Schools for the 2023-2024 school year:
1. In-Person at a Welcome Center: Schedule an appointment at the Dorchester, East Boston, or Roslindale Welcome Center. To make an appointment, click here or call (617) 635-9046.
2. Remotely over the phone: Schedule an appointment to register your student over the phone with the help of a BPS registration specialist. To make an appointment, click here or call (617) 635-9046.

March—May 2023

School assignment notifications for students entering BPS grades K0, K1, K2, 6 or 9 in September will be sent via email by March 31.
School assignment notifications for grade 7 and all other grades will be sent via email by May 31.
All BPS school assignment notifications will also be mailed out by postal mail to registered home addresses. If you register during your priority registration window but don't receive your BPS assignment by the above dates, please call the BPS Registration Hotline at 617-635-9046.
Note: if you have moved after registering, your change of address could affect your school and transportation options. Please visit the BPS website for more information about change of address.

Types of BPS Schools & Programs

With more than 20 grade configurations, there are many different types of schools that serve a variety of student needs across Boston’s more than 113 public schools. Below is information about some of the different types of schools and programs available in BPS.

For Elementary & Middle School Students

K0 & K1 Grade Levels

BPS offers a small, but growing number of school seats for children ages 3 and 4, according to the formula below:

If your child will be age _____ by September 1 of the year they are supposed to start school, they are eligible to enter into grade ____.

Age 3 = Grade K0
Age 4 = Grade K1
Age 5 = Grade K2

Advanced Work Class (AWC) & Excellence For All (EFA)

Advanced Work Class (AWC) and Excellence for All (EFA) are two program options available at select BPS schools for students in grades 4-6.

Advanced Work Class (AWC) is a full-time program in the Boston Public Schools that provides an accelerated academic curriculum for students in grades 4-6. For School Year 2022-2023, AWC is not accepting any new students into the program. Grade 5 students currently enrolled in AWC will have the opportunity to continue the program in grade 6 for School Year 2022-2023. For more information, please visit the BPS website.
Excellence For All (EFA) is an initiative designed to ensure all learners in grades 4-6 have access to high quality, authentic learning experiences that prepare them for high school, college, and careers. EFA is a school-wide program. All students in grades 4-6 at a school that offers EFA participate in the program. There is no admission requirement for Excellence For All. Click here to learn more about participating EFA schools from BPS.

Middle School Pathways

For students in general education programs, most BPS elementary schools are connected to a middle school or K-8 school. This is called a “pathway” school. Students in grade 5 who attend schools connected to a Pathway school will receive a letter in the mail in January that lists their Pathway school for the following (grade 6) year.

Families are welcome to accept and enroll their child at their assigned Pathway school. Families may also decline and choose another school that meets their needs. If you want your child to attend a different school instead of their assigned Pathway school, families must contact Welcome Services and participate in the registration process to select a new BPS school.

See our Middle School Pathways Resource Guide for a list and map of BPS pathway schools.

For High School Students

Exam Schools

Boston has three “exam schools” which serve students in grades 7–12. Entry into these exam schools is determined by the student’s grades and their performance on a district-identified assessment. Learn more about Boston’s Exam Schools at our Exam School resource guide.

High Schools that Require Special Admissions or Additional Application Requirements

There are 33 BPS high school options. Six of these high school options have additional requirements for admission. These additional requirements can include a separate, extra application to other materials such as essays, teacher recommendations, or the completion of an audition.

In order to be considered for any of these special admission schools, these schools must be ranked in order of preference AND students must complete whatever additional application requirements are specified by each school. As special admissions and additional application requirements vary by school, please visit the School Profile for each school below:

For ALL Grades

Innovation Schools

An Innovation School has increased autonomy and flexibility in curriculum, budget, schedule and calendar, staffing, professional development, and district policies. Innovation Schools represent a chance for local school committees – in cooperation with superintendents, teachers’ unions, parents, outside partners and others – to internally charter their own schools.

Boston has five Innovation Schools:

Pilot Schools

Pilot schools have flexibility around hiring, budget, and curriculum. Pilot schools span a variety of grade configurations through elementary, middle, and high school grades.

Boston has 20 pilot schools:

Horace Mann Charter Schools

There are six Horace Mann charter schools in Boston that are BPS schools and are free to attend. Horace Mann charter schools are also called “in-district” charter schools.

Important note: Horace Mann charter schools are separate from Commonwealth charter public schools, which are NOT part of the BPS district.

Horace Mann charter schools span a variety of grade configurations through elementary, middle, and high school grades. Admission to Horace Mann charter schools is by an open lottery. Each of the six Horace Mann schools has its own enrollment process and lottery.

To view individual enrollment information about the six Horace Mann charter schools, please visit their Boston School Finder School Profile or school website:

Turnaround Schools

Turnaround schools refer to three groups of schools designated as “Underperforming,” “Chronically Underperforming,” and “Focused/Targeted Support” via the state school accountability system.

Note: The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education did not issue school, district, or state accountability determinations in 2020 or 2021.

Underperforming schools are those most struggling schools in the state of Massachusetts, based on an analysis of four-year trends in absolute achievement, student growth, and academic improvement trends. Schools designated as underperforming are required, by law, to undertake an accelerated “turnaround” process for rapid and sustainable improvement within three full school years.
Schools categorized as in need of Focused/Targeted Support on Massachusetts' accountability system are those not already designated as "underperforming" or "chronically underperforming" that are in the lowest 10th percentile of schools in performance across the state, those with low-performing subgroups, high schools with a graduation rate below 67%, and schools with low participation rates.
According to the Department's assistance strategy, all schools designated as Focused/Targeted Support must develop and implement a turnaround plan.

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