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Hi Friend,
If you're the parent of an 8th grader who will enter high school in September 2020, it's time to register now for your BPS high school options.
Complete Your High School Ranking Form
When students enter the 9th grade in BPS, your family is no longer bound by the Home-Based Assignment Policy: enrollment in BPS high schools is city-wide.
BPS students currently in 8th grade (whose school does not offer 9th grade or beyond) will be distributed a physical paper High School Ranking Form by their school. These forms are customized for each student. You can also complete this form online via the BPS Family Portal; you will receive an email from BPS to do so if you haven't already.
Current BPS 8th grade students must rank their high school choices and submit their paper form to their school *OR* complete it online by Friday, Feb. 7. Students who submit their choices by this date will find out their high school assignment in late March.
The longer you wait to submit your high school choices, the longer you'll have to wait to receive your assigned high school. Our recommendation? Don't procrastinate! Rank your high schools, complete your Ranking Form, and submit it as soon as you can.
Special Application High Schools
While priority registration for students entering grade 9 closes on Friday, Jan. 31, there are several additional BPS high school application deadlines to be aware of—and some of them are as soon as this week.
Six of the 33 BPS high schools 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. These high schools that require special applications also have different deadlines. They are:
- Boston Arts Academy
Application Deadline: Friday, Jan. 17
- Fenway High School
Application Deadline: Saturday, Jan. 25
- Boston Community Leadership Academy (BCLA)
Application Deadline: Friday, Jan. 31
- New Mission High School
Application Deadline: Monday, Feb. 3
- Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
Application Deadline: Friday, Feb. 7
- Boston Green Academy
Application Deadline: Friday, Feb. 14
How to Choose a Great-Fit High School
Where your child goes to high school can make a difference in their graduation outcomes, as this chart of college attendance rates for BPS high school graduates shows. Not all high schools are created equal, so it's important that you and your child find a high school that fits your family's needs, while also taking into consideration school quality and outcomes of student success.
Our guide on How to Choose a Great-Fit School is just one place to get started, but we recommend that you make this a two-way conversation with your child.
- Ask your child: what are you looking for in your high school experience?
- Empower your child by encouraging them to take ownership of your future.
- Challenge your child to consider their options beyond just where their friends are going to high school.
- Guide your child toward answering for themselves: "Is this school right for me?"
One of the best things you can do when picking a high school for your child is to visit the school itself. Several schools still have School Preview Days for the rest of January, but if you missed a particular School Preview, it's worth calling the school to arrange a date and time you can go see it for yourself. (Scroll down this email to see which dates are coming soon or click here to see the full School Preview Schedule.)
We know that choosing a school for your child is one of the most important decisions a family can make. We also know how crucial finding a great-fit high school can be for not just graduation and college outcomes, but for lifelong success well after their high school years.
As always, we're here to help. If you have questions about registering for high school, simply send your questions to question@bostonschoolfinder.org OR text "QUESTION" to 33-777 and we'll point you towards the resources you need to make high school registration a success for your family.
Have a great week!
Warmly,
Latoya Gayle, Executive Director
Boston School Finder
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