Overview
- Boston Public Schools reopened for the new year on Tuesday, September 8, with roughly 54,000 students returning and Mayor Michelle Wu and Superintendent Mary Skipper greeting families at Holland Elementary in Dorchester.
- School officials say the district is fully staffed with teachers and bus drivers and has more than 600 buses on the road to carry about 20,000 students each day, though some families reported scattered morning bus arrival times on the first day.
- The district launched a $1 million–seeded AI literacy program funded by Paul English that begins with 25 teacher AI Educator Ambassadors training at UMass Boston and will be phased in with union talks and a spring reevaluation.
- Boston tightened contractor oversight after a fatal April 2025 school-bus crash, issuing more than $400,000 in fines to Transdev, requiring extra driver hiring and route practice, and emphasizing safety training for monitors and drivers.
- State and city measures now restrict immigration enforcement near schools under the PROTECT Act, and the district is focusing on family engagement, mental-health supports and attendance goals as part of efforts to rebuild trust and improve student outcomes.