Overview
- Superintendent Mary Skipper formally recommended closing Charlestown High, Greater Egleston High, and the East Boston Early Education Center with the closures to take effect June 30, 2028 and a Boston School Committee vote scheduled for Dec. 2.
- BPS data show Charlestown’s enrollment fell about 32% in three years to roughly 559 students, the building is operating at about 53% capacity, and students with disabilities make up roughly 45% of the school, which the district says complicates offering inclusive programming.
- Hundreds of students, parents and teachers packed a school committee hearing Wednesday night to oppose the recommendation and question the district’s community engagement process.
- The Boston Teachers Union said the plan would affect 776 students and 193 educators and urged delay and more transparent review, while Mayor Michelle Wu backed consolidation to avoid spending on underused buildings.
- If approved, BPS says current students would get priority for reassignment for 2028–29, upper-grade cohorts could finish through 2028, and the Charlestown building would likely be repurposed for a different school as part of a broader plan to shrink the district by nearly 20 schools by 2030.