Exam Schools
Boston has three “examination schools” for grades 7–12 that admit students on a competitive basis: Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.
Application Process
UPDATE: Notification of acceptance to an exam school for the 2010-2011 school year will be mailed to students' homes on Monday, March 15, 2010.
All three schools accept new students for grades 7 and 9. The O’Bryant School also accepts a few new students for grade 10. Students are admitted to the exam schools based on results of an entrance test, called the Independent Schools Entrance Exam (ISEE), and grade point average (GPA). Each of these accounts for 50% of a student’s score.
The ISEE Test
The test registration materials for students applying for the 2011-2012 school year will be available in mid-September 2010 through the city’s middle and high schools. If you do not receive these materials from your school, you may also pick them up from any of the Boston Public Library’s 27 branches. The next time the test will be given through the BPS will be Saturday, November 6, 2010, and the deadline to register will be in late September 2010.
BPS will offer a make-up administration of the Independent School Entrance Examination (ISEE) on Saturday, November 20, 2010 at Boston Latin School for students who do not take the test on November 6. This will be the last opportunity to take the ISEE for exam school admission in the 2011-12 school year. This administration of the test free and is open to Boston residents only.
If you are not yet a Boston resident, or if this date does not meet your needs, you can register online with the Educational Records Bureau (ERB) for a different test date and location; however, all exam school applicants must take the test before December 31 of the school year in which they apply. Please note that ERB charges a test fee for this process. For more information visit: http://www.erbtest.org/schools/admissions/isee.
GPA
The grade point average is based on final marks in English and math from the previous school year (grade 5 or 7) and from the first two marking periods of the current year. In January of each year, all applicants are sent Grade Point Average forms. The applicant's school of origin must complete the form and return it to the BPS Office of Enrollment Services by the first Friday in February.
Proof of residency
Students who are not currently enrolled in the BPS must prove that they are residents of Boston by the first Friday in February in order to be considered for invitation to an exam school. Information about where and when to prove residency is mailed to families in late December. To learn more about proof of residency, visit the Residency Policy page.
For more information
Contact the Office of Enrollment Services, 617-635-9512.
