• The Boston High School YRBS normally takes place during January to March of odd-numbered years (e.g., 2017, 2019, 2021). The Boston Middle School YRBS normally takes place during the fall of the same years.
• Due to the pandemic, the High School YRBS was postponed from spring 2021 to fall 2021 and as a result will coincide with the Middle School YRBS.
• The 2021 survey administration window is from September 20, 2021 to December 10, 2021.
• Schools will work with the OHW survey administration staff to select both a primary and a back-up date within that survey administration window to administer surveys during the randomly selected classes.

• The High School YRBS is conducted in a census of schools so all eligible BPS high schools are expected to participate. Middle schools are selected with probability proportional to the number of students enrolled. This means that schools with more students have a greater chance of selection.
• All students in the selected school must have an equal likelihood of being chosen to participate. Therefore, classes are randomly selected from among a course all students are required to take (e.g., English classes) or from a specific period during the school day (e.g., 2nd period).
• Within randomly selected classes, all students able to complete the survey independently are eligible to participate.

Approximately 50 schools serving grades 6 through 12 are expected to participate. Schools scientifically selected to participate will be contacted directly by the Office of Health and Wellness.

A complete list of participating schools is available here.

School leaders at schools selected to participate in the YRBS must 1) ensure their Master Class Schedule is uploaded and accurate in ASPEN/SIS or provide an updated copy of their Master Class Schedule for grades 6-12; and 2) designate a contact person at their school to serve as the survey liaison via this form or by emailing yrbs@bostonpublicschools.org no later than Friday, Sep 10, 2021.

• Master Schedule Request Requirements 
  • Course Name and Section Number
  • Class Period
  • Grade Level
  • Total Enrollment
  • Teacher’s first and last name
  • Special Designations (ESL, Special Ed, etc.)
• Master schedules submitted must include:

• YRBS Survey Liaison

• The Survey Liaison at each school serves as the primary contact between Health & Wellness (OHW) and their respective school. The liaison is responsible for 1) providing requested information to OHW regarding school and class schedules; 2) communicating survey dates/times, instructions, and materials to the teachers of the randomly selected classes and; 3) making appropriate accommodations to ensure the online survey is accessible to students on the scheduled date.
• For more information about the liaison role please review the Boston YRBS School Leader/Liaison FAQ 

• General Timeline

• September 10: Deadline for each participating school to designate a survey liaison and provide their school’s Master Class Schedule
• August 30 - October 1: 15 minute one-on-one phone calls between the school survey liaison and YRBS survey administration staff occur
• September 20 - December 10: Survey administration window

• 2021 YRBS Memo
• FAQS
  • How do we know if students tell the truth?
  • Boston YRBS School Leader/Liaison FAQ
  • Boston YRBS Teacher FAQ
  • Boston YRBS Parent/Guardian FAQ (multiple languages)
• Questionnaires
  • 2021 BPS High School YRBS Questionnaire
  • 2021 BPS Middle School YRBS Questionnaire
• Tech Tip Sheet and Checklist
• Student Instructional Videos
  • High School
  • Middle School
• Parent Letters
  • YRBS Parent Notification Letters (multiple languages)
• Student Resource Guide