Boston Public Schools has three exam schools: Boston Latin Academy, Boston Latin School, and the John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science. All three schools accept new students for grades 7 and 9. John D. O’Bryant School accepts a small number of new students in grade 10.

An admissions test is required to apply.

CURRENT BPS students in grade 8 attending an exam school are required to take the weekend MAP test if they wish to apply for grade 9 admission to a different exam school.

Non-BPS students are required to take the weekend MAP test for a score that will be used as part of their admissions to an exam school.

After a five-year review of the Exam School Policy, the District made new policy recommendations to the School Committee in the fall of 2025. The Committee voted to accept those policy revisions effective immediately, beginning with the invitations sent this spring (2026) for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle.

The School Committee materials and the new policy can be found here. Below you will find a summary of the admissions policy, which includes the new revisions.

To be eligible for admission to a Boston Exam School, students must meet the following criteria:

• B or higher Grade Point Average;
• Have ranked at least one exam school; and
• Have a valid score on the MAP Growth Assessment. Students will receive a composite score that is based 30% on MAP Growth and 70% GPA. 

Invitations will be distributed in the following manner:

• 20% of the invitations at each school distributed to the highest ranking students citywide 
• 80% of the invitations at each school distributed to the highest ranking students in each of the 4 socioeconomic tiers 

Additional points:

School-based points were eliminated as part of the new policy revisions. Students experiencing homelessness, living in public housing owned by BHA, or in the care of the Department of Children and Families will receive an additional 10 points on their composite score as part of the 80% of invitations distributed by socioeconomic tier.

Exam School Admissions Information Sessions:

These sessions covered admission requirements and timeline for students applying for the fall of 2026. Zoom recordings and resources for each session can be found below:

• Thursday, October 16, 6 p.m. EST  | Session Recording, Slides, Info Sheet

• Thursday, November 6, 6 p.m. EST  | Session Recording, Slides, Info Sheet