BPS Ensures Every Student, Family, and Staff Member Has Mental Health Care

New landmark partnership with Cartwheel, The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health (BCCMH), and Boston Public Schools ensures timely, multilingual mental health services for students, families, caregivers, and educators.

Boston Public Schools Ensures Every Student, Family, and Staff Member Has Mental Health Care

BOSTON, MA – December 10, 2025 – Boston Public Schools (BPS) today announced a transformative investment in student mental health through a partnership with Cartwheel, Massachusetts' leading school-based mental health provider, with implementation support from the MA School-Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot led by The Brookline Center, a partner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This comprehensive initiative will bring immediate, multilingual mental health care to students, families, and staff at 82 schools across the district, in partnership with The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health (BCCMH).

“We want all our students to feel supported and inspired when they come to school every day as they work towards achieving their goals and aspirations," said BPS Chief of Students Cory McCarthy. “We recognize that for some students, this becomes more difficult when they are facing mental health challenges. Through this new partnership with Cartwheel, BPS is connecting our students and families to timely, high-quality, evidence-based support. This initiative aims to help remove barriers that prevent students from feeling ready to participate in school, which will help strengthen their attendance, enhance their well-being, and promote personal growth, giving every young person the opportunity to succeed beyond our classrooms.”

Boston Public Schools has long been a leader in student mental health, making exceptional investments in counseling services, crisis intervention, and partnerships with local mental health organizations. Despite these efforts and the district's commitment to supporting students' social-emotional wellbeing, the needs still vastly outweigh capacity. School leaders are seeing the direct impact on student attendance, classroom behaviors, and academic performance, driving the district's decision to make this bold, proactive investment to support more students and families.

"Boston Public Schools is setting the standard for what's possible when a district decides that student mental health is mission-critical," said Joe English, CEO of Cartwheel. "This isn't just about providing therapy—it's about creating a comprehensive ecosystem of support that helps students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. We're honored to partner with a district that shares our belief that every child deserves timely, best-in-class mental health care."

Cartwheel, with programmatic funding from The Brookline Center, brings the nation's most comprehensive school-based mental health care model to BPS. Cartwheel’s platform empowers school-based staff to identify students who may benefit from evidence-based therapy and psychiatry from a licensed Cartwheel clinician, track student progress as they receive services, and coordinate with families. The partnership also includes Cartwheel's specialty School Avoidance Program, which helps students tackle mental health related causes of chronic absenteeism.

With a track record serving 325+ school districts nationwide, including 70 districts here in Massachusetts, Cartwheel combines local expertise with national-scale impact.

"This changes everything for our students and families. When a child is struggling, they can be connected to a licensed clinician immediately and not in months,” said Jenna Parafinczuk, Director of Social Work, Division of Student Support, Boston Public Schools. “That kind of support can make the difference between a student falling behind or thriving in school and in life."

The partnership addresses an urgent crisis facing schools nationwide. According to the CDC, more than 40% of high school students report feeling persistently sad or hopeless, while 1 in 5 seriously considered suicide in the past year. In Massachusetts, families often face months-long waitlists for child and adolescent mental health services. This partnership eliminates those barriers entirely.

“The data also reflects the collective strength of the statewide SBTBH Pilot,” said Carla Gonçalves, Director of the Massachusetts School Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot at The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health. “As the state’s lead SBTBH implementation partner, The Brookline Center measures program effectiveness and ensures that districts and clinical providers, including Cartwheel, can deliver high quality, equitable care. Across the Commonwealth, we have supported more than 2,280 referrals, completed 1,266 intakes, and delivered nearly 19,000 telebehavioral health sessions to over 2,400 students, contributing to measurable reductions in depression and anxiety symptoms. As we welcome Boston Public Schools as a new pilot site, we are building a proven, data driven model. We are honored to partner with Boston and providers like Cartwheel to expand timely, multilingual, culturally responsive mental health care across the Commonwealth.”

At the school level, educators see Cartwheel’s program as transformative. Since its launch earlier this school year, over 350 Boston Public Schools students have been referred to Cartwheel and more than 450 teletherapy sessions have been completed. The program was made possible with implementation and capacity-building support and programmatic funding from The Massachusetts School Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot led by The Brookline Center for Community Mental Health, which has a long history of driving school-based mental health innovation across the commonwealth and nationally.

"When students walk through our doors each day, they bring with them their aspirations, hopes and their vision for the future. Students also bring with them the many challenges they face every day, and the emotions that accompany them,” said Principal Andrew Bott, Brighton High School. “Having direct access to mental health care through this partnership means our students don’t have to face those challenges alone. It allows them to focus on learning, connecting with their peers, and seeing themselves as capable of achieving their goals. Providing this service to our school community is about showing every student that their well-being should always be a top priority, and we're all here to ensure they have the supports needed to succeed.”

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Registration

Please join us at the Showcase of Schools on Saturday , December 13 from 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM at the Bruce Bolling Building (2300 Washington Street, 02119). This event gives families the opportunity to meet school leaders, ask questions, and find out what makes each school unique - all in one place! No advance registration is required to attend. We look forward to seeing you there!!

BPS will also provide FREE shuttle bus transportation to Showcase from various points in the city. Please click the link below to find out where to access the shuttles. School Showcase Flyers

We're excited to help you find the best educational options for your child! Our school district uses a home-based assignment plan to determine the schools available for your consideration.

Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is still open! Please contact a BPS Welcome Center to register your child!

Registration for the 2026-2027 school year will open in January. Please see the table below for the upcoming registration periods:

Important Dates for School Year 2026–2027

	Start of Priority Registration	End of Priority Registration	Assignment Notifications
*Students entering K0, K1, K2, 6, 7, or 9**	January 5	February 6	March 31
Students entering all other grades	February 9	April 2	May 31

K2 is now part of the January Priority Registration Period.
*7th Grade Assignment Notifications will be mailed at the end of May.

For more information on the BPS exam school process, visit: https://www.bostonpublicschools.org/exam .

Registration Information Sessions

BPS Welcome Centers offer a variety of in-person and virtual information sessions to learn more about the registration process. No registration is required to attend. Each session lasts approximately one hour. Interpretation services are provided during the virtual information sessions. Please join us for a session at one of the following dates!

School Showcase

Held at Bruce Bolling Building - 2300 Washington Street, 02119

Saturday, December 13 - 9:00 AM -1:00 PM
- Meet school leaders, ask questions, and find out what makes each school unique - all in one place! More information here: School Showcase Flyers

Virtual Sessions

Thursday, December 11 - 5:30-6:30 PM
- https://k12-bostonpublicschools.zoom.us/j/87625720565

In-Person Sessions

Held at Roxbury, Dorchester, and Roslindale Welcome Centers

Wednesday, December 10 - 9:30-10:30 AM
Wednesday, December 17 - 9:30-10:30 AM

Held at East Boston Welcome Center

Tuesday, December 16 - 8:00-9:00 AM

You can also reach out to a BPS Welcome Center with any questions about the registration process.

All schools will also be holding their own open houses and information sessions to give families a chance to learn more about the school, tour the building, and meet the school leader. These school-based information sessions occur between November and January. Click the link below for dates and times for these school-based sessions.
School Info Session Dates, Times, and Contact Info

BPS Registration Process

We’re here to make registering for BPS as simple as possible! Just follow the six steps below, and your child will be enrolled in no time. We are happy to offer registration assistance in ten languages. For questions or interpretation assistance, please contact one of our four BPS Welcome Centers or call us at 617-635-9010.

Step 1: Review the school-age requirements for enrollment for 2026-2027

Step 2: Get a list of your eligible schools

BPS uses a home-based assignment plan to determine the schools available to your family. This plan uses your home address to create a personalized list of quality schools for which you are eligible. If a school does not appear on your list, you are not eligible to apply to that school. All 7-12 and 9-12 high schools are citywide options for all students. Learn more about the BPS assignment plan.

Explore your school options by visiting our School Choice Tool.

Special Admission Schools

Some of our schools require a separate application or run a special admissions process to be assigned. If your child is interested in attending one of these schools, you will need to complete the separate application AND rank the school as one of your school choices on your BPS registration form. Both steps must be done. The School Choice Tool and the registration form will indicate if a school requires a special admissions process.

The list of schools requiring a separate application for the 2026-2027 school year can be found at the Special Admission Schools.

This sheet contains the application deadline for each school as well as a link to that school's individual application.

Step 3: Learn more about your school options, how to register, and how the BPS assignment plan works

At BPS, we offer a variety of events to help you explore school options, find the best fit for your child, and get all the information you need for a smooth registration process. These events include:

BPS School Showcase - Saturday, December 13 at Bruce Bolling Building. (9:00 AM - 1:00 PM) More information here: School Showcase Flyers
BPS School Preview Times
BPS Registration and Assignment Information Sessions
- Virtual Information Session - Thursday, 12/11 @ 5:30 PM
- In-Person Information Sessions at Roxbury, Dorchester, and Roslindale Welcome Centers
  - Wednesday 12/10 and 12/17 @ 9:30 AM
- In-Person at East Boston Welcome Center
  - Tuesday 12/16 @ 8:00 AM

Find dates, times, and additional details for each event at the School Information Sessions webpage.

Step 4: Gather your required documentation

To register your child for school, you must provide the following documentation.

Child’s original birth certificate, I-94 form, or passport (use of passport requires completion of BPS Parent Affidavit.)
Child’s up-to-date immunization record
Child's up-to-date physical exam record (within the last year)
Parent/Guardian’s photo identification
Two proofs of Boston residency from the list below. Items cannot be from the same bulleted category.

A Utility Bill (not water or cell phone) dated within the past 60 days
A Deed or Mortgage Payment dated within the past 60 days, or a Property Tax Bill dated within the last year
A W2 form dated within the year, or a Payroll Stub dated within the past 60 days
A Bank or Credit Card Statement dated within the past 60 days
A Letter from an Approved Government Agency** dated within the past 60 days. Approved Government Agencies: Department of Revenue (DOR), Department of Children and Families (DCF), Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), Department of Youth Services (DYS) or Social Security. Some communications on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Letterhead may also apply.
A current lease, Section 8 Agreement, or BPS Landlord Affidavit dated within a year. Affidavits are available in: English | Kabuverdianu | 中文 | Kreyòl | Português | Español | tiếng Việt | Afsoomaali

Step 5: Register Online

Once you have researched your school options and have all your documents prepared, you can complete the registration form online.

You can register your child at: apply.avela.org/boston.

If you have any questions, you can contact or visit a BPS Welcome Center and a registration specialist will assist you.

Visiting a Welcome Center is not required to complete your child's registration.

Step 6: Complete your BPS Registration

Once you have submitted your online registration application, a registration specialist will review it and check all of your documents.

If any documents are missing or additional information is required, they will reach back out to you for clarification or to submit additional documents. You will also be able to adjust your school choices at this time.

If your child requires language testing or if they have an IEP that needs to be reviewed by the Office of Specialized Services, those steps will also take place after you have submitted your registration form.

Once your application is complete and has been reviewed by a registration specialist, you will receive an email confirmation.

Visiting a Welcome Center is no longer required to complete the registration process, but we are happy to provide assistance to anyone that needs it. You can:

Call 617-635-9010 to schedule an appointment; or
Visit any of our Welcome Centers to complete your application.

Visit our Welcome Centers webpage for additional information on all locations, including languages support.

We are happy to offer registration assistance in other languages. For interpretation assistance, please call the Welcome Center at 617-635-9010.

Support for Multilingual Learners

If your student speaks more than one language, they may need language testing. A registration specialist will help you schedule an appointment at the Newcomers Assessment Counseling Center (NACC). Language testing is conducted in person at the Bolling Building (2300 Washington Street, Roxbury). Once your student has completed their language assessment, you will be able to adjust your school selections.