BPS and City of Boston Announce Completed Upgrades at Otis Elementary School

The City of Boston and BPS are announcing the completion of building upgrades at the James Otis Elementary School in East Boston that will improve student health, classroom comfort, and reduce the school’s carbon emissions.

Boston Public Schools and City of Boston Announce Completed Air Quality, Cooling and Energy Efficiency Upgrades at Otis Elementary School in East Boston

The project sets an example for schools across the nation for improving student health while reducing carbon emissions

BOSTON – June 22, 2026 - The City of Boston and Boston Public Schools (BPS) are announcing the completion of building upgrades at the James Otis Elementary School in East Boston that will improve student health, classroom comfort, and reduce the school’s carbon emissions. This building retrofit is the first of its kind in BPS and sets a national example for reducing exposure to pollution within an environmental justice community.

“The Otis Elementary School students and school community now have a healthier, more comfortable, and more energy efficient building,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “These improvements and investments across the district are critical to ensuring our buildings support the best experience for students and staff, while helping us advance our climate goals.”

Prior to the building upgrade, the 121-year-old Otis Elementary School did not have available electrical system capacity to install air conditioning or fresh air delivery systems. These constraints posed challenges to classroom comfort, indoor air quality, and student health and learning. The Otis Elementary School is located merely two blocks from Logan Airport, Route 1A, and 1-90, resulting in higher levels of pollution exposure compared to other BPS facilities. By upgrading the building’s electrical system capacity, BPS was able to install heat pumps, fresh air delivery systems, HEPA filtration units, improved lighting, weatherization, and water-saving fixtures to introduce cooling into the building while improving the Otis Elementary School’s indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

In April, Mayor Wu announced the release of Boston's 2030 Climate Action Plan, a roadmap for how the City will reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The Otis Elementary School was upgraded through the Renew Boston Trust program, a City initiative to improve energy efficiency and resiliency in municipal buildings. Through Renew Boston Trust’s energy efficiency upgrades, the City is saving $2.3 million a year in taxpayer dollars. While three newly constructed BPS schools are powered without burning fossil fuels on site, the Otis Elementary School is the first BPS facility modernized through a retrofit to no longer rely on fossil fuels. Later this year, the City will finish construction on a geothermal system at the JFK Elementary School in Jamaica Plain. In addition to HVAC systems, the Renew Boston Trust program has also installed solar panel arrays on four schools.

More than half of BPS buildings were built before World War II, and in 2021, only 38 school buildings had cooling systems. Today, after multiple years of sustained capital investment, more than 100 school buildings have cooling systems, with three additional HVAC projects underway and targeted for completion in 2027.

The Otis Elementary School retrofit was made possible through a $5.7 million City investment and a $1.5 million grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s Green School Works program. BPS also leveraged $342,000 in Mass Save incentives for the clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades.

“This building upgrade at the Otis Elementary School is a perfect example of how climate action delivers huge benefits to our communities,” said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, Environment Commissioner and Green New Deal Director for the City of Boston. “These community-led solutions improve our children’s health, lower carbon emissions, and ensure every neighborhood can access a more sustainable future.”

“The improvements at the Otis Elementary School reflect our commitment to creating learning environments that meet the needs of students today while preparing our buildings for the changing climate,” said Katherine Walsh, Director of Planning, Engineering, Sustainability, & Environment at Boston Public Schools. “As we continue investing in facilities across Boston Public Schools, our focus remains on ensuring that every student has access to safe, healthy, and high-quality spaces that support teaching and learning during every season.”

“It’s hard for students to learn and for teachers to teach in uncomfortable, poorly ventilated school buildings,” said Ben Downing, CEO of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center. “The improvements at Otis Elementary School in East Boston are part of a statewide effort by the Healey-Driscoll Administration and Massachusetts Legislature to modernize local public schools—because our kids and teachers deserve healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient places to learn and work.”

“The addition of central air conditioning and an advanced air filtration system at our historic 1905 Otis Elementary School has been truly transformative,” said Paula Cerqueira-Goncalves, Principal of the Otis Elementary School. “This project proves that with creativity, collaboration, and a willingness to think outside the box, even our oldest school buildings can be modernized to provide the safe, healthy, and high-quality learning conditions that all students deserve in BPS and across the nation.”

“The new HVAC system has been such a blessing during these recent warm days. It has also allowed us to finally be able to comfortably sit in classrooms along with 20 or more adults attending welcome sessions in September, Academic Parent-Teacher Team meetings in May, and end-of-the-year classroom events in June,” said Vicky Lynch, a parent of three students at the Otis Elementary School. “Not only has it benefited the parents, but our children are also coming home from school on these warm May and June days noticeably less irritable, which I can imagine every parent and teacher is grateful for!”

BPS has been recognized by the United Nations as a world leader in indoor air quality management. In 2021, BPS leveraged federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to install 4,400 air quality sensors across the district to measure and improve air quality and thermal comfort for a better teaching and learning environment. Real-time data is available on BPS’s public dashboard. This first-of-its-kind network in K-12 schools has enabled BPS to engage in a research partnership with Boston University School of Public Health and secure $22 million in grant funds for building improvements.

Albert D. Holland School of Technology

Holland Tech is committed to the care of our students. We sustain a family-like atmosphere, provide engaging learning experiences, and use technology effectively in all that we do. Holland Tech provides wrap-around support to create new opportunities for every student, in every class, every day.

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Our technical pathway programs connect to a range of career options as well as provide authentic learning experiences, all with support from industry partners. Students develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that will prepare them for their college and career opportunities.

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Holland Tech offers many family engagement opportunities, including parent-teacher conferences, family nights, workshops, and volunteer options. We encourage families to participate in school committees and stay informed through newsletters and portals. We also support families with resources including our food pantry, Holland Harvest, and Catie’s Closet for clothing and food assistance. These initiatives help build a strong, collaborative community focused on student success.

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"Yes, our school is equipped with ADA accommodations and supports to ensure an inclusive environment for all students. We provide accessible facilities, assistive technologies, and support services to meet diverse needs.

Our Rise Academy is focused on providing support and learning experiences to teach our students with autism and other disabilities independence and self-advocacy. Students participate in job site training and life skills field trips each week to enhance their skills and confidence."

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SLIFE-Multilingual

Holland Tech offers a transition program for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE). Educators address learning gaps and may use native language instruction to help students. The program includes academic and social-emotional support. Once students have developed foundational English skills and approach grade-level proficiency, they transition to an inclusive classroom with English-speaking peers.

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Grades: 7-12
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This school offers ABA specialized education programs

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