Students will have two opportunities to take the MAP Growth test to apply to the BPS exam schools - Spring and Fall.  If the student takes the test twice, BPS will use the higher score in each subject area (Reading & Math) for the application.  The student must complete both sections of the test in order to receive a score. You may access a MAP Growth demo by NWEA, intended for students to become familiar with the testing platform, here.  

Current BPS students in grades 6 and 8 will take the admissions test in their current school between December 4 and 8, with makeup testing between December 11 and 15 (no registration is required for either week).  The school will notify families of the exact testing dates in advance. Please follow up with your child’s BPS school if you have questions.

If your child is not currently enrolled in BPS, enrolled in grade 9 at a BPS school, or enrolled in grade 8 at a BPS exam school, the student is required to participate in the weekend test date on Saturday, December 9, 2023.  Registration is required for the weekend test administration (no walk-ins). The online registration form to sign up for the December test will be posted on this webpage at noon on October 10, 2023 and close at 5pm on Thursday, November 9, 2023.

Parents/guardians of students who are not currently enrolled in Boston Public Schools are required to verify their City of Boston residency and submit their ranked school preferences as part of the application process.  Please note that the Boston area Commonwealth charter schools are NOT part of the BPS district.

The priority residency verification process will begin on Tuesday, October 10th and continue through Thursday, November 9, 2023 at the BPS Welcome Centers.  A checklist of the required documents is available here.

Translated copies of the BPS Registration Document Checklist are available as follows: Español | عربى | Kabuverdianu | 中文 | Français | Kreyòl | Português | Afsoomaali | tiếng Việt

There are four BPS Welcome Centers located in Roxbury, Dorchester, East Boston, and Roslindale.  All locations are open 9 AM - 5 PM Monday through Friday, with the exception of the East Boston center which is only open Mondays and Tuesdays.

Students who must complete the Residency Verification Process include:

• Students attending a private school
• Students attending parochial school
• Students attending METCO program schools
• Students attending Commonwealth Charter schools (excludes UP Academy, Boston Green Academy, and other “in-district” BPS charter schools)
• Students attending schools outside the City of Boston
• Students being home-schooled must demonstrate that both the student and parent/guardian live in the City of Boston 

The residency verification must be completed even if a family has other children enrolled in Boston Public Schools; a student is receiving special education services from BPS; the parent or guardian is a current city employee; or if  the student was previously enrolled in the BPS.

Students who currently attend a public school outside the City of Boston (excluding METCO program schools) are required to provide a letter from the respective Superintendent of that city or town acknowledging the student’s Boston residency, as per our requirement, and verifying the student’s enrollment in their public school. The letter must be original, notarized, on school district letterhead, and must be presented to the registration specialist with the BPS required residency documents during the verification period.

As part of the application process, families must rank their preferences between the three exam schools (first choice, second choice, third choice, etc.).  Students will be considered for admissions based on their test scores, GPA, and ranked order of preferences.

Families are encouraged to apply to all three exam schools for grade 7 and 9; however, the parent/guardian must rank at least one exam school to have the student considered for admissions.  During the school choice process families are able to rank order the three exam schools, as well as other district schools within the child’s home-base.

Students not currently attending BPS will submit their ranked school preferences during the Residency Verification period.

Current BPS students in grades 6 and 8 will receive a School Choice Form from their current school in early January 2024. Families may write in their preferences and return the form to the child’s current school for processing. Families with an email address on file will also receive a notification with the option of submitting their ranked school preferences online.  

The parent/guardian of grade 8 students currently attending an exam school, and the parent/guardian of a BPS grade 9 student interested in the O’Bryant, must visit a BPS Welcome Center in January 2024 to complete a transfer request in order to submit their ranked preference(s) for a different exam school. 

A Grade Point Average (GPA) of a B or higher is required to be considered for admissions.  The GPA will be calculated based on previous year and current year marks. Students participating in advanced courses (honors, AWC, AP, etc.) do not receive additional points. 

Students must have grades in each subject for the GPA to be calculated.  Students that do not meet the GPA of a B or higher will not be considered for admissions and the application will be closed. 

To view a summary of how grades will be converted for exam school consideration, please visit our fact sheet for the previous admission year (fall of 2023). The fact sheet for the current admission year (fall of 2024) will be posted later this fall. 

All applicants will receive a notification of eligibility in March 2024 to confirm if the student has met the minimum GPA requirement.  

All applicants will receive an admissions decision letter in late April-May 2024, which will share the student’s status (invited/not invited), composite score, SES Tier number, and waitlist if applicable. Please note that exam school decisions are final and we do not accept appeals.

Applicants that receive an invitation to an exam school will be able to participate in a welcome event in the Spring of 2024 hosted by the school to meet the staff and learn about course offerings, extracurricular activities, and ask questions.