Mayor Wu & Superintendent Skipper Announce Vision for Boston High Schools

Historic investments include rebuilding Madison Park Technical Vocational High School into a nation-leading voc-tech campus, constructing a state-of-the-art STEM campus for the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science at the West Roxbury Education Complex, offering early college to all students at Charlestown High School through a partnership with Bunker Hill Community College, and expanding the dual language Margarita Muñiz Academy in Jamaica Plain.

Joined by educators, school leaders, and business, union, higher education, and community leaders with deep ties to the Boston Public Schools, Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Mary Skipper shared their vision for BPS high schools, rooted in challenging coursework and academic support for all students. They also unveiled a set of major facilities and programmatic commitments that represent the most significant and ambitious agenda for Boston’s public high schools in decades.    

Through an unprecedented investment in facilities, Mayor Wu and BPS will build and renovate high schools with the scale and size to meet our students’ aspirations, continuing the shift toward 7-12 high schools, and allowing for expanded advanced and specialty coursework, academic supports, sports, arts, early college, student clubs, and other before- and after-school programming. 

Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper made the announcement at the Malcolm X Boulevard campus in Roxbury which currently houses both the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School and the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.

“Boston has everything we need to offer our high school students an education that prepares them to achieve their dreams,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We are laying a foundation grounded in rigorous academics, partnerships with Boston's world class institutions and employers, and state-of-the-art facilities that prepare our students for college and careers in every sector of our economy. We welcome the partnership of families and community groups, businesses, unions, colleges, hospitals, and proud BPS alumni in this shared vision for our students’ success.”

Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper also announced a commitment to rebuild and expand the Madison Park Technical Vocational High School into a nation-leading and fully modernized vocational-technical school across the entire Malcolm X Boulevard campus in the heart of Roxbury. A design process to reimagine the campus will begin this summer, building on a visioning study that engaged Madison Park students, families, educators, staff, and partners over the last school year. The expansion will more than double the student population to 2,200 students in grades 7-12 (up from 1,000 today), and become a hub for workforce development in the heart of Roxbury – serving Boston’s young people and adult learners alike. The Mayor has proposed an initial $45 million in the FY24-28 Capital Plan for school design, with additional funds for construction planned for next year. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2025, with a phased construction process to allow students to continue learning on-site. 

Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper also announced plans to build a state-of-the-art STEM campus for the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science at the currently-vacant West Roxbury Education Complex. The renovated campus will support the O’Bryant in deepening its STEM programming in biomedical science, engineering, computer science, and other pathways, and allow O’Bryant students to benefit from expansive and modern athletic facilities, including multi-use fields; tennis and basketball courts; a running track with spectator stands; and a swimming pool. The proposal will enable the O’Bryant to grow from around 1,600 students to 2,000 students, adding 400 seats at the STEM-focused exam school. The Mayor has proposed an initial $18 million in the FY24-28 Capital Plan to begin demolition and school design, with additional funds for construction planned for next year to gut renovate the facility. Construction would begin in early 2025. 

Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper have asked Professor Richard O’Bryant, director of the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute at Northeastern University, O’Bryant School alumnus, and son of John D. O’Bryant, to chair an Alumni Steering Committee of Boston Technical High School and O’Bryant alumni to advise on the design, construction, and program of the renovated school.