How to Apply to Boston Exam Schools

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. Current BPS grade 8 exam school students are eligible to apply for grade 9 admission to a different exam school. City of Boston students currently in grades 6, 8, and 9 are eligible to apply to exam schools.

Step 1: Test Registration (MAP Growth)

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 for the application. The student must complete both sections of the test in order to receive a score. Students must sit for the BPS administration of the MAP Growth test in order to be considered for an exam school.

Current BPS students in grades 6 and 8 are eligible to take the test in their current school between December 5 and December 16, 2022 (no registration is required). 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 3, 2022.

Step 2: Residency Verification for Students not currently enrolled in BPS

This includes students enrolled in private or parochial schools, commonwealth charter schools, METCO schools, and homeschool. Parents/guardians of students who are not currently enrolled in Boston Public Schools are required to verify their City of Boston residency at a BPS Welcome Center as part of the application process.

The residency verification process must be completed between Tuesday, October 11 and Friday, November 18, 2022, to gain entry to the test site in December. Do note that test registration, AND residency verification are required in order to test on December 3, 2022. 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

Step 3: School Choice

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 express interest in the three exam schools, as well as other district schools within the child’s home-base. Current BPS students in grades 6 and 8 will receive a school choice form from their current school in late December/early January. The deadline to submit school choices will be late January 2023.

Step 4: GPA

For admissions for the 2022-2023 school year, the GPA will include marks from the previous year and current year. Students will need to have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of a B or higher to be considered for admissions. 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. Please check with your child’s school to ensure your child’s report card marks are complete and accurate. All applicants will receive a notification of eligibility in March 2023 to confirm if the student has met the minimum GPA requirement. Students that do not meet the GPA of a B or higher will not be considered for admissions and the application will be closed.

Step 5: Invitations

All applicants will receive an admissions decision letter in April-May 2023, which will share the student’s status (invited/not invited), composite score, and tier number, and waitlist if applicable. Please note that we do not accept appeals regarding final admissions decisions. Applicants that receive an invitation to an exam school will be able to participate in a welcome event hosted by the school to meet the staff and learn about course offerings, extracurricular activities, and ask questions. We ask that families confirm their intent by completing the RSVP process by mid-May 2023.

Allison Green
Boston Tutoring Services