Last updated on December 11, 2024
English High School is one the seven Boston Public Schools that were approved by the state for new multilingual education programs beginning in the 2025-2026 school year.
“Approval of the new programs is a critical step for our district in our efforts to serve our Multilingual Learners,” said BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper. “The development of these programs reflects our commitment to centering students’ identities and leveraging their home languages to accelerate their learning in school. We are steadfast in our commitment to celebrating students’ native languages while delivering on our promise of a high-quality education for every BPS student.”
BPS developed bilingual education proposals for schools around the city that will serve English Learners, from kindergarten to high school, across five elementary schools and two secondary schools. The district submitted the proposals to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and received DESE’s approval earlier this month, according to a press release.
The new bilingual education programs include dual-language programs in Spanish/English, a transitional bilingual education program in Spanish, and programs designed for newcomers to the district, with English High School being a newcomer school.
Newcomer programs are for multilingual learners who have arrived recently to the United States and may need social and emotional support in adjusting to the new school environment, according to a press release. Instruction will primarily be in English and teachers use specific techniques to make content learning in math, science, and social studies accessible to multilingual learners at beginning levels.
Beginning in the fall of 2025 more than 200 students will have access to the programs, which are expected to expand capacity by 30 percent in each subsequent year.
About one-third of BPS students are English language learners. The recently approved programs are designed to meet the specific needs of different student populations by considering languages being spoken across Boston neighborhoods, bilingual educators in each school, and the surrounding geography of bilingual education programming. The
The seven new programs join a growing number of schools of bilingual education programs throughout Boston. This school year, the Margarita Muñiz Academy in Jamaica Plain — currently the district’s only dual-language secondary school — expanded its Spanish/English dual language program to its first-ever class of 7th grade, and also added a new program for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE).
