BPS announced it is closing Excel High School aka Southie High
The Boston Globe is reporting that Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper is expected to recommend the closure of multiple schools Tuesday, including Excel High School and Dever Elementary.
Apparently, the list was leaked publicly and the school community was informed on Monday. See letter below:
Dear Excel High School Community,
Given shifting circumstances, I wanted to be sure you heard the news from our team. On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, we will recommend next steps in implementing the Long-Term Facilities Plan to the Boston School Committee. This includes recommending the closure of Excel High School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
This recommendation is part of a package of proposals that includes a number of school closures, a merger, and plans for grade reconfigurations, which, if approved, would go into effect for the 2026-2027 school year. We have already started conversations with impacted school communities and will share more details about the proposal for Excel tomorrow, January 7.
We understand that news of closures can bring a range of emotions for students, families, and staff. We also know that these steps are necessary to ensure that every student has a high quality seat in each of our schools – with high-quality options close to home. We have been in close contact with your school leader, Nachelle Gordon, and will have district support at your school tomorrow as you process this news.
Throughout the transition process, we commit to working closely with each and every Excel family and providing personalized support to help identify schools that best meet each student’s needs and aspirations.
We will continue to create space for community feedback in the coming weeks and months. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the BPS Capital Planning team at capitalplanning@
Sincerely,
Mary Skipper
Recently, BPS shared recommendations for select closures and mergers impacting a total of 6 schools including Excel, identified through a rigorous, transparent, data-driven, process:
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This includes 2 high school closures, 1 elementary school closure, 1 merger of two elementary schools, and the conversion of 1 high school from a degree-granting school into a program.
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These recommendations will be presented to the Boston School Committee on January 22, 2025. We expect the School Committee to vote on these proposals in March/April 2025.
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper recently shared that the current Excel High School building is in need of capital investments, which the district plans to make after the 2025-2026 school year with the vision of bringing an anchor high school back to the neighborhood.
What does this mean for our neighborhood and students? The vision is to have a fully enrolled high school in the next few years that will be sought out by students and families and delivers the High Quality Student Experience, including early college and career pathways, robust academic programming and a range of extracurriculars–all important pieces in building a strong school community. Excel’s current building has excellent potential and a beautiful WWI memorial in the lobby, which will be preserved alongside the modernization work throughout the learning spaces allowing us to develop programming that best serves our students.
How will this closure impact current Excel High School students in South Boston?
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Current 12th graders who are eligible to graduate will graduate in 2025, and current 11th graders will transition to 12th grade and then will be eligible to graduate next year. BPS will cap new enrollment at 9th grade starting in Fall 2025.
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Though the building is in poor condition, it shows great potential to support a high-quality student experience. The building is currently being scoped for a decarbonization project through Renew Boston Trust. We are committed to maintaining an anchor high school in South Boston.
The Long-Term Facilities Plan is available for community members to review. BPS has evaluated all schools in the District based on the public Decision-Making Data Framework. The data framework is described here, and all data is publicly available here.
If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Boston Public Schools for further information at BPS Helpline at 617-635-8873 or capitalplanning@
Here’s a statement from City Councilor Flynn re: closure
Flynn Excel High School Closure Statement 1.7.25
Maureen Dahill is the founder of Caught in Media. Once a longtime wardrobe and prop stylist for brands such as Rue La La, TJ Max & Hasbro, she is a devoted lover of vintage clothing, Martini Mondays, Castle Island, AND a 4th generation South Boston native.
What are they going to do with the building when the students are gone. Don’t tell me more condos
Wow! Condos anyone….
Madame Wu is finishing the job that Kevin White started. It took longer than expected, but the carpetbagger class never lost their vision.
….Jamaica Plain. His wife is a Charlestown Townie.
The only carpetbagger here is the one from the bucolic, serene streets of Chiraq. And she should go back from whence she came.
…say: “If you can’t strong-arm the business community into handing over free migrant housing by walking away from their overvalued, overtaxed buildings…close Southie High. That’ll work, too.”
Are you still not seeing it, people?
#Run, Eddie, Run🇺🇸✊🏻☘️
I know that it’s too far fetched in today’s economic environment, but instead of condominiums in an already too crowded and overdeveloped neighborhood maybe the National Parks Service could get control of the land. They are currently finishing up a tremendous restoration project of the Monument and could possibly use some of that space for a historical information and educational center and other projects.
Mr Walsh why don’t you just recognize the desire of the area that you persevered and allow a new generation the opportunity to experience it with opportunity instead of history
Now that the height have been beautified no one wants the school in the way. Same with the Dever that area it going to be that next seaport area who wants a school in the area
I must have interpreted Mary Skipper’s letter incorrectly… is the following not to be believed?
“Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper recently shared that the current Excel High School building is in need of capital investments, which the district plans to make after the 2025-2026 school year with the vision of bringing an anchor high school back to the neighborhood.
What does this mean for our neighborhood and students? The vision is to have a fully enrolled high school in the next few years that will be sought out by students and families and delivers the High Quality Student Experience, including early college and career pathways, robust academic programming and a range of extracurriculars–all important pieces in building a strong school community. Excel’s current building has excellent potential and a beautiful WWI memorial in the lobby, which will be preserved alongside the modernization work throughout the learning spaces allowing us to develop programming that best serves our students.”
Seems to me they are going to fix up the current building and transform it into a modernized and more desirable high school option for our local youth – no?
We shall see. They are closing it for now, hoping to make it another BPS anchor school in the future.
How much more can they take from Southie?? It’s really sad that the families in Southie and their needs don’t matter to these Politicians who are NOT ever from this state! Go back where you came from.