Boston — In her second annual State of the Schools address, Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper celebrated notable progress while candidly noting work that remains. Speaking to a crowd at the University of Massachusetts Boston, Wu highlighted that last school year the district set a record for the highest graduation rate in its history.
New Programs and Expanded Opportunities
Wu announced the opening of additional hub schools designed to provide comprehensive services under one roof. The mayor also unveiled plans to expand math clubs across the district and to offer free weekend sports programs for students in grades six through twelve, aiming to broaden extracurricular access for families across the city.
Persistent Academic Gaps
Despite the graduation milestone, the district continues to grapple with lingering academic gaps. Advocates such as Vernée Wilkinson of School Facts Boston called for more transparent data, saying, “I’d like to see updates. I want to see charts. I want to see graphs. I want to know where we’re closing gaps.” Mass Potential founder Mary Tamer added that a “missing piece” remains: “a lack of acknowledgement and the lack of a plan to address what is widespread failure throughout the school system.”
Context of Recent Test Scores
The address came just weeks after Boston Public Schools released standardized‑testing results showing that many students have not yet fully recovered from COVID‑era learning loss. The district’s performance still trails the 2019 baseline, a point Wu acknowledged while emphasizing broader gains.
When NBC10 Boston asked about the testing data, Wu responded, “We are now outperforming all 10 of our peer districts, as designated by the state. We have leapfrogged dozens of other districts. We’re not where we want to be, but it shows remarkable progress.”
Facilities and School Consolidation
Wu also revisited promises from her inaugural address, which called for standing up to federal cuts, upgrading facilities and expanding before‑ and after‑school programs. She noted that schools operating at half capacity or lower struggle to sustain robust programming, and suggested that creative changes—including strategic consolidations—could help maintain a full range of offerings.
“When schools are half empty or more, they can’t sustain the level of programming that’s required, or they’re very small and therefore can’t give that full range of offerings, then there are other creative changes that could help,” Wu told reporters after the speech.
Looking Ahead
Wu and Skipper concluded the event by reaffirming their commitment to keep Boston’s schools at the center of city conversations. The mayor’s office indicated that further data will be released in the coming months to track progress on graduation rates, extracurricular expansion and academic achievement.
Community members and education advocates are encouraged to attend upcoming school‑board meetings and public forums to stay informed and provide input on the district’s ongoing initiatives.
Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.
