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Making Boston The Best Place For Youth And Families

Boston should be the best place in the country to raise a family, with high quality, supportive programs and facilities accessible to all our residents. The FY25 Recommended Budget invests in quality of life for multiple generations of Bostonians.

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Between the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and charter schools, public education makes up almost 40% of the City’s FY25 budget. A BPS operating budget of $1.53 billion will support about 50,000 students in public schools, and $287 million will support roughly 10,400 Boston students in charter schools. The City’s FY25 recommended budget also includes investments for youth-focused personnel and the continuation of youth-focused programming for out of school time. An additional set of investments in community spaces and services for older adults and families helps reinforce our commitment to the health and well-being of residents at different stages of life. 

Education Funding

The City's education budget will increase by $87 million over the FY25 appropriation, a combination of $80.8 million growth in the Boston Public Schools (BPS) budget and $6.2 million in Charter School Tuition Assessment payments.

 In FY25 BPS is proposing a $20 million investment in inclusive practices. After a planning year in FY24, resources for inclusion will be rolled out to early and middle grades in FY25, with the ultimate goal of closing opportunity gaps for the highest need students, including Students with Disabilities, Multilingual Learners, and Black and Brown students. 

An additional $6 million investment in schools will enhance supports for students by adding Special Education coordinators, school psychologists, guidance counselors, and new staffing in Transformation Schools. Part of this investment will also fund MassCore implementation to ensure that graduating BPS students are ready for post-secondary opportunities in college and the workforce.

FY25 will be a transitional year for the district, as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds are expiring. To prepare for the loss of these funds, the City moved about $15 million in personnel and services aligned with the district's strategic priorities to the operating budget in FY24. Continuing this effort in FY25, $6 million in new operating funding will sustain Central Office capacity that was previously funded on ESSER, including Equitable Literacy Coaches, Student Support personnel, Capital Planning capacity, educator recruitment and retention, and family engagement. The FY25 budget also includes $4 million to dedicate a portion of supplementary funds carried on ESSER in FY24 to support schools in which enrollment is projected to increase in FY25. More information on the FY25 BPS budget can be found here.

Education Budget by Fiscal Year

Nearly 90% of the BPS budget will go into schools or toward direct student services.

BPS Capital

The Long Term Facilities Plan for Boston Public Schools will result in new school buildings in partnership with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), as well as reconfiguring and renovating existing schools to align schools with K-6/7-12 and K-8/9-12 pathways. The planning process is focused on creating high-quality, twenty-first-century learning environments that enable students to close opportunity gaps. Over the next five years the FY25-29 Capital Plan projects $1.3 billion in BPS related spending.

JQUS rendering
Rendering of the future JQUS building in Chinatown

This Capital Plan allows the City to invest in new BPS projects and continue to support projects already in the pipeline, including: 

  • The Josiah Quincy Upper School will finish construction and programming and construction for Madison Park and the Carter will continue.
  • Renovation work for the temporary Horace Mann will complete and renovation work will begin for the Sumner-Philbrook school merger.
  • Feasibility study will begin for the Shaw School and Taylor School merger, funded in partnership with the MSBA.
  • Renovations will continue at the P.J. Kennedy School to renovate the heating systems and add accessibility improvements to the school.

Community, Families, and Older Adults

While Boston Public Schools is critical to creating intergenerational opportunity, a series of investments elsewhere in the FY25 Recommended Budget are designed to enrich the lives of Bostonians of all ages. These include:

Limbo activity at an event for older adults
Attendees participate in a game of limbo at an event for older adults
  • Over $500,000 to engage older adults and provide support to organizations that address older adult socialization.
  • Close to $100 million to build a new Fields Corner Library and a Grove Hall Community Center.
  • $54.4 million to repair and renovate pools at BCYF and BPS facilities.
  • Increased funding for block parties to help build community in Boston's neighborhoods.

Learn more about the Budget

FY25 Executive Summary
FY25 Operating Budget
FY25 Capital Budget
FY25 Featured Analyses
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