BPS outlines postsecondary strategy: early college growth, CTE expansion and new transition program for older special‑education students

Boston Public Schools told the City Council it is rebuilding and expanding postsecondary pathways after pandemic setbacks, with plans to increase early college access, grow career and technical education participation and open a centralized transition program for older special‑education students.

Why it matters: Postsecondary outcomes drive graduation supports, district partnerships and program investments. Expanded early college and career pathways aim to improve college completion and workforce placement for students who historically had lower postsecondary persistence.

Key points - Immediate college entry and recovery: Marsha (Marcia) Ennis Mitchell reported BPS immediate college enrollment at about 54% for recent graduates, down from roughly 61% pre‑pandemic; the district is awaiting 2024 clearinghouse data for updated figures. - Pandemic impact and recovery goals: Superintendent (unnamed) said Success Boston work improved college completion rates from about 35% historically to the high‑50s before the pandemic, with an aspirational 70% goal; the pandemic then lowered those gains and the district is implementing programmatic recovery strategies. - Early college and CTE scale‑up: The district plans to expand early college from dozens to about 1,000 students next year and expects career‑connected learning to reach roughly 4,000 students, under new secondary office plans. - Transition and alternative programs: BPS described a planned program called NEXT for 18–22 special‑education students focused on transition training, life skills, travel training and career readiness so those students can have a cohort‑based post‑graduation pathway.

Supporting details Ted Lombardi, the district’s high‑school superintendent, said the district has intentionally expanded access to career and technical education; he cited partnerships (including the EMK/Mass General project) that link secondary programming to regional job demand in health care and other fields. The district also reported year‑after surveys and graduate tracking work to better measure outcomes, and officials said they will continue to develop a public dashboard to show pipeline metrics from graduation through postsecondary persistence.

Quotes - "That enrollment rate is currently around 54 percent," Marsha Ennis Mitchell, on immediate postsecondary enrollment using National Student Clearinghouse data. - "We started out with a few, you know, like 70 students 3 years ago. We'll be upwards of a thousand students in early college credit bearing courses next year," Superintendent (unnamed).

What the district will do next BPS said it is expanding alternative education, early college and CTE pathways, including targeted supports for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Officials said they will share more detailed outcome dashboards and graduate tracking results as data are compiled.