Boston Green Academy is Ready for a Sustainable Future

The nine semifinalists for the 2024 School on the Move Prize are excellent examples of the conditions of sustainable school improvement EdVestors’ research has identified. You can read all their stories here. Please join us at the Prize Ceremony on October 22!

On Earth Day 2023, students at Boston Green Academy (BGA) celebrated with a “Trashion Show”, parading recycled fashion down the runway. But sustainability isn’t a once-a-year concern at the grades 6-12 school in Brighton. BGA is on a mission to prepare Boston’s youth every day to meet the challenge of climate change and environmentalism. To accomplish this, BGA has invested in key conditions of school improvement identified by EdVestors’ research: a shared vision focused on sustainability and academic rigor and student support for all.

The growing sustainability sector is full of opportunities that students of color don’t always have access to, while the effects of climate change affect their communities disproportionately. BGA is looking to change that. Students can enroll in an Environmental Science career pathway, take AP Environmental Science, experience hands-on outdoor learning with nonprofit partners, and complete capstone internships in green careers. Each grade dives deep into a green topic each year, culminating in a final showcase. 

To live up to its mission of preparing all students for the future, BGA is increasing inclusion and making coursework more rigorous. Educators have worked since 2016 to improve classroom engagement and rigor through instructional rounds. The school has targeted its pandemic funding towards dual certification in special education, reading and math interventionists, and tutoring. 

This work is essential because students with disabilities make up 32% of BGA’s population, ten points higher than the BPS average. BGA’s Learning for Independence program provides 5 years of support to transition students with complex disabilities to their next step, including a year of hybrid work/school. The school’s dedication to serving students with disabilities is reflected in higher graduation and college attendance rates and a lower dropout rate for disabled students than BPS’s average.

A decade after its founding, BGA is setting a sustainable course for the next ten years as a school on the move.

Boston Green Academy was a 2023 School on the Move Finalist. Hear from students and school staff themselves on their improvement story.

Learn more about Boston Green Academy here