Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What grades do you serve?
Young Achievers enrolls students in grades K0-8.
How long is your school day?
We provide an Extended School Day supported by the Massachusetts Department of Education with more time in school for both academics and enrichment.
Our academic school day starts at 9:15AM and dismissal starts at 4:00pm. If you would like your child to have school breakfast, they must arrive by 9:00AM. Dismissal transition begins at 3:55PM and bus loading begins at 4:15PM
Young Achievers also offers Before (BSP) and After School (ASP) Programming through YMCA
These programs are fee-based, families who wish to use this service must complete a registration form, financial forms. Weekly payment fees are calculated based on family income and size. The program also accepts state vouchers from families who qualify.
Monday- Friday
Before School Program 7:00AM - 9:10AM
After School Program 4:00PM -6:00PM
What is your average class size and teacher/adult ratio per class?
Most of our classes (K-4th grade) are inclusion classes with 20 students in total. 15 regular education students and 5 students with special needs. Fully enrolled inclusion classes have two staff members ( a headteacher and a paraprofessional) In addition, our K0-2nd-grade classrooms have volunteers from a partnership with Generations Inc. and in 3rd-8th grade
Do you have a uniform policy?
Yes. Young Achievers adopted a MANDATORY uniform policy in September 2009, which means all Young Achievers scholars in K-8th Grades must wear the required uniform. Researches have proven that having uniforms in schools has helped to promote academic achievement, build community, and most importantly improve student safety.
What specialist classes do you offer?
On a trimester basis, Young Achievers offers all students a variety of specialist classes:
Chess, Drama, Dance, Visual Arts, Physical Education, Music, Martial Arts, Woodworking, and STEM.
How do I enroll at Young Achievers?
Young Achievers enrolls students through the Boston Public School enrollment process.
Based on the family’s home address, the BPS Enrollment Office will generate a list for families based on the family’s needs and wants. Families with children in transitional grades (K, 5th, and 8th grades) register during the first round in early January, and families with children of non-transitional grades register in the second round which usually takes place in early February. The application enters a lottery for the open seats available in the school.
Please read more about the BPS school assignment process here.
How can parents be involved at the school?
At Young Achievers parents, family members and guardians are our most important partner in ensuring student success. There are formal and informal ways to be involved in the school:
Formal Ways:
- School Site Council (SSC) which has 7 voting parent members and 2 alternate parent members
- All families are part of our School Parent School (SPC) - Through an election process we elect parents to assume more specific roles in the SPC and through the same process elect the parent representatives for the SSC
- Parents are expected to attend two face to face parent-teacher conferences per year.
Informal Ways:
We encourage and welcome parents to participate and or volunteer in:
- Family Fun Nights
- Scholastics Bookfair 2 times per year
- Family Presentations
- Become Classroom parents
- School Wide Events
- Chaperone on Field Trips
- Attend and participate in publishing parties
- Parent generated initiatives
- Coffee Hour
ABOUT OUR MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM
At Young Achievers, we have built a grade 5-8 curriculum focusing on academic achievement in the four (4) core subjects science, math, English language arts and social studies. In grades 5 and 6, students are taught by two interdisciplinary teachers. One teacher focuses on science/math and the second teacher delivers a humanities curriculum. For grades 7-8 students are taught by four discipline-specific teachers in science, math, English language arts and social studies.
Students regularly interact with community partners as part of their academic work, enrichment experiences, field studies, service learning and through public exhibitions of their own work. Community partners are utilized through activities such as neighborhood data collection, interviews about what activists do in the community and through shared discussion with community members about their own mastery of K-8 academic content.
In Middle School, our commitment to these curricular approaches offers your students some particularly rich opportunities that we believe are unique and special from a typical public school experience.
Thompson Island Leadership and Science Education Program – All grade 5-8 students visit Thompson Island which is part of the Boston Harbor Island National Park. While on Island students build individual leadership skills, learn strategies to work together as a community and apply sophisticated science data collection strategies that teach to the MA science and math curriculum frameworks. Grades 5-6 go for single day programming and grades 7-8 visit for both overnight and single day programming. All middle school students have unique scholarship access to Thompson Island’s summer programming that is free of charge to all YA students. This includes a 5-week summer school for rising 6th graders, 1-2 week adventure programming for all students age 12 and up, and unique summer employment opportunities for all students age 15 and up.
Boston Community Boat Building – All grade 5 students apply real-life math, engineering and science skills over 11 consecutive afternoons throughout the year to build a boat they will launch and row on Jamaica Pond in the spring. Students use the boats to collect water quality data in Boston Harbor and are engaged in a humanities-based curriculum about the history of African American and Latino ship captains who worked and sailed through Boston Harbor.
Field-Based Learning – In addition to many of the opportunities described, our middle school students take part in a range of other curriculum connected field-based learning experiences that are an important part of the school’s curriculum. The 6th graders go on a 3-day field learning trip to Cardigan Mountain in New Hampshire where they conduct experiments related to their Weather & Water and Human Body science curriculum. Grade 7 visits the Forest Hills pond to conduct water testing and to collect animal species to better understand species diversity. Grade 5 utilizes real-life levers and pulleys out in the schoolyard as part of their Force and Motion curriculum.
Costa Rica – Each year, 15 grade 8 students have the opportunity to go to Costa Rica for a rich science and cultural immersion experience. Students stay on a remote island on the west coast of Costa Rica. They work with Costa Rican scientists to learn about rainforest ecology, collect real-life data to advance their research and implement tree planting projects that benefit the rainforest for the next generation of Young Achievers students.
Family Presentation – All middle school students are required to present their work to families and the greater Young Achievers community once a year. These presentations provide students with an authentic audience where they can discuss their academic progress and learning. These presentations usually represent the conclusion of a culminating project-based unit focusing on the real-life application of science, math, social studies, and English language arts.
Portfolios – All 8th-grade students are required to present and pass a portfolio of academic work demonstrating the relationship between academic work completed and proficiency in the Young Achievers 6 habits of mind. This academic exhibition takes place at the end of 8th grade. Each student presents independently to a panel of 3-4 judges. Families take part in the preparation and are present for the final presentation. Many of our students and families find this to be the most important academic “right of passage” for their students K-8 experience at Young Achievers.
8th Grade High School Support and Leadership Program – We have a dedicated 8th-grade staff that coordinates the high school selection process, placement of students in internships to explore career ideas and to support students in the portfolio exhibition process. Our goal is for families to easily access the supports they need to select the best fit high school. We want 8th graders to have real-world experiences through internships at area non-profits and businesses. Finally, we want 8th graders to be reflective about these how these experiences will help them be leaders as they transition out of Young Achiever and into high school.
Athletic Sport Offerings
For students in grades 6-8, we offer several after school sports for our students including track, basketball, soccer, cheerleading and football. Further, as one of the first schools to partner with Harlem Lacrosse - Boston, our girls and boys complete against other area schools.
Middle School Athletic Sport Eligibility (as per BPS guidelines)
- 2.0 GPA or Higher (schools may choose to have a higher GPA for athletic participation)
- School attendance rate of 93% or higher
- Physical examination completed within the last 13 months, that does not expire before the end of the season, with sports clearance from the school nurse
- Students that turn 15 before September 1 of the current academic year, are ineligible to compete.
- Yearly signed parental consent form (transferable season to season)