Boston Community Leadership Academy (BCLA)

Boston Community Leadership Academy is a pilot high school in the Boston Public School system, uniquely focused on preparing students to be both college ready and community leaders. Now in its eleventh year, BCLA was the first Boston high school to convert to a pilot school, and serves an economically and culturally diverse student population in grades 9 to 12. Students are accepted into BCLA by an application and interview process, and those who attend must want to pursue a post-secondary education.

BCLA was the recipient of the prestigious Thomas W. Payzant “School on the Move” Prize in 2009. The annual $100,000 citywide competition highlights the challenging and less publicized achievements of schools that are making progress toward closing the achievement gaps for all students.

A NEASC-accredited institution as of 2008, BCLA was also recognized as a Bronze Medal winner in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best High Schools” in 2009.

In 2011, BCLA was chosen as a host school for the Boston Teacher Residency program, which pairs experienced mentor teachers with its residents for intensive yearlong training in Boston’s best urban classrooms. As well, BCLA was identified for inclusion in the BPS Superintendent’s Access to Excellence plan, a citywide effort to increase access to and enrollment at Boston’s highest-performing schools.

Having enjoyed tremendous success, BCLA is poised for its next stage of growth. To fulfill its mission of community leadership, and as part of its strategic planning process, over the next five years BCLA will:

• Integrate lessons of community leadership into all subject areas at BCLA.
• Seek partnerships to augment our co-curricular offerings.
• Provide a four-year progressive experience for all BCLA students that starts with community service and culminates in an interest-based internship in the senior year tied to the senior Capstone course.