Twentieth Century

By the early twentieth century, Boston had begun to establish vocational and technical high schools for both girls and boys.  During the first half of the 1900s, Mechanic Arts High School, the High School of Commerce, and Boston Trade School all trained boys in trade, industry, and technology. The High School of Practical Arts, the Trade School for Girls, and the Boston Clerical School offered vocational training to girls.  Further change visited the Boston Public Schools during the 1970s. In 1972, Boston Latin and English High became co-educational. Two years later, a federal judge determined that the Boston School Committee had maintained a segregated school system and ordered busing to promote school integration.  By 1989, the School Committee had been replaced by an appointed board and Judge Arthur Garrity approved the “Controlled Choice” plan which employed a lottery system. Currently, the Boston Public School System consists of over 130 schools and over 57,000 students.