Original Research by School Decision on Fenway High School
Fenway High School is a public alternative high school in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, serving grades nine through twelve. As an alternative school within the Boston Public Schools system, it is designed to provide a different educational experience from a traditional comprehensive high school, though the precise nature of that alternative model—whether it emphasizes project-based learning, small classes, a particular social-emotional focus, or another pedagogical approach—is not specified in the available data. What is clear is that Fenway is not a charter school or a magnet school, and it operates as a regular public school with an alternative designation.
The school enrolls a moderate number of students for a high school of its grade band. The student body is predominantly Hispanic and Black, with relatively small shares of Asian, white, and multiracial students. No data is reported for the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, nor for those receiving special education services or English learner supports. That gap in the data does not mean these populations are absent—it simply means the information was not available. A parent or resident interested in these aspects would need to inquire directly with the school or district for a clearer picture.
Fenway is located in Roxbury, a densely populated urban neighborhood that has long been the cultural and civic heart of Boston’s Black community. The area is a mix of historic brick row houses and traditional triple-decker homes, with commercial life centered around Nubian Square, Crosstown, and Grove Hall. Nubian Square functions as a major transit hub for MBTA buses and the Silver Line, and the neighborhood has extensive parkland, including Franklin Park, the largest park in Boston. Roxbury has seen population growth and new development in recent years, with renewed commercial corridors and institutional investment such as the conversion of the Ferdinand building into Boston Public Schools headquarters. Housing costs in the neighborhood are high, reflecting Boston’s overall expensive market, but Roxbury is often described as relatively more affordable than other parts of the city and is attracting new development and newcomers.
The school itself sits at 67 Alleghany Street in Roxbury. No data is available on the school facility, condition, or campus layout. Similarly, there is no reported information on course offerings, Advanced Placement or dual-enrollment programs, career and technical education pathways, extracurricular activities, or support services. The data on school environment and access—including discipline, attendance, staffing ratios, and teacher qualifications—is entirely absent. For a parent evaluating academic opportunities, these are significant gaps.
State assessment results are not reported for Fenway High School. The school’s four-year graduation rate is also not reported. The comparison fact-set, which looks at the school relative to districts in Suffolk County, found that the metrics for proficiency, graduation rate, and chronic absenteeism were not applicable because the values are missing. For an alternative school, this kind of data gap is not uncommon. Alternative programs sometimes serve students who may take different assessments or follow non-traditional graduation timelines, and some states do not report standardized test results for schools with small enrollments or alternative designations. Without the data, it is not possible to say how Fenway’s academic performance compares to other high schools in Boston or Suffolk County, nor to place it within a broader context.
What a family can consider is the school’s identity as an alternative high school. Alternative schools in Boston are often smaller, more relationship-focused, and designed for students who may benefit from a less conventional setting. Some are themed around social justice, arts, or college readiness. Fenway’s name and location suggest a possible affiliation with the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, but the school is actually in Roxbury; the available data does not explain the origin of the name or the school’s founding mission. The lack of program and outcome data means that families interested in Fenway High School would need to rely on school visits, conversations with staff and current families, and materials from the school itself to understand the specific educational approach and whether it fits a student’s needs.
The district brief for Boston Public Schools found little in the way of recent district-level policy or budget changes that would be relevant to a parent researching an individual school. That means there is no reported context of major district initiatives, restructuring, or funding shifts that might affect Fenway.
In short, Fenway High School presents as a Roxbury-based alternative high school with a moderate enrollment and a student body that is majority Hispanic and Black. The available data offers almost no information about academic performance, graduation outcomes, programs, staffing, or student support services. A parent or resident considering this school would need to pursue further information from the school and district to determine whether its alternative model aligns with their student’s needs and to fill in the substantial gaps left by the public data.
See more original research from School Decision →