Original Research by School Decision on Another Course to College
Another Course To College is an alternative high school in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood, serving grades nine through twelve. It is a school within the Boston Public Schools district, but its designation as an alternative school signals a different structure from a traditional comprehensive high school. Alternative schools in Massachusetts are typically designed for students who have not thrived in a conventional setting, often with smaller class sizes, additional support structures, or a more flexible academic model. A family considering this school should understand that this label is central to its identity and mission.
The school is small, with an enrollment that is evenly distributed across the four grade levels, each class holding roughly the same number of students. The student body is predominantly Black and Hispanic, together making up the vast majority of the school’s population. White students and students of two or more races each represent a very small share, and Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students are not represented in the reported data. Key demographic indicators that often give parents a fuller picture of a school’s student population, such as the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, those with individualized education programs, and English learners, were not available. This is a notable gap; a parent may want to ask the school directly about the support systems available for students with special needs or language learning needs.
No state assessment data was reported for this school, and no graduation rate was available. For an alternative high school, both gaps are common and do not necessarily indicate a weak or strong outcome. Many alternative schools serve students who are working to recover credits or are on non-traditional timelines, which means standard accountability metrics like a four-year graduation rate or across-the-board proficiency scores may not capture their work. Still, without this information, a family cannot draw direct comparisons from public data to other high schools in Boston or Suffolk County. When we looked for the school’s relative position among the county’s districts, the data was simply not reported, so we left that comparison out.
The neighborhood context matters. Hyde Park is Boston’s southernmost neighborhood, a predominantly residential area that residents often describe as having a “small town in the city” feel. It has distinct commercial squares, a strong homeownership rate, and a racially diverse population where no single group forms a majority. The area is one of Boston’s more affordable neighborhoods, with a mix of historic homes and mid-century single-family houses, and it maintains an active industrial section. The Neponset River runs through the center, and the Stony Brook Reservation provides walking trails and open space. Commuter rail stations connect residents to downtown Boston. For a family living in Hyde Park or nearby neighborhoods, the school is part of a community that balances urban access with a quieter, more suburban street life.
The district itself, Boston Public Schools, is a large urban system. We searched for recent district-level changes or policies that would directly affect this school but found little that was specifically reported. The district brief turned up no parent-relevant changes to note, so we have not included speculation. The school operates under the district’s umbrella, meaning policies on enrollment, transportation, and curriculum are set at the system level.
This school will fit a student who needs the smaller, more responsive environment that an alternative high school can offer. It is not a setting for a student seeking a large, traditional high school experience with the typical range of Advanced Placement courses, extracurriculars, and large peer groups. The absence of published academic performance data means that prospective families will need to have a direct conversation with the school to understand its academic pathways, post-graduation outcomes, and the specific supports it provides. The school’s website or a visit would be the best next step for anyone trying to determine whether this is the right match.
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