Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

Mayor Michelle Wu has committed the largest investment in a generation to the redesign of Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, the City’s only vocational high school. Madison Park must receive the support it needs to support its diverse high school student body as well as adult learners in the community. Our investments in the school must reflect the fact that Madison Park not only opens doors for its students, but also builds the economic vitality of our entire City.

After decades of disinvestment, Madison Park’s facilities are aging, and are not designed to support a full suite of innovative Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs connected to Boston industries. The redesign project is an opportunity to reinvigorate its CTE programs and equip students for high-quality, fulfilling careers in Boston, including the green sector jobs that will be critical to Boston’s future.

What is the timeline for the MSBA Core Program?

We were thrilled to receive an invitation to the Core Program eligibility period  in December 2025. The Eligibility period will officially begin on July 1, 2026. During this period, the district will be required to provide more information about the school, enrollment, and programming to the MSBA. The City Council will also appropriate funds for the Feasibility study and schematic design. Successful completion of these requirements will allow the MSBA to invite Madison Park into the capital pipeline. We anticipate the Feasibility period beginning in the Fall of 2027 and Design beginning in 2028.  All of the feedback we heard through the Programming and Feasibility Study will continue to be carried forward into the MSBA process.

What progress has been made so far, and what are the next steps?

• Programming and Feasibility Study (August 2022 - October 2023): We conducted a programming and feasibility study, working with Annum Architects in collaboration with the Public Facilities Department (PFD), the City of Boston, Boston Public Schools, and community stakeholders. The Feasibility Study assessed the current conditions of the facilities, identified the community priorities for a redesigned campus, and estimated the space needs of MPTVHS. The Feasibility Study is not the final design or architectural plan for the campus nor the program, but it helps us develop a cost estimate for the project for planning purposes.
• Procurement, Pre-Design Planning, and Cost Estimates (October 2023 - December 2024): The Public Facilities Department (PFD) hired an Owner’s Project Manager (OPM) – LeftField Project Management– an important step in a complex project of this size. The OPM also contracted with a labor market economist to complete a deeper analysis of current and potential CTE programs at Madison and their connection to good-paying local jobs. We also hired a design team to begin to translate the programming vision into facilities design concepts and develop detailed cost estimates for those design concepts. More information and visuals of the design concepts can be found here. Based on the cost estimates received in Fall 2024, we believe the best path to deliver the full vision of the Madison Park facilities redesign is to seek partnership from state and other sources to support the City’s investment.
• MSBA Core Program Application and Invitation into the Program (January 2025 - December 2025): We submitted a Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority in Spring 2025, and we were invited into the program in December of 2025. Up until the Eligibility period starts, we will begin collecting the information required by the MSBA.
• MSBA Eligibility Period (July 2026 - March 2027): We will compile information on Madison Park, its current enrollment and projections, and educational programming. The City Council will also appropriate funds for the Feasibility study and schematic design. After successful completion of these requirements, the MSBA is expected to invite Madison Park into their capital pipeline.

How are you engaging community members in this process?

We are committed to keeping the community actively involved at every stage of this project. We host periodic community meetings to share broad updates and hold monthly meetings with vocational experts, community advocates, alumni, partners, school leaders, and others to gather valuable feedback on project development. If you’d like to connect with a project team member or bring more information to your community, please reach out to capitalplanning@bostonpublicschools.org.

One example of this engagement was during the Programming & Feasibility Study, when we asked Madison Park community members key questions, such as: What do you love about your school? What do you want to see prioritized in a new building? Below are the key meetings that supported this study:

• June 24, 2022: Focus group with Madison Park leadership
• August 5, 2022: Educational leadership team kickoff meeting 
• August 2022: Visioning sessions with Madison Park leadership 
• September 27, 2022: Community meeting (virtual)
• October 17, 2022: Community meeting (virtual)
• October 2022: Focus groups with Madison Park students
• November 3, 2022: Focus group with Madison Park students
• November 15, 2022: Community visioning session
• November 17, 2022: Focus group with Madison Park students
• November 29, 2022: Community visioning session
• November 29, 2022: Focus group with Madison Park educators
• December 13, 2022: Focus group with Madison Park educators
• February 9, 2023: Community meeting (virtual)
• February 2023: Student forum
• June 21, 2023: Community meeting (virtual)
• March 2023: Family forum
• November 16, 2023: Community meeting (in-person)

Will Madison Park students have the opportunity to work on this project?

Yes! We will keep engaging Madison Park students throughout this process. Visiting classes and speaking with students has already informed and strengthened this project, and we will look for opportunities to give students hands-on experiences when design/construction are underway. In the meantime, Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper are making programmatic investments in the vocational programs for current students, long before construction even begins.

FEASIBILITY STUDY

What is the Madison Park Feasibility Study?

The Feasibility Study for the Madison Park project was prepared by Annum Architects in collaboration with the Public Facilities Department (PFD), the City of Boston, and school community stakeholders from August 2022 - October 2023. The Feasibility Study assessed the current conditions of the facilities, and identified the community priorities for a redesigned campus, and determined the space needs of MPTVHS. The Feasibility Study is not the final design or architectural plan for the campus nor the program, but it helps us develop a cost estimate for the project for planning purposes. It also includes an updated Educational Plan for Madison Park.

Another Feasibility study will be required to be conducted through the MSBA process. We will use the information from the previous feasibility study as much as possible in the MSBA Feasibility period.

LATEST DESIGN UPDATES

Which buildings will be used for the Madison Park project?

Through the Feasibility period, we will explore both renovation and new build scenarios for Madison Park to understand which option best meets the community’s vision for a redesigned school. We will invite the community to share feedback on all options throughout the Feasibility period process, and our goal will be to minimize any impact on the O’Bryant, Adult Education, the Re-Engagement Center, and other community organizations who use the campus. Will new programs be considered for Madison Park?

The Feasibility Study, guided by community meetings, identified new potential Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs and program spaces the school currently lacks, including an auditorium, performing arts spaces, and an expanded media center.

We have continued to review current CTE programs and potential new programs with the Madison Park leadership team as well as industry, labor, economic, data experts, and the MSBA to develop a final list of CTE programs.

How will this project impact the O’Bryant?

The O’Bryant and Madison Park have shared a campus since 1987. Mayor Wu and Superintendent Skipper proposed to move the O’Bryant to the West Roxbury Education Complex so that both programs can expand and have the state-of-the-art facilities students need. In March 2024, due to a lack of community consensus, the Mayor and Superintendent decided to pause that proposal. O’Bryant will be staying on the Malcolm X Blvd campus throughout Madison Park’s redesign project. Read the full letter to the O’Bryant community linked here.

What will happen to students during construction?

We are exploring both new build and renovation options and will aim to minimize disruption to students as much as possible. Renovation of the current Madison Park buildings would likely require students to learn in swing spaces across Boston for 3-4 years. Because of the significant impact to the student experience, we believe a new build scenario is a better option for Madison Park students, families, and staff. We also hope to create opportunities for Madison Park students to directly participate in design and construction of their new campus.

Will grades 7-8 be included in the redesigned Madison Park school building?

The Programming and Feasibility Study proposed expanding Madison Park to serve students in grades 7-12 to align with the typical BPS grade configuration for secondary schools. We plan to study a full 7-12 school enrollment during the feasibility and design periods with the MSBA.

What’s the plan for parking?

There are currently approximately 150 parking spaces at the rear of building 7 and on the street, which are primarily used by staff and students. Throughout the design process, the team will consider options for maintaining parking.