Application Preparation
Prepare for the pieces BPS looks at
BPS builds one composite score from two things: 30% MAP Growth and 70% GPA. Grades are the larger share and are already being earned, so keep them steady while you plan for MAP Growth.
Checked against Boston Latin's published admissions pages on November 5, 2026.
Testing
What BPS uses to decide.
There is no separate Boston Latin entrance exam. BPS uses MAP Growth scores and grades.
- What BPS considers
- Admission is based on MAP Growth test scores and GPA. Invitations also consider socioeconomic tier and ranked preferences, within available seats.
- The composite score
- Each student receives a composite score based 30% on MAP Growth and 70% on GPA.
- MAP Growth, two tries
- MAP Growth is offered twice, and the higher percentile score in each subject is used.
- MAP Growth for BPS students
- BPS students in grade 6 or 8 at a non-exam school take MAP Growth in school from January 11 to 15, 2027, with no registration needed.
- MAP Growth on the weekend
- Non-BPS students in grade 6, 8 or 9, BPS grade 9 students, and exam school students seeking a different exam school take MAP Growth on the weekend of January 9 to 10, 2027. January 16 and 17 is reserved for severe weather.
- Weekend registration
- Registration for the weekend MAP Growth administration runs from October 13 to midnight on December 4, 2026.
- Grade 7 entry GPA
- For grade 7 entry, BPS uses grade 6 marks in English language arts, math, science and social studies, plus grade 5 English language arts and math from the last marking period.
- Grade 9 entry GPA
- For grade 9 entry, BPS uses grade 8 and grade 7 marks, and links a conversion fact sheet for schools with different grading scales.
- Extra composite points
- Students experiencing homelessness, living in BHA public housing, or in DCF care receive 10 additional composite points, applied within the tier-based share of invitations.
- School-based points
- School-based points were eliminated under the new policy.
- Tiers
- BPS ranks every Boston census tract on five socioeconomic factors (poverty, owner-occupancy, single-parent families, non-English-speaking households and educational attainment) and groups tracts into 4 tiers of roughly equal numbers of children in grades 5 to 8.
- Competing within a tier
- Students compete for seats only against students in their own tier. The tier with the lowest socioeconomic score is invited first in each round.
- When tiers update
- The 2026-27 tier map was posted March 1, 2026 and uses 2024 American Community Survey and 2020 census tract data. BPS says 2027-2028 tiers will be available in late winter of 2026-2027.
- 01
Ask the school which grades BPS already has on file, and check the grade 7 or grade 9 marks listed above.
- 02
Do not buy extra testing for Boston Latin: BPS uses MAP Growth, which it schedules itself.
Preparation plan
A plan that works backward from the deadline.
Adjust the pace to your student's schedule. The order matters more than the exact days.
First
Check eligibility
Confirm Boston residency for the parent and student, the entry grade, and a GPA of B or higher.
Early
Find your MAP Growth slot
BPS students in grades 6 and 8 test in school. Other students register for the weekend of January 9 and 10.
Next
Finish residency verification
Families not in a BPS school complete the residency form in the BPS portal by December 4.
Next
Keep grades steady
GPA is 70% of the composite score, so the marks BPS lists for your entry grade matter most.
Before the deadline
Rank in true order
Rank the exam schools in the order your student actually prefers, and submit before February 5 if you are a BPS student.
After submitting
Keep the confirmation
Save every confirmation and watch the BPS portal for decisions in late April.