Busing Project

Fifty years after the desegregation mandate for the Boston Public Schools, Councilor Weber would like to create a map tool to visualize the demographics of Boston Public School’s (BPS) facilities to understand the current state of school integration. Despite efforts to promote diversity through busing programs, significant segregation and disparities in school performance persist–there are vast differences in academic outcomes depending on the resources at different schools. Several Boston City Councilors have filed a hearing order addressing concerns about rising busing costs, long student commute times, and limited access to nearby schools. In response, our project will develop an interactive mapping tool that visualizes demographic patterns of school-age children across Boston’s neighborhoods, overlaid with the locations and grade levels of BPS schools. This tool will help evaluate the impact of current busing policies on school integration and equitable access to education. By analyzing enrollment trends, demographic shifts, and historical context, we aim to assess whether busing has met its original goals—or if new approaches are needed to better support Boston’s students.