Boston Leads Massachusetts in AI Literacy Push for High School Students

Boston is redefining public education through artificial intelligence. On March 26, Mayor Michelle Wu, BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper, and Paul English—co-founder of travel website Kayak and graduate of Boston Public Schools—announced a landmark $1 million public-private partnership that makes Boston the first major American city to ensure every high school graduate achieves AI proficiency. English, who established the Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute at UMass Boston, is funding the initiative alongside city government, higher education, and industry partners. The program launches this September across 20 Boston Public Schools high schools, with plans for districtwide expansion. Teachers selected by Superintendent Skipper will train this summer in an AI curriculum developed by UMass Boston and local industry groups. Some BPS students will have the opportunity to take AI courses directly at UMass Boston, creating pathways that extend beyond traditional classroom instruction. The curriculum emphasizes both practical AI skills and critical evaluation of the technology's ethical implications. Boston's push aligns with a broader Massachusetts initiative. The state's STEM Advisory Council and Massachusetts Technology Collaborative partnered with Project Lead The Way to pilot AI curriculum components across 30 school districts statewide, reaching approximately 1,600 students in the first year. The pilot supports 45 educators across these districts, giving students hands-on opportunities to explore transformative technologies. Lisa Irey, Chief Technology Officer at Boston Public Schools, has emphasized that AI personalization can accelerate learning dramatically—students can cover two years of content in six weeks with concentrated AI tutoring—while reducing teacher burnout and improving retention. The initiative reflects a recognition that AI literacy has become essential preparation for higher education and career success. By positioning Boston as a national model, Wu and her administration are signaling that public schools must actively prepare students not just to use AI tools, but to understand and evaluate them critically. As Massachusetts leads this educational transformation, the success of Boston's program will likely influence how other districts across the state approach AI integration in classrooms.