Eliot K-8 Innovation School

John Eliot K-8 Innovation School
The Eliot School from the Boston City Archives.
Lower School: 16 Charter Street, Boston, MA 02113

Intermediate School: 173 Salem Street, Boston, MA 02113

Upper School: 585 Commercial Street, Boston, MA 02109
Information
Other namesEliot Innovation School, Eliot School
School typePublic School
Establishedc. 1713
School district
Boston Public Schools
NCES School ID
250279000230
Principal
Traci Walker Griffith
Head of School, G5-G8
Aliza Moschella
Head of School, K0-G4
Holly McPartlin
Student to teacher ratio
13.38:1
LanguageEnglish
CampusesLower School, Intermediate School, Upper School
Color   
Feeder to
Boston Latin School
Websitehttps://eliotk8school.org/

The Eliot K-8 Innovation School (also known as the Eliot Innovation School, John Eliot K-8 Innovation School, or simply the Eliot School) is a public K–8 school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is situated in the North End, a part of the city which has a large Italian-American population. It is listed as an innovation school by Boston Public Schools.[1] The school serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade and operates within the Boston Public Schools district. It was established in 1713, making it one of the oldest public schools in the United States.

It has three campuses - Lower, Intermediate, and Upper School - separating lower grades and upper grades. It is an innovation and technology-based school.[2][3]

History

Origins and early development

The Eliot K–8 Innovation School was originally established in 1713 under the name the "North Writing School" on Queen Street, North End.[4][5] At the time, writing schools were created to provide basic language education to children in the surrounding community.[6] The North Writing School taught local families and children of the North End for much of the 18th century and played an important role in the early development of public education in Boston.

In 1790, the North Writing School merged with the North Latin School,[7] which traditionally focused on classical studies such as the Latin language and preparation for higher education (similar to Boston Latin School). After this merger, the school adopted the name "Eliot", named after pastor John Eliot, in the Old North Church in the North End.[8]

1800s

Eliot School rebellion

In the 19th century, the Eliot School was the site of the Eliot School rebellion, a controversy involving religious practices in public education. In 1859, a Catholic student was whipped for refusing to recite the Ten Commandments from the King James version of the Holy Bible (following Massachusetts law), reflecting major religious tensions in Boston at the time. Following the Abington School District v. Schempp case decision regarding daily Bible recitations, the school is now secular and no longer affiliated with any religion.[9][10]

2000s

In the early 2000s, Eliot faced a period of poor academic performance. Expectations for grades were not met, and the school was facing the possibility of closure due to underperformance. During this period, concerns about enrollment, achievement levels, and overall school climate prompted local community discussions about restructuring.[11][12]

In 2012, the Eliot Innovation School completed an $11.3 million land swap with the vocational school North Bennet Street School. The 4 buildings Eliot received from the City of Boston were converted to the former Eliot Upper School. It was said to mark the start of growing demand for quality public schools in Boston.[13][14] The Upper School was moved and renovated later in the same decade.

Beginning in 2024, changing student demographics by race raised concerns with respect to the ethnic and racial diversity of the student body at Eliot.[15] Given the school district's history with segregation, including the desegregation busing crisis in the 1970s, this led to critics using the changing racial demographics of enrolled students as evidence of "resegregation" in Boston schools.[11] These criticisms highlighted the majority enrollment of white students at Eliot, in combination with higher standardized testing scores and better academic performance overall.[15]

As of 2026, the Eliot K–8 Innovation School operates across multiple campuses. According to WBUR and school sources, the number of applicants exceeds the number of available seats.[16]

Academics

Courses offered at Eliot range from the arts (Visual, Media Arts, Music, Theater), languages (English, Italian), STEM (computer science, robotics), and physical education. There are also extracurricular and after-school activities offered.[17]

The three campuses - Lower, Intermediate, and Upper - hold different grade levels. Lower school offers K0 to G1, Intermediate school offers G2 to G4, and Upper school offers G5 to G8.[18]

According to the U.S. News and World Report, the Eliot K-8 Innovation School is ranked among the top public elementary schools in Massachusetts.[19][20]

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
State average (E) 52 46 41 42 39
Boston average (E) 35 31 29 29 27
Eliot combined 72.5 69.5 68.5 71.5 71.5
State combined 50.5 39.5 40 41.5 40
Boston combined 34 25.5 26.5 27.5 26.5

(Note: Data for the year 2020 is unavailable, likely due to COVID-19.)

Student Body

The school enrolled 779 students during the 2025–26 school year. Over 63.5% of the student body is White.[21]

Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity (2025–26)
Race % of School % of District % of State
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.1 0.3 0.2
Asian 7.8 8.0 7.6
Black or African American 5.1 28.9 10.4
Hispanic or Latino 16.0 44.4 26.2
Multi-Race, Not Hispanic or Latino 7.2 3.9 4.8
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.1 0.1 0.1
White 63.5 14.5 50.8

(Taken from the Massachusetts School and District Profiles)[22]

Enrollment by Grade (2025–26)
PK K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 SP Total
District 2,621 3,248 3,345 3,304 3,338 3,323 2,905 2,869 2,834 2,895 3,140 3,281 3,430 3,677 206 44,416
Eliot K-8 Innovation School 96 80 82 83 84 91 95 91 33 44 0 0 0 0 0 779
American patriot Paul Revere

(Taken from the Massachusetts School and District Profiles)[22]

Administration

The principal of Eliot K–8 Innovation School is Traci Walker Griffith. She has worked at the school for 17 years. She is currently scheduled to retire at the end of the 2025–2026 school year.[23] Holly McPartlin is the head of school for grades K0 to G4.[24] Aliza Moschella is the head of school for grades G5 to G8.[25] The Eliot K-8 Innovation School also has a community family board that supports school initiatives.

Notable alumni

Eliot K-8 Innovation School is reported to have educated Paul Revere, a silversmith and American patriot known for his role in the American Revolution.[26] Paul Revere's silhouette is present in the school's official logo.

The Eliot K-8 Innovation School is also a feeder school to Boston Latin School, a magnet public high school in Boston.[27]

Public attention

In 2019, the Upper School campus was renovated, which drew attention to the city because of the new designs.[18]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the school was the first in Boston to close down and switch to Zoom for classes after someone tested positive while on campus. Other schools were shut down by Mayor Walsh following the shutdown of Eliot.[28][29]

In 2023, a Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted at the school included sexually explicit content in its survey, which resulted in public criticism from parents and the community.[30][31]

See also

References

Notes
Citations
  1. ↑ "School Types". Boston Public Schools. 2026-03-03. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  2. ↑ "Eliot K-8 Innovation School". US News & World Report.
  3. ↑ "Celebration of new Eliot School building". Boston government. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  4. ↑ prhstaff (2021-01-28). "An Introduction to Education in Early Massachusetts". Paul Revere House. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  5. ↑ "April Meeting, 1955". Colonial Society of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  6. ↑ "Definition of WRITING SCHOOL". merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  7. ↑ "APPENDIX II. HISTORY OF THE NORTH WRITING SCHOOL AND THE ELIOT SCHOOL". A Tercentenary History of the Boston Public Latin School, 1635–1935. Harvard University Press. 2013-10-01. pp. 396–400. doi:10.4159/harvard.9780674598935.c15. ISBN 978-0-674-59893-5. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  8. ↑ "Eliot, John (1604–1690) | History of Missiology". Boston University. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  9. ↑ "The Eliot School Difficulty at Boston Ended". The New York Times. 1859-03-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  10. ↑ "The Eliot School Rebellion, Boston, 1859: Education, Slavery and the Nineteenth Century Catholic Revival - Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life". Boston College. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  11. 1 2 Larkin, Max (2024-06-18). "How Boston's Eliot School desegregated — and resegregated". WBUR. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  12. ↑ "News Article". Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  13. ↑ "Eliot Upper School". Colantonio. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  14. ↑ "Boston land swap gives North End schools a lift - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  15. 1 2 "Boston's schools are becoming resegregated - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  16. ↑ "Major renovation of Eliot Upper School announced". Boston government. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  17. ↑ "Arts Coursetaking Data (2024-25) - Eliot K-8 Innovation School (00350096)". profiles.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  18. 1 2 "Renovation Now Complete for Boston's 300-Year-Old Eliot School - School Construction News". 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  19. ↑ Umholtz, Katelyn (2023-11-17). "Boston had exactly one elementary school in the U.S. News list of top 100 in Mass". Boston.com. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  20. ↑ "US News & World Report ranks Massachusetts elementary schools, with suburbs west of Boston leading the way - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  21. ↑ "Enrollment Data (2025-26) - Eliot K-8 Innovation School (00350096)". profiles.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  22. 1 2 "Enrollment Data (2025-26) - Eliot K-8 Innovation School (00350096)". profiles.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
  23. ↑ "Traci Walker Griffith - Principal of Eliot School - to retire at end of school year". NorthEnd.page. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  24. ↑ "Extended school day yields mixed results in Boston - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  25. ↑ "Kairos Conference Presenters". www.doe.mass.edu. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  26. ↑ "Biography". Paul Revere House. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  27. ↑ Wedge, Dave (2022-08-30). "The Future of Boston Latin". Boston Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-21.
  28. ↑ "Boston Closes Eliot K-8 School For A Week After Presumptive Coronavirus Diagnosis - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  29. ↑ Saperstone • •, Jeff (2021-03-13). "One Year After First Boston School Closed From COVID, Teachers Eligible for Vaccine". NBC Boston. Retrieved 2026-02-24.
  30. ↑ Brown, Jon (2023-03-21). "Boston middle school survey asking students about oral sex, transgenderism prompts parents' outrage". Fox News. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
  31. ↑ "Boston parents outraged after students given sex, gender survey". 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2026-05-30.
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