Carrie Jung

As a new school year kicks off, teachers across Massachusetts will be heading back to the classroom with fewer colleagues.

The state's largest school district will enroll 50,600 students this year based on a preliminary count. The first day of school for grades 1 through 12 is Thursday, while pre-K and kindergarten students will start school on Monday.

Only about a third of buses delivered Boston Public Schools students on time to the first day of classes Thursday, according to data provided by the district.

Boston Public School officials and Mayor Michelle Wu are asking for patience from the city's K-12 school community amid abysmal on-time bus performance

Massachusetts public school students have not re-gained their pre-pandemic performance levels on state standardized tests, particularly on the English portion of the exam, based on 2024 test results released by the state Tuesday.

Reactions to the policies were mixed, even as some colleges looked to offer other ways — like guest lectures or group exercises — for students to express their opinions. Some students said they understand and appreciate tighter guidelines, while others expressed fury and frustration.

Carrie Jung | September 26, 2024 Along the brick-lined Boylston Place alleyway, Emerson College students fresh to the fall semester flit between classes or catch a quick bite on a picnic table.

Police move in to arrest pro-Palestinian supporters who were blocking the road after the Emerson College Palestinian protest camp was cleared by police in Boston, Massachusetts, on April 25, 2024. According to Boston Police, 108 people were arrested and 4 officers were hurt as they broke up the camp.

About sixty pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the Tufts academic quad Monday to demand the university end its investments or partnerships with Israel.

The students returning to community college classrooms are less interested in earning a bachelor's degree. They're coming for vocational training and high-tech skills.