Future Clap/Winthrop 2026 - 2027 School (Frederick Elementary School)
Boston Public Schools has voted to approve the merger of the Roger Clap Elementary School and the John Winthrop Elementary School for the 2026-2027 School. Both schools will merge into the Lilla G. Frederick Building to become a K0-6 Grade Frederick Elementary School. This page will keep the school community up to date about meetings, decisions, and how you can share your voice in this process.
Both schools will be open as normal next year (2025-2026) and then merge and relocate as a unified school to 270 Columbia Road in Boston becoming the Lilla G. Frederick Elementary School in the fall of 2026.
The Frederick will have an updated playground for students in Pre-K through Grade 6 to play. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE IN A PLAYGROUND: Fill out this Playground Community Survey by next Friday, June 27. This survey is open to both families and staff. You can find the survey in your preferred language here: English | Español | العربية | Cabo-Verdiano | Kreyòl Ayisyen | Português | Soomaali | Tiếng Việt
The Frederick will operate with a co-leadership model with both Principal Blake McKetty and Principal Fialka-Feldman serving as school leaders.
If the new Frederick is outside of your student’s “walk-zone,” your student will be eligible to ride the bus to school. Learn more about walk-zones and buses here.
The Frederick will be fully inclusive to students with disabilities and launch a new, first-of-its-kind dual language program for Cabo Verdean Creole, starting at the K1 level.
After multiple walkthroughs of the Frederick building, the District and the City’s Public Facilities Department has committed to delivering on the following before the start of the 2026-2027 school year when the merged community moves in:
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A playground to support a Pre-K - Grade 6 students;
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Renovated interior spaces to support Pre-K; and
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Visual updates, including ceiling, floor, and wall patching along with fresh paint, to make the school a welcoming place for an elementary school community
The school start time for the merged school will be 8:30 AM (arrival: 8:15 AM) beginning in the fall of 2026, the same current start time as the Winthrop School.
For next year (2025), the part-time School Psychologist at the Clap will be the same individual who serves as the part-time School Psychologist at the Winthrop, so that all students will have the opportunity to navigate this change with a common person who is knowledgeable about the merger.
Next year will be a planning year for the school communities. Principals Blake McKetty and Fialka-Feldman, with the support of Capital Planning and other central office teams, will map out the planning year in more depth over the summer. Our shared goal is to communicate back to both communities how you can be involved in shaping your future school community, and on what timeline, including the below:
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School culture (values, colors)
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Community-building events with both school communities
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Honoring the Clap & the Winthrop schools
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Inclusion planning (staff)
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Dual language planning (staff)
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Operational procedures for building close-outs and for the new building (staff)
The District will share an update on the future staffing plans in the fall. As a reminder, our goal is to add new classrooms through this merger, not reduce classrooms.
To stay informed and involved, we encourage you to:
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Subscribe to the Capital Planning Newsletter for regular updates and important announcements.
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Reach out to the Capital Planning team at (capitalplanning@bostonpublicschools.org) at any time with questions or ideas.
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For our students with disabilities, students and families can reach out directly to Assistant Director of the Office of Specialized Services, John Florence, jflorence@bostonpublicschools.org with any additional questions.
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For our multilingual learners, students and families can reach out directly to Deputy Chief of Operations and Accountability for OMME, Brittany Baggett, at bbaggett@bostonpublicschools.org and Deputy Chief of Instruction for OMME, Elena Luna, at eluna@bostonpublicschools.org with any additional questions.
