Josiah Quincy Upper School Head Richard K. Chang, and Chinatown community members and city officials on Sept. 12 celebrated the ribbon cutting of the new Josiah Quincy Upper School in Chinatown. The school, serving grades 6-12, opened for the 2024-2025 school year with modern facilities including a media center, fitness center, and band rooms, all aimed at helping the Boston students reach their full potential. The $223.6 million project was jointly funded by the City of Boston and the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which contributed over $54 million.

The six-story building at 900 Washington St. houses 650 students, 84 staff members, 35 educational spaces, and 29 classrooms. It also features a 435-seat auditorium, a 125-seat black box theater, a 10,000-square-foot gym, and a cafeteria for 250. Construction began in June 2021 and finished last month.

“We have been arranging special tours for school families, and community associations can also request a tour of the new campus. While we don’t have plans for individual tours at the moment, we are planning to host open houses in the near future,” said Chang, who said the official move in to the school was a week prior to the ribbon cutting. “We’re also excited to announce a Homecoming Dance for current students and alumni, many of whom are in Chinatown, on Saturday, October 26th.”

The former Upper School building on Arlington Street will be used as swing space for other schools during their renovations, said Chang. 

Currently 580 students and 90 staff members at located at the new building.

“We will continue to grow each year, with an aim of 725 students,” said Chang.

Prior to the new building, the 500 or so Upper School students were for many years split between the 112-year-old Arlington Street building and a pre-cast concrete annex building on Washington Street that was built in the 1990s.

Mayor Michelle Wu, along with Superintendent Mary Skipper and Treasurer Deb Goldberg attended the ribbon cutting and so did some city council members.