Using School Records for Genealogy Research

School records, including information about students and school employees, can offer a fuller picture of a relative or ancestor’s life.

Below is an overview of how to access school records in Massachusetts, with an emphasis on public education in Boston.

Good Things to Know

For records from schools that are still open, contacting the school directly will be your best option
Non-public schools (private, charter, parochial) may not be required to release information
Privacy laws may prohibit public access to certain records
Local libraries in other cities/towns may have yearbooks from schools in those places
The BPL does not have the following:
- Student records for past or present students at Boston Public Schools (BPS)
- Personnel records for past or present BPS employees
- A collection of yearbooks

General Resources

Patterson's American Education - Contains information about public and private schools (including colleges and universities) in the United States. Available upon request at the Research Services desk on the second floor of the McKim Building at the Central Library in Copley Square. Some volumes are also available online, opens a new window.
Massachusetts Archives - Educational Affairs - Records of the State Board of Education, dating from 1837, and the Board of Regents of Higher Education. Link opens a PDF file.
Massachusetts law about student records - From the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries
Student Records: Questions, Answers and Guidelines - From the Massachusetts Department of Education

Primary and Secondary School

Boston Public Schools Directories and Manuals

Hard copies of the below titles are available upon request at the Research Services desk, located on the second floor of the McKim Building at the Central Library in Copley Square.

Annual Report of the School Committee of the City of Boston, opens a new window - School Department reports to the School Committee from 1847-1976/77.
Manuals of the Public Schools of the City of Boston, opens a new window - Employee directories for the school system from 1867-1965.
Proceedings of the School Committee of the City of Boston, opens a new window - Official minutes of the meetings of the Boston School Committee from 1869-1972.
For other school systems, try searching our catalog for "schools" or “school reports” and the name of the city/town/neighborhood you are looking for. For example:

Books at the BPL

Patterson's Elementary Education (1989-2018) - Contains information about primary and secondary schools in the United States. The most recent volume is available upon request at the Research Services desk, located on the second floor of the McKim Building at the Central Library in Copley Square. Older volumes can be requested at the Book Delivery desk.
Boston Latin School - Books held by the BPL relating to Boston Latin School.
For books about other specific schools, try doing a subject search in our catalog for the school's name. For example:

Other Resources

Boston City Archives - Information about related collections held by the City Archives and links to finding aids.
How to Find Your Boston Public Schools Transcript - From Boston.gov
Request a Transcript- From Boston Public Schools.
Student Records Locater for Closed, Merged or Renamed Boston Public High Schools - From CityofBoston.gov. Link opens a PDF file.

Higher Education

Harvard Class Reports

For many years, graduating classes at Harvard University have published reports in significant anniversary years. These reports contain brief biographies submitted by alumni and may also contain photographs, contact information, and dates of death among other potentially useful information.

The Research Services Department has a large collection of these anniversary reports, primarily in hard copy with a few in microfiche format. All are available upon request at the Research Services desk, located on the second floor of the McKim Building at the Central Library in Copley Square.

Look at these tables to see which volumes are held by the BPL:

Books, 1813-2020, opens a new window (with gaps)
Microfiche, 1833-1856, opens a new window (with gaps)

Note: from the mid-19th century to 1961, reports were often issued in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th anniversary years. After 1961 the first report for a graduating class would not be issued until the 5th anniversary year.

Books at the BPL

Misc. alumni directories - Link to BPL catalog search results for "alumni directory"
For books about other specific schools, try doing a subject search in our catalog for the school's name. For example:

Other Resources

Closed Schools and Student Records - Office of Private Occupational School Education - From Mass.gov
Public Records Requests - From the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges
Records from Closed Institutions - From the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education

Learn More

Want to learn more? You can register for our June 22 online class, Genealogy: Using School Records to Research Your Ancestors, on our website.