History & Impact
Since its founding in 2000, Match has played a major role in the Pre-K–12 education landscape, locally and nationally. Starting as a single high school campus, Match has grown to include Boston’s first Pre-K–12 public school, a high-quality associate teacher training program, an innovative summer opportunities program, and a hands-on alumni engagement network.
Match includes three campuses, serving up to 1,250 students in grades Pre-K–12.
For more than two decades, Match’s work has included elementary and secondary education, high-dosage tutoring, teacher training, curriculum development, and much more. We believe our work is transformational for the students and families we serve. We also want to positively impact the larger Pre-K–12 community, so we strive to evaluate and disseminate our best practices to our peers in Boston and beyond.
“While at Match, I was surrounded by teachers and students who constantly pushed me to work hard and never settle for less. Match instilled in me the key characteristics one needs to succeed in life: perseverance, a strong work ethic, and humility.”
Columbia University, Class of 2019
Match students receive 158 times more hours of college and career counseling than the average public high school student.
92% of the Class of 2025 enrolled in college the fall after graduating from Match.
Of the 2025 graduates enrolled in a 4-year school, 41% are attending selective schools, meaning they admit less than half of applicants.
Match students are twice as likely to graduate from college than students attending similar schools nationwide.
Our History
2000
Match High School (MHS) opens.
MHS opens in a rented Hebrew School in Boston. Its initial charter is for 180 students grades 9-12.
2001
MIT Partnership begins.
MHS begins partnership with MIT. Subsidized by federal work-study wages, MIT students tutor MHS students. Partnership expands quickly to other local universities.
2003
Boston University Partnership begins.
MHS begins partnership with Boston University. MHS seniors must pass 2 Boston University courses to graduate.
2004
Match Corps Tutoring Program begins.
The Match Corps program begins. All students receive at least two hours of tutoring every day. Program recruits extensively and selectively from top colleges nationally.
2004
AP Curriculum is expanded.
MHS requires all students to take at least 3 AP classes as a graduation requirement. AP Course offerings include Calculus, Biology, Literature, History, and English.
2006
MHS honored by USDOE.
MHS is cited by the US Department of Education (USDOE) as one of the nation’s 8 best charter high schools.
2008
Match Middle School (MMS) opens.
MMS opens in a rented facility in Jamaica Plain.
2008
Match Teacher Residency (MTR) starts.
The MTR program launches. Match Education begins training residents to become unusually effective rookie teachers.
2008–09
MHS is recognized as one of America's best high schools
Newsweek ranks MHS #25 in its list of 1,400 high schools in the nation. US News and World Report ranks MHS #99 in its list of 18,000 high schools in the nation.
2008–12
MHS and MMS receive Epic Award.
New Leaders for New Schools and the U.S. Department of Education recognize MHS and MMS for value-added proficiency gains by its students.
2009
MTR graduates its first class.
MTR graduates its first class of teachers. Graduates take jobs in high-performing charter schools, including Achievement First, Pritzker College Prep, Edward Brooke, KIPP, Boston Collegiate, and Phoenix Charter Academy.
2011
Match Export is launched by The Match Foundation, Inc.
Match Export, a dissemination unit, is launched by the Match Foundation to work nationally with education organizations that are interested in replicating our school-level practices and in purchasing teacher training services.
2011
Match Community Day (MCD) charter is approved.
The Massachusetts Board of Education approves MCD charter application and clears the school to focus on English Language Learners and to serve 700 students grades K-12.
2011
Match Education begins college coaching.
A full-time college coach is hired to support MHS alumni enter and persist in college.
2011
MCD opens.
MCD opens in Jamaica Plain with 100 elementary students, 85% of whom speak a language other than English at home.
2012
MA Board of Higher Education (MABHE) approves Sposato Graduate School of Education (SGSE).
MABHE approves the formation of SGSE, an independent and fully sanctioned graduate school that will begin granting Master’s in Effective Teaching (MET) degrees beginning in 2012-13.
2012
NewSchools Venture Fund (NSVF) names Match Education Entrepreneurial Organization of the Year.
NSVF honors Match Education’s record of student outcomes, its promising work on teacher training, and its commitment to dissemination of its tutoring program and other innovations.
2012
Lawrence Public Schools (LPS) contract The Match Foundation, Inc.
As part of a state-led effort to fix the failing district, the Foundation is contracted to lead the deployment of 50 full-time math fellows in two underperforming high schools.
2013
University of Chicago’s Urban Labs contract The Match Foundation, Inc.
As part of a 2×2 research study, the Foundation is contracted to provide math tutoring to 700 adolescent boys in twelve high schools in the Chicago Public School system.
2013
First class graduates from SGSE.
On December 7, 2013 the first cohort of graduates from SGSE receive their MET degrees.
2014
The charters of Match 6-12 and MCD are consolidated.
As of July 1, 2014 all three campuses of Match schools are consolidated under one charter called Match Charter Public School. Students who enter MCD will, upon promotion, matriculate into MMS and eventually graduate from MHS.
2014
Match Beyond is launched.
In the summer of 2014, Match Beyond starts to formally recruit Boston-area high school graduates for an alternative college program in partnership with College For America, an online branch of Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).
2015
The Poydras Street project is completed.
In the fall of 2015, MCD moves into its new permanent home on Poydras Street in Hyde Park. With the conclusion of this capital project, Match completes its real estate portfolio, now owning all of its school buildings.
2016
Match Minis is launched.
In May 2016, Match Export launches its first open educational resource (OER) called Match Minis, a free website hosting a library of short, animated videos that share best practices for teachers and teacher coaches.
2016
Match Fishtank is launched.
In August 2016, Match Export launches its second OER called Match Fishtank, a free website hosting all of the math and ELA curriculum used at Match Charter Public School. Export staff continually update the materials, and by spring 2018 start adding science and social studies courses for various grade levels.
2018
Duet is rebranded and relaunched.
In July 2018, Match Beyond is renamed as Duet, Inc. and relaunched as its own non-profit, independent of Match Education. The separation allows Duet to operate more freely in the higher education space, while the rest of the Match programs continue to operate in the K-12 education field.
2018
Match Charter Public School reaches full enrollment.
As of the start of the 2018-19 school year, Match Charter Public School is serving its full enrollment of 1,250 students, as authorized by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
2018
Match Schoolhouse is launched.
In the fall of 2018, Match Export launches a third website called Match Schoolhouse which offers practical, low-cost, on-demand professional development courses covering topics in teaching practice and instructional coaching.
2019
Fishtank Team is launched.
In the fall of 2019, Match Export launches Fishtank Team, a low-cost suite of resources and additional features to support the effective implementation of our Match Fishtank curriculum by teachers already using it in their classrooms.
2021
Match Fishtank is rebranded and relaunched.
In January 2021, Match Fishtank is renamed as Fishtank Learning and relaunched as its own non-profit, independent of Match Education. The separation allows Fishtank to operate more freely in the open educational resource (OER) space, and build robust partnerships with schools and districts nationwide.
2022
Match High School is ranked 17th in Massachusetts.
In its 2022 rankings, US News & World Report named Match High School as the 17th best high school in Massachusetts, as well as the 120th best charter school nationwide.
2023
The Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education closes.
As of June 30, 2023 The Charles Sposato Graduate School of Education closed after 11 years of operation as an accredited, alternative teacher training program granting Master’s in Effective Teaching (MET) degrees. Over 11 years, nearly 300 graduates received a MET degree and went on to teach in high-needs schools nationwide.
2023
Match Corps celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The 2023-24 school year marks the 20th anniversity of the Match Corps tutoring program at Match Charter Public School. Since it began in 2004 at Match High School, the Match Corps has been studied by world renownded researchers and replicated in schools and districts nationwide as one of the most impactful interventions to improve student achievement.
