This study analyzes public perceptions of Boston's magnet school program. Typically evaluated in terms of their impact on racial integration, magnet schools also were designed to improve the tarnished image of the Boston school system. While promoting voluntary integration at a handful of schools, the magnet program struggled to change the reputation of public education in the city. Boston's magnet schools found themselves perched precariously between conflicting and equally-problematic perceptions. To the extent that they were perceived to be elite enclaves, Boston magnet schools became potent symbols of inequality. To the extent that magnet schools were not perceived to be academically superior, they could never encourage integration nor become symbols of the potential of Boston public schools. Illustrating the dilemma presented by these contradictory perceptions, the history of Boston magnet schools suggests that efforts towards racial integration must be intertwined with campaigns for increasing educational achievement citywide. (Contains 8 notes.)