BOSTON -- A fifth Boston school was temporarily closed Thursday after a high absentee rate of students complaining of flu-like symptoms was reported.

The British School of Boston, a private school in Jamaica Plain, will close for seven days starting Friday, May 22, because of unusually high levels of influenza-like illness, the Boston Public Health Commission said Thursday.

The British School will reopen on June 1 for students, teachers and staff who are not ill.

There are now five schools in Boston -- three public and two private -- that are temporarily closing due to influenza-like illness and high student absenteeism. The Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School in Dorchester will also close for seven days beginning on Friday.

Boston Latin School, Umana Middle School Academy, the Winsor School, a private all-girls school in the Longwood area, are already closed. Boston Latin and the Winsor will be allowed to reopen on Wednesday, May 27; the Umana Middle School on Thursday, May 28.

"We continue to monitor attendance rates and health reports from all 143 Boston Public Schools for any irregularities," Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson said. "In consultation with the Boston Public Health Commission, we are making decisions to close schools with significant numbers of students out sick with flu-like symptoms to help prevent new infections."

One hundred and sixty students at the British School were absent on Thursday. There are a total of about 300 students enrolled there from preschool to 13 years old.

Those in the British School community are being asked to refrain from all public activities during the seven-day time period to help limit the spread of infection to others.

The Merriam Elementary and McCarthy-Towne Elementary schools in Acton will be closed Friday after two cases of H1N1 at the Merriam School. The two schools are in the same building. School officials said they have not had an overwhelming amount of absentees, and the closures are a precaution.