This paper studies the input-to-state stability (ISS) properties for a class of semi-linear parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) with respect to boundary disturbances. In order to avoid the appearance of time derivatives of the disturbances in ISS estimates, some technical inequalities are first developed, which allow directly dealing with the boundary conditions and establishing the ISS based on the method of Lyapunov functionals. The well-posedness analysis of the considered problem is carried out and the conditions for ISS are derived. Two examples are used to illustrate the application of the developed method. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.