Helping Students Excel in Public School

“Steppingstone fills the college mindset gap. That’s so important, especially in a community like East Boston, which is made up of so many first-generation arrivals. The majority of the kids we serve don’t have someone close to them who’s gone to college, so we’re really trying to change generations of lives. If a Scholar goes to college and is the first in their family to do that, then college becomes the reality and the expectation for future generations. If we do this work right and we do this work well, its legacy will continue long after we’re gone.”

Jordan Weymer, Principal of East Boston’s McKay School

Piloted in 2011, the College Success Academy (CSA) offers rigorous, tuition-free programs for Boston Public School students seeking to succeed in high school and pursue a college education. Promising 4th grade students at the Thomas A. Edison K-8 School, the Gardner Pilot Academy, the Jackson/Mann K-8 School, and the Donald McKay K-8 School are eligible to apply to the College Success Academy.

Designed to set more Boston Public School students on the path to college, the College Success Academy strengthens the academic skills of Scholars while they are in their crucial middle-school years. After providing four years of academic preparation and comprehensive support, the program helps students select and transition into a Boston Public high school that is right for them. Throughout their high school years, Scholars receive academic mentoring, social and emotional counseling, as well as college guidance.

The College Success Academy targets students who plan to remain in Boston Public Schools. All Scholars are enrolled in one of CSA’s partner schools, and continue to attend that school throughout their four years of preparation with Steppingstone.