Excel Academy Charter School

Founded by: Yutaka Tamura, 2002 BES Fellow
Year Opened: 2003
Location: East Boston, MA
Grades Served: 5-8
Student Enrollment: 209
Website: www.excelacademy.org

Overview

Excel Academy was conceived to address the severe academic underperformance and low college matriculation rates of the student populations of East Boston and Chelsea. The founding group envisioned a free, public school alternative where all students would be held to the highest academic and behavioral expectations and college would become a realistic goal.

Mission Statement

Excel Academy Charter School prepares middle school students to succeed in high school and college, apply their learning to solve relevant problems, and engage productively in their communities.

Results

Excel Academy students — 69 percent of whom are Latino and 75 percent of whom qualify for the Federal free or reduced lunch program — outperformed their local and state peers at every single grade level on the 2008 English, math and science MCAS exams. Excel Academy’s seventh graders ranked first in the state after achieving a perfect 100 percent Advanced/Proficient rate on the 2008 English MCAS exam. Read more about Excel Academy's 2008 MCAS results here.