(BOSTON, MA, June 22, 2026)— Excel Academy Charter High School graduated its Class of 2026 last week — a group of students who leave not just with diplomas, but with championship titles, college credits, professional certifications, and a clear sense of who they are and where they’re headed.
As a class, they captained 23 sports teams and won 11 athletic championships across flag football, soccer, track, step, and cross country — including the school’s first MIAA state wrestling champion. They starred in 7 plays, displayed work in 4 school-wide art shows, led affinity groups, and won 21 awards across 16 Model United Nations conferences. Ninety-one percent held jobs while in high school. Together, they logged more than 2,500 hours of community service, 500 more than any class before them.
In the classroom, they took 883 AP courses and passed 337 AP exams, earning college credit along the way. Nineteen students graduated with a 4.0 GPA or above. Their collective work helped earn Excel Academy a Platinum School designation from the College Board — the organization’s highest recognition for an inclusive and successful Advanced Placement program.
Among the class’s most distinctive achievements: they are the first Excel graduating class to include students who completed a certificate in medical interpretation in Spanish. The year-long program qualifies graduates to work as medical interpreters in Massachusetts, and more than 30 members of the class were recognized at the ceremony. It’s a credential that captures something true about this group — bilingual, oriented toward service, and already thinking concretely about how to show up for their communities.
No one embodies that more fully than Leslie, who will attend Northeastern University this fall to study Health Science on a path toward becoming an OB-GYN. For four years, a pediatrician dismissed the severe pain that cost her more than 30 school days, while her mother’s concerns went unheard because she relied on Leslie to translate them into English before a doctor would engage. Those experiences shaped her goals: she wants to become the kind of physician who takes young women’s pain seriously and ensures Spanish-speaking families can advocate for the people they love. Her medical interpretation certificate, earned while still in high school, alongside her work as cheer captain, NHS officer, and student council member is, in that sense, entirely in character.
At the ceremony, senior Safiyyah addressed her classmates with words that seemed to speak for all of them:
“As I look at the Class of 2026 sitting before me, I see a library too, one full of stories that deserve to be read. Many people judge a book by its cover. Many of us have been judged by labels: low-income, first-generation, under-resourced, underprivileged. Our stories often go unread because the ‘cover’ we’re given doesn’t look super impressive to the world. But a label never stopped this class. A word never defined us. And a stereotype never held us back. Our backgrounds, our experiences and who we are are gifts, and taking a chance on us is the best choice they could ever make.”
Graduates earned more than $3 million in scholarships and will matriculate to 31 four-year colleges and universities — including Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Pomona College, Tufts University, Wesleyan University, and Boston College — as well as two-year colleges, career development programs, and one branch of the military. Eighty percent are heading to college, most as the first in their families to do so, outpacing national peers and reversing pandemic-era declines in college-going.
“The Class of 2026 has shown us, again, what is possible when students are truly seen and supported,” said Owen Stearns, CEO of Excel Academy Charter Schools. “These graduates are heading into the world with the skills, the confidence, and the drive to make a real difference. We couldn’t be more proud.”
About Excel Academy Charter Schools
Excel Academy Charter Schools prepares students to succeed in high school and college, apply their learning to solve relevant problems, and engage productively in their communities. A network of public charter schools in Boston, Chelsea, and Rhode Island, Excel’s College Access and Secondary Success (CAPS) program supports students for up to six years after graduation through college counseling, one-on-one financial aid advising, and ongoing guidance.
