On June 5, in a joyful commencement ceremony at Madison Square Garden, Success Academy celebrated the 13-year journeys and record-breaking achievements of 217 graduates—the combined cohorts of its first and second high schools: Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts–Manhattan and Success Academy High School of the Liberal Arts–Harlem, respectively.
For the eighth consecutive year, 100% of Success Academy’s Class of 2029, so-named for the year they expect to graduate from college, have been accepted to a four-year college or university. Notably, 66% of the class received offers from selective institutions, including Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, Barnard College, and Tufts University. Importantly for their economic reality (65% are from low-income families), graduates were awarded more than $20 million in financial aid. More than half of the class are the first in their families to attend college.
“Scholars, define your success simply, but ambitiously,” said Commencement speaker Steve Galbraith, a managing member of Kindred Capital and former chair of the Success Academy Network Board of Trustees. “From day one, our founders had a clear definition of Success. They wanted to shrink the educational achievement gap, do so with equivalent funding per pupil as district schools, and do it at scale. Critically, SA didn’t have a thousand different ideas in pursuing success, they had a few simple, but wildly ambitious ones, like all scholars graduating from college in four years. That was ours—now, it’s up to you to carve out your definition of success, and go for it!”
Galbraith co-founded the second Success Academy in Harlem in 2008, and two years later, with his wife, Lucy, founded the first Bronx school.
“Class of 2029, there are millions of kids who have not won the educational lottery,” said Eva Moskowitz, Founder and CEO of Success Academy. “Who do not have the committed, insistent educators that you have had nor the college access support you’ve had. How lucky you are to have such dedicated champions of access, equity, and excellence. You are ready; you are prepared. Now go forth and seize all the possibilities before you. We can’t wait to see where you’ll go!”
“I want to celebrate the many opportunities that Success Academy has presented to me and my peers…and the importance of saying ‘yes,’” said HSLA-Harlem’s Class Speaker Ermina Khan, who will attend Yale this fall, pursuing a Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering degree. “I gathered courage to say ‘yes’ to try out for the debate team. Then ballet. Then came soccer. Saying ‘yes’ became a habit. I went backpacking in Iceland, and the following summer I took a course at Oxford University in England. These incredible experiences that Success offered to us were more than just resume builders; they were about uncovering our potential.”
Most of the graduating seniors entered Success Academy in 2012 as kindergarteners and first graders at one of the 17 Success Academy schools in Harlem, Bronx, and Brooklyn that were open at the time. Today, Success operates over 57 schools, enrolling 22,000 students.
The Class of 2029 has pursued their ambitions with exceptional zeal, and Success Academy has supported them along every step of their 13-year journey. This class saw some of the highest levels of academic achievement of any Success Academy graduating class, including:
70% of the class received AP distinctions
56 are graduating with GPA Honors (cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude)
27 scholars participated in the Honors STEM program
To close equity gaps and provide a truly world-class arts education, Success Academy partners with a broad range of institutions to create opportunities beyond the curriculum. This year’s graduates went above and beyond:
13 qualified to participate in Success Academy’s dual-enrollment programs with Columbia University and Hunter College, taking courses in Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, Calculus IV, Linear Algebra, and General Chemistry.
100 scholars participated in one of the 50 summer college programs that SA provides opportunities for at no cost to students, and which are beyond the means of most families whose children attend SA. Members of this class traveled and studied in Iceland, Tanzania, Taiwan, Japan, British Virgin Islands, England, Spain.
Fast Facts about the Class of 2029
Demographics:
65% receive free or reduced price lunch
4% are Asian
57% are Black
32% are Hispanic
5% are White
2% are multiracial/other
This class included Success Academy’s first graduates to attend Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Georgetown University, University of Notre Dame, American University, and Bucknell University.
The graduates are attending 85 colleges in 22 states, including California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The Class of 2029 College Commitments with Intended Majors
Alabama State University: Biomedical Sciences
The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (2 scholars): Musical Theatre; Dance
American University: Pre-Medicine
Babson College: Business Marketing
Barnard College: Biology
Boston University: Digital Marketing
Boston University: Biomedical Engineering
Brown University (2 scholars): Biochemistry/Molecular Biology; Engineering and Physics
Bucknell University: Accounting and Business/Management
Carnegie Mellon University: Undecided
Case Western Reserve University: Computer Engineering
Champlain College: Game Design
Clark University: Business Administration and Management
Clark University: Law and Society
Colgate University: Pre-Medicine
Colgate University: Biochemistry
Columbia University (2 scholars): Applied Mathematics and Mechanical Engineering
Connecticut College: Pre-Medicine
Cornell University (4 scholars): Human Biology (2); Sociology; Biochemistry
CUNY City College (3 scholars): Economics; Business Administration; Architectural Design
CUNY College of Staten Island: Nursing
CUNY Hunter College (9 scholars): Computer Science (2); Civil Engineering (2); Nursing (3); Pharmaceutical Sciences; Counseling Psychology
CUNY Hunter Honors College: History
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (2 scholars): Film/Cinema/Media Studies; Criminology
CUNY Lehman College (3 scholars): Accounting and Finance; Nursing; Health Services/Sciences
CUNY Medgar Evers College (3 scholars): Computer Science; Business/Commerce; Media/Performing Arts
CUNY New York City College of Technology (8 scholars): Electrical and Computer Engineering; Architecture; Animal Sciences; Radiologic Technology/Science; Computer Science (2); Psychology; Developmental and Child Psychology
CUNY Queens College: Business Administration and Marketing Management
CUNY York College: Computer Science
CUNY York College (4 scholars): Nursing; Business/Management/Marketing (2); Health Services/Sciences
Emory University (4 scholars): Nursing (2); Chemistry; Behavioral Biology/Neuroscience
Fordham University: Economics and Computer Science
Georgetown University (2 scholars): Economics; Nursing
The George Washington University (2 scholars): Finance; Pre-Law Studies
Goucher College: Business Administration and Management
Haverford College: Neuroscience
Hobart and William Smith Colleges: Media and Society
Howard University: Business
Ithaca College (2 scholars): Television/Digital Media; Music Education/Food Science)
James Madison University: Nursing
Kean University: Architecture
Lafayette College: Biology/Biological Sciences)
Lehigh University (6 scholars): Pre-Medicine; Mechanical Engineering; Astrophysics; Psychology and Business; Business Analytics; Management/Music)
Loyola University Maryland (2 scholars): Business/Managerial Economics; Journalism
Mercy University: Criminal Justice
Montclair State University: Psychology
Morgan State University (5 scholars): Economics; Nursing; Criminology; Psychology
New York University (2 scholars): Interactive Media Arts; Finance
Northwestern University: Musical Theatre
Ohio University: Aviation Management
Pace University (3 scholars): English Language and Literature; Finance; Nursing
Penn State: Nursing
Princeton University: English Language and Literature
Rochester Institute of Technology (2 scholars): Computer Science; Computer and Information Systems
Skidmore College (2 scholars): Business/Management; Human Biology
Smith College: Computational Science
Spelman College: Pre-Dental
St. Lawrence University: Psychology
Stanford University: Electrical Engineering
Stevens Institute of Technology: Computer Science
Stony Brook University (2 scholars): Mechanical Engineering; Computer and Information Sciences
SUNY Binghamton University (7 scholars): Pre-Medicine; Nursing (3); Psychology; Business/Management/Marketing; Music/Psychology
SUNY Buffalo State: Business/Commerce
SUNY Cobleskill: Business/Management
SUNY College at Brockport (7 scholars): Accounting and Business/Management; Cybersecurity; Accounting/Computer Science; Exercise Science/Kinesiology; Psychology; Biology/Biological Sciences; History
SUNY New Paltz (3 scholars): Electrical Engineering; Business Analytics; Psychology
SUNY Oneonta (2 scholars): Political Science and Government; Graphic Design
SUNY Oswego (3 scholars): Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Electrical and Computer Engineering; Zoology
SUNY Plattsburgh (3 scholars): Economics; Music/Psychology; Law/Justice Studies
SUNY Polytechnic Institute (4 scholars): Computer Engineering; Business/Managerial Economics; Nursing (2)
SUNY Purchase College (2): Criminal Justice and Corrections; Animation/Video Graphics
SUNY University at Albany (21 scholars): Chemistry; Computer Science (3); Cybersecurity; Environmental and Sustainable Engineering; Economics (2); Finance; Nursing (3); Criminal Justice and Corrections; Accounting and Business/Management; Business Administration and Management (3); Business/Management/Marketing (2); Business; Psychology
SUNY University at Buffalo (12 scholars): Chemistry; Biomedical Science; Behavioral Neuroscience; Mechanical Engineering; Economics; Environmental Science; Philosophy, Politics, and Economics; Business/Managerial Economics; Biology/Biological Sciences; Business Administration; Nursing; Law
Syracuse University: Architecture
Temple University (5 scholars): Forensic Science and Technology; Nursing (2); Finance/Psychology; Business/Management/Marketing
Tufts University (2 scholars): Biochemistry; Economics
Union College: History
University of Connecticut (2 scholars): Landscape Architecture; Business/Management/Marketing
University of Delaware (3 scholars): Health Services/Sciences; Animal Science; Political Science
University of Hartford (2 scholars): Architecture; Radiologic Technology/Science
University of Miami: Finance
University of Michigan (3 scholars): Mechanical Engineering; Biochemistry; Pre-Medicine
University of Notre Dame: Political Science and Government
University of Pennsylvania: Mechanical Engineering
University of Valley Forge: Ministry of Leadership and Theology
University of Wisconsin-Madison (4 scholars): Mechanical Engineering; Computer Science (2); Nursing
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology: Aviation/Power Plant
Wake Forest University (3 scholars): Politics/International Affairs; Economics; Political Science/African American Studies
Western Connecticut State University: Economics
Yale University (2): Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering; Mathematics
About Success Academy
Since its founding in 2006, Success Academy has created the highest-performing public school district in New York state, and a national model of access to excellence for children across all demographics. We enroll 22,000 children in 57 elementary, middle, and high schools. The majority of Success Academy scholars are from low-income households in disadvantaged neighborhoods, admitted through a random public lottery. Our distinctive K–12 approach, designed as a holistic 13-year educational trajectory, leads to student outcomes that outpace even those in affluent suburban schools.
To date, 100% of SA’s graduates have been accepted to college, many to highly selective institutions. Most are the first in their families to have the opportunity for higher education. We regularly share our groundbreaking curriculum and methods with educators and school leaders across the country. By scaling excellence and reigniting the civic mission of education, Success Academy is leading a movement to reinvent public education. All children can thrive and achieve in school, in college, and in life—Success Academy students and teachers prove it every day.
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