Program Impact

The SEO Scholars Program is pursuing a new paradigm in Out-of-School Time (OST) education – a paradigm that centers on intensive academic preparation in order to ensure that underserved New York City public high school students of color are truly college-ready.

The program is having a significant impact on the high school grades, SAT scores and college-readiness of our students.  We believe the success of our high school graduating Class of 2009 demonstrates the effectiveness of the Scholars Program:

  • Eighty-seven percent of the Class of 2009 (45 students) are attending a college ranked Most, Highly or Very Competitive by Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges. 
  • These colleges include Barnard, Bates, Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, the University of Chicago and Wesleyan.  
  • Scholars have won more than $950,000 in scholarships and awards for their first year of college. 
  • Five seniors are among the 37 winners of Gates Millennium Scholarships awarded in New York State.
  • A Scholar was awarded one of 12 New York Times Foundation Scholarships.
  • Three Scholars were awarded full, four-year tuition scholarships through the Posse Foundation.