Program Impact

The SEO Scholars Program is pursuing a new paradigm in Out-of-School Time (OST) education – a paradigm that centers on intensive year-round academic preparation in order to ensure that underserved New York City public high school students 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 2011 demonstrates the effectiveness of the program:

  • All of the 69 high school seniors in the Class of 2011 were accepted to four-year colleges.  Seventy-three percent were accepted to colleges in the top two tiers of competitiveness in Barron's Profiles of American Colleges.
  • These colleges include Dartmouth College, Cornell University, Mount Holyoke College, University of Michigan, Wheaton College and Skidmore College.
  • Scholars earned more than $1.7 million in scholarships and awards for their first year of college.
  • Two SEO Scholars were winners of  the New York Times Scholarship.
  • Six Scholars were awarded full-four-year tuition scholarships through the Posse Foundation.
  • One Scholar received the Ron Brown Scholarship, which awards students $10,000 per year for four years.
  • One Scholar was a Questbridge College Match Scholarship winner.

In 2009 and 2010, SEO 12th graders closed the academic achievement gap with their peers nationally.  These results are based on comparing the SAT scores of SEO 12th graders with 12th grade students in the U.S. that have similar high school GPAs.  In addition, the Scholars Program eliminated the gap between Black SEO high school seniors and their White counterparts at every GPA level.  Nationwide, Black students typically score 180-300 points less on the SAT than White students at all GPA levels.  This difference is an example of an achievement gap that is regularly cited in the media.

>>View charts showing SEO Scholars' achievement on the SATs.

After high school, the ongoing personal guidance that Scholars receive through the College Scholars Program is helping students make a sucessful transition to life on campus.  Throughout their college years, SEO services help students sustain their academic performance, explore career fields with experienced professionals and participate in enriching internships.

  • The average cumulative GPA of SEO College Scholars participating in the program is 3.12 as of the fall 2010 semester.
  • For the high school Class of 2007, 89% of students report that they are graduating from college on time in 2011.
  • In 2011, SEO assisted college students in securing 108 summer internships with a variety of organizations, including Acenture, Google, the Fund for Public Interest, NBC Universal, Manhattan District Attorney's Office, J.P. Morgan, HBO, and Young & Rubicam.


>> Listen to SEO Scholars share their program experiences and aspirations.