On Friday, June 2, students from PCSS I in Everett and PCSS II in Saugus graduated in a united ceremony at Faneuil Hall in Boston. Many of these students spent their formative high school years studying amid a global pandemic and are now looking to employ their resilience as they begin new chapters of their academic careers.
Pioneer Charter School of Science has a strong reputation for collegiate success. Comprised of students from Greater Boston and the North Shore, the schools’ college acceptance rates are notable. In 2023, all 44 students graduating from PCSS I applied to at least one college, with one hundred percent acceptance. A number of them are college-bound, as 90 percent of the Everett-based students plan to attend a four-year college, eight percent will attend community college, and two percent attending a trade school.
Of the 46 Saugus PCSS II graduates, one hundred percent applied to college, with a one hundred percent acceptance rate. Eighty-eight percent will attend four-year colleges and universities, 10 percent will attend community college, and two percent plan to attend trade school.
PCSS I and PCSS II’s Class of 2023 were awarded more than $12 million in scholarships.
Students from both campuses have been accepted to nationally-renowned schools, including Harvard, Tufts, MIT, Cornell, Boston College, and Brandeis.
PCSS I’s Juan Velez Mesa of Revere was named Valedictorian of the Everett campus’s class. This fall, he plans to attend Harvard University in Cambridge, where he declared Computer Science and Mathematics as his majors.
“We are immensely proud of this year’s graduating class,” Pioneer Charter School of Science CEO Barish Icin says. “The Class of 2023 proved their commitment to academic achievement despite the challenges of the pandemic, and their resilience has carried them through. We believe they are destined for success in their futures.”
PCSS is a rigorous college preparatory charter school that aims to prepare educationally under-resourced students for today’s competitive world.
PCSS I, located in Everett, serves students in Grades Pre-K through 12 from several communities North of Boston, including Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, Revere, Malden, and Medford.
PCSS II, located in Saugus, serves students in Grades Pre-K through 12 from Saugus, Salem, Peabody, and Danvers.