Steppingstone

The Steppingstone scholars program in boston prepares motivated fifth- and sixth-graders from underserved communities in boston by providing an intensive after-school and summer academic program designed to assist these students in gaining admission to an independent, exam, or boston public school in the sixth, seventh, or ninth grades. After completing the academic component, support services such as mentoring, extracurricular activities, and college guidance are provided to ensure that the students succeed in school and ultimately graduate from a four-year college. Each year, the Steppingstone scholars program serves approximately 1,400 scholars in grades 5 - college. Of the scholars who complete the academic preparation component, approximately 89% gain admission to an independent or public exam school, 99% graduate from high school, and 92% enroll at four-year colleges. 80% graduate from four-year colleges within six years.

The national partnership for educational access (npea), which the Steppingstone Foundation formally launched in 2007, is a membership organization for programs and schools working to eliminate barriers to educational access and college and career success for underserved students. At the end of fiscal year 2022, npea had 244 members from all across the country, including educational nonprofits, schools, and colleges & universities. Npea members share best practices, network, receive professional development and can access educational services for their students as a benefit of participating in npea.