724 BPS students eligible for free tuition at state colleges and universities

BOSTON - 724 Boston Public Schools high school seniors have qualified for the inaugural John and Abigail Adams Scholarship, according to a list released today by the Massachusetts Department of Education and Governor Mitt Romney. The students are now eligible for four years of free tuition at a state college or university.

To quality for the scholarship, students had to score in the Advanced category (Level 4) on either the English Language Arts or Math sections of the MCAS exams and in at least Proficient (Level 3) on the other. Also, the students' scores had to rank in the top 25% of the district. In order to maintain the scholarship, students must complete their college program in four years or less and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. The 724 eligible BPS students represent approximately 18% of the total senior class.

"The Boston Public Schools is working every day to prepare our students to compete in the world after high school," Superintendent Thomas W. Payzant said. "The Adams scholarship will provide many students with the opportunity to continue their education at an institution of higher learning to further prepare them for their future."

Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll announced that 13,000 students statewide are eligible for the scholarships.

"The students receiving this scholarship earned it through hard work, dedication, and commitment to their education," said Driscoll. "I'm proud of each and every one of them, and pleased to be able to reward their efforts with this opportunity to continue their education beyond high school."

Last academic year the average tuition per semester was $740 at community colleges, $977 at state colleges and $1,575 at the University of Massachusetts. The scholarship does not cover fees or room and board.

The complete list of Boston students eligible by school is below.

Academy of Public Service (2), Another Course to College (16), Boston Arts Academy (7), Boston Community Leadership Academy (3), Boston Latin Academy (136), Boston Latin School (362), Brighton High School (26), Burke High School (3), Charlestown High School (23), East Boston High School (17), English High School (3), Excel High School (5), Fenway High School (4), Hyde Park High School (1), Madison Park High School (3), McKinley High School (2), Monument High School (1), New Mission High School (2), O'Bryant (90), Odyssey High School (1), Snowden International High School (5), West Roxbury High School (12).