Over 1,000 High School Students Nationwide Recognized for Top Performance in College Courses from Top Universities

The National Education Equity Lab's Honor Society celebrates outstanding student achievement in college credit-bearing courses from leading institutions, highlighting academic talent in low-income high schools across the country.

NEW YORK, March 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Education Equity Lab (Ed Equity Lab), a nonprofit dedicated to expanding higher education access to students at low-income Title I and Title I-eligible high schools, has announced the new inductees for its National Honor Society. This year, 1,066 high school students from 23 states and 57 cities have been recognized for their top performance in dual-credit college courses offered by Stanford University, Brown University, Howard University, University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, Wesleyan University, Cornell University, University of California, Morehouse College, Arizona State University, and Barnard College.

"Each semester, thousands of students from low-income backgrounds demonstrate their ability to excel in college courses from leading universities—proving again that talent is evenly distributed, opportunity is not," said National Education Equity Lab Founder and CEO Leslie Cornfeld. "On Wednesday, March 12, we will celebrate the achievements of these remarkable scholars and extend our gratitude to the high school educators and university leaders who make this  opportunity possible."

This semester's Honor Society scholars hail from cities across the country—including Los Angeles, New York City, and Miami, to Albuquerque, Topeka, and Flint. These students represent the top 20% of all scholars nationwide enrolled in college courses offered by the National Education Equity Lab.

"We are thrilled to share that more of our scholars and high schools are receiving the distinction of performing in the top 20% out of more than 7,000 scholars nationwide taking rigorous college courses through the Ed Equity Lab," said Melissa Aviles-Ramos, Chancellor, New York City Public Schools. "This proves that when given the opportunity, our students will not only meet the standard, but surpass it." 

Henry County Schools Superintendent John Pace, III, added,  "We are so proud of our schools for more than doubling the number of scholars inducted into the National Education Equity Lab Honor Society from last year. This incredible accomplishment is a testament to Henry County Schools' commitment to the 'Pursuit of Exceptional.'"

The National Education Equity Lab partners with top colleges and universities to deliver actual, credit-bearing college courses in low-income Title I high school classrooms nationwide—at no cost to students.

"Ed Equity Lab has opened the door for students to have early access to prestigious colleges and universities, giving them a unique learning experience and putting them on the path towards a successful college and career," said Adrienne Battle, Superintendent, Metro-Nashville Public Schools.

Through this initiative, students take rigorous college courses taught by leading university professors, participate in weekly live discussions with university teaching fellows from those universities, and receive support from their high school teachers who help facilitate courses. Upon successful completion, students earn widely transferable college credits and an official transcript from the offering institution. "These are the most widely transferable college credits that exist at a national level," said Ed Equity Lab Chief Higher Education Officer, Laura Moore.

"Ed Equity Lab's partnership enables students to gain critical skills in data science, social innovation, and other subjects while earning college credit—opening doors to career pathways that empower them to thrive beyond DC Public Schools," said DCPS Chancellor, Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee.

Lompoc Unified Superintendent in Lompoc, California, Dr. Clara Finneran commented, "This achievement is a shining example of our district-wide dedication to fostering college and career readiness."

"I am proud of our students and educators as we celebrate student inductions into the National Education Equity Lab's Honor Society," Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho said. "This accomplishment reflects the quality of education at Los Angeles Unified and demonstrates our students' ability to succeed in college, career, and life. Our partnership with the Ed Equity Lab enables students to experience their post-secondary careers in real time."

This semester's Honor Society inductees will be recognized in a virtual ceremony on March 12th at 6:30 EDT, featuring remarks from university faculty, high school educators, district leaders, family members, and National Education Equity Lab board members. To attend, contact Ikhlas Saleem, Managing Director of Communications, at [email protected].

The following districts had the largest number of students recognized as National Education Equity Lab Honor Society Scholars:

• New York City Department of Education: 469 scholars recognized from 80 high schools
• Los Angeles Unified School District: 118 scholars recognized from 22 high schools
• Miami-Dade County Public Schools: 68 scholars recognized from 17 high schools
• Sewanhaka Central High School District (New York): 57 scholars recognized from 2 high schools
• District of Columbia Public Schools: 22 scholars recognized from 15 high schools

Congratulations to the following National Ed Equity Lab districts and high schools that have students inducted into this semester's Honor Society for top national performance:

Arizona

• American Charter Schools Foundation 
  • Ridgeview College Prep High School, Principal Rodriguez
  • South Pointe High School, Principal McGill
  • South Ridge High School, Principal Gallegos
• Kaizen Education Foundation
  • Glenview College Prep High School, Principal Ecton

California

• Aspire Public Schools
  • Aspire Vanguard College Preparatory Academy, Principal Saldana
• Birmingham Community Charter High School
  • Birmingham Community Charter High School, Principal Bennett
• Compton Unified School District
  • Compton Early College High, Principal Maddox
  • Centennial High School (Compton, CA), Principal Walker
• Emery Unified School District
  • Emery Secondary, Principal Kleiman
• Inglewood Unified School District
  • Morningside High School, Principal Cain
• Lompoc Unified
  • Lompoc High School, Principal Pico
• Los Angeles Unified School District 
  • Middle College High School, Principal Bazadier
  • Fairfax Senior High, Principal Choi
  • Boys Academic Leadership Academy, Principal Samuel
  • San Pedro Senior High School, Principal Aubele
  • Valley Academy of Arts & Sciences, Principal Hanock
  • Visual and Performing Arts at Legacy High School Complex, Principal Carlos
  • Nathaniel Narbonne Senior High, Principal Flores
  • Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, Principal Verbera
  • Dr. Maya Angelou Community High School, Principal Meza
  • Linda Esperanza Marquez High, Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine, Principal Chaikittirattana
  • Venice Senior High School, Principal Hairston-Truitt
  • Elizabeth Learning Center, Principal Tetitla
  • Harris Newmark Continuation, Principal Feng
  • Marquez High School of Social Justice, Principal Guzman
  • Santee Education Complex, Principal Ruiz
  • Engineering & Technology Academy, Esteban Torres High School, Principal Aburto
  • Ambassador School of Global Leadership, Principal Sohn
  • Huntington Park Senior High School, Principal Garibaldi
  • Diego Rivera Learning Complex Green Design STEAM Academy, Principal Chavez
  • Mervyn M. Dymally High School, Principal Bradley
  • Reseda Charter High School, Principal Damonte
  • Thirty-Second Street USC Performing Arts, Principal Kehrley
• San Francisco Unified School District
  • Jordan (June) School for Equity, Principal Chui
• Visalia Unified
  • Golden West High School, Principal Lambert
  • Mount Whitney High School, Principal Marroquin

Colorado

• Colorado Springs School District 11
  • Palmer High School, Principal Burke
  • Odyssey Early College Career Options, Principal Miller

Connecticut

• Hartford School District
  • Weaver High School, Principal Webley
• Manchester School District
  • Manchester High School, Principal Miner
• Meriden School District
  • Francis T. Maloney High School, Principal Straub

District of Columbia

• District of Columbia Public Schools
  • Anacostia High School, Principal Walker
  • Coolidge High School (DC), Principal Bright
  • Columbia Heights Education Campus, Principal Tukeva
  • Ron Brown College Preparatory HS, Principal Hunt
  • School Without Walls, Principal Isaac
• Friendship Public Charter Schools
  • Friendship Collegiate Academy, Principal Jones
  • Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy, Principal Booth

Florida

• Miami-Dade County Public Schools
  • Miami Jackson Senior High School
  • Hialeah High School, Principal Rodriguez
  • Miami Coral Park Senior High School, Principal Weiner
  • Miami Springs Senior High, Principal Gonzalez
  • Miami Senior High School, Principal Valdes
  • North Miami Senior High School, Principal Volcy
  • American Senior High School, Principal Papp
  • North Miami Beach Senior High School, Principal Milliken
  • Southwest Miami Senior High School, Principal Bulnes
  • South Miami Senior High School, Principal Penton
  • Homestead Senior High School, Principal Louis
  • Miami Edison Senior High School, Principal Dominique
  • Miami Central Senior High School, Principal Sands
  • Miami Northwestern Senior High School, Principal Pouca
  • Miami Killian Senior High School, Principal Burth
  • William H. Turner Technical Arts Senior High School, Principal Frazier
  • Miami Norland Senior High School, Principal Gaines-Miller

Georgia

• Henry County Schools
  • Luella High School, Principal Hardnett
  • McDonough High School, Principal Blasingame
  • Stockbridge High School, Principal Thornton

Illinois

• Thornton Fractional District 215
  • Thornton Fractional North High School, Principal Rucinski

Kansas

• Topeka Public Schools
  • Highland Park High School (KS), Principal Watson
  • Topeka High School, Principal Dick

Louisiana

• Collegiate Academies
  • Abramson Sci Academy, Principal McElligott
  • Collegiate Baton Rouge, Principal Richard
  • George Washington Carver High School, Principal Bryant

Massachusetts

• Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public (District)
  • Academy Of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School, Principal Lugira
• Codman Academy Charter Public (District)
  • Codman Academy Charter Public School, Principal White
• KIPP Massachusetts
  • KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate High School, Principal Clarke

Michigan

• International Academy of Flint
  • International Academy of Flint, Principal Cormier
• Pontiac School District
  • International Technology Academy, Principal Karaffa

Mississippi

• Jackson Public School District
  • Lanier High Schoo

New Jersey

• College Achieve Central Charter School
  • College Achieve Central Charter School, Principal Mateen
  • College Achieve Paterson Charter School, Principal Moody
• Great Oaks Legacy Charter School
  • Great Oaks Legacy Charter School, Principal Jerpbak
• Jersey City Public Schools
  • Liberty High School, Principal Grazilla
  • Infinity Institute, Principal Dobson
• KIPP New Jersey
  • KIPP Cooper Norcross High School, Principal Lewis
  • KIPP Newark Collegiate Academy, Principal Lewis
  • KIPP Newark Lab High School, Principal Burroughs
• Newark Public Schools
  • University High School (NJ), Principal Flournoy-Hamilton
  • Newark School of Data Science & Information Technology, Principal Summey
• Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology (LEA)
  • Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology, Principal Coskun
• South Hunterdon Regional School District
  • South Hunterdon Regional High School, Principal MacKnight

New Mexico

• Albuquerque Public Schools
  • South Valley Academy, Principal Perea

New York

• Achievement First Charter
  • Achievement First East Brooklyn High School, Principal Ng
• Brentwood UFSD
  • Brentwood High School, Principal Dulin
• Buffalo Public Schools
  • Math, Science, & Technology Prep at Seneca High School, Principal Womack
• Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Charter School
  • Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy Charter School, Principal Deal
  • Harlem Children's Zone Promise Academy II Charter School, Principals Conwright and Ortiz-Wong
• New York City Department of Education 
  • 07X427 Community School for Social Justice, Principal Guzman
  • A School Without Walls (NY), Principal Coleman
  • A-Tech High School, Principal Harris
  • Academy For Conservation And The Environment, Principal Mazzola
  • Academy for Young Writers, Principal Brown
  • All City Leadership Secondary School (32K554), Principal Rivera
  • Antonia Pantoja Preparatory Academy, A College Board School, Principal Mercanti-Anthony
  • Astor Collegiate Academy, Principal Burgos
  • Bronx Bridges High School, Principal Castillo
  • Bronx Health Sciences High School, Principal Sharoyan
  • Bronx High School for Medical Science, Principal Lenihan
  • Bronx High School for the Visual Arts, Principal Witherspoon
  • Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, Principal Colby
  • Boys And Girls High School, Principal Harrison
  • Bronx Career and College Preparatory High School, Principal Winn
  • Bronx High School of Business, Principal Bajana-Vega
  • Bronx International High School, Principal Vega
  • Bronx Leadership Academy High School, Principal Davis
  • Brooklyn Collegiate: A College Board School, Principal Newman
  • Brooklyn Lab School, Principal Henry
  • Claremont International High School, Principal Cuello
  • Community High School, Principal Ogbahon
  • Coney Island Prep High School, Principal Frembes Boise
  • Crotona International High School, Principal Ratra
  • Cypress Hills Collegiate Preparatory School, Principal Stipanov
  • Digital Arts and Cinema Technology High School, Principal Meconi
  • Eagle Academy for Young Men, Principal Velazquez
  • East Side Community School, Principal Federman
  • Flushing International High School, Principal Hesseltine
  • Fordham High School for the Arts, Principal Johnson
  • Fordham Leadership Academy, Principal Cabrejos
  • Francis Lewis High School, Principal Marmor
  • Frank McCourt High School, Principal Salzberg
  • Frederick Douglass Academy III Secondary School, Principal Carlos
  • Gotham Professional Arts Academy, Principal Michelin
  • Grover Cleveland (Q485), Principal Pascente
  • Harvest Collegiate High School, Principal Burch
  • Health Opportunities High School, Principal Pendharkar
  • High School for Arts and Technology (Urban Assembly), Principal Garzaniti
  • High School for Service & Learning, Principal Farkas
  • Information Technology High School, Principal Woods-Powell
  • International High School at Union Square, Principal Ramsuchit
  • International Leadership Charter High School, Principal Edward
  • International School for Liberal Arts, Principal Adon
  • John Bowne High School, Principal Izzo Iannelli
  • Long Island City High School, Principal Selenikas
  • M.S. 223 The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, Principal Lincoln
  • Millennium Art Academy, Principal Guy
  • Manhattan Village Academy, Principal White
  • Martin van Buren High School, Principal Nettleford
  • Mathematics, Science Research and Technology High School, Principal Thompson-Young
  • Metropolitan Soundview High School, Principal Lopez
  • Mott Haven Village Preparatory High School, Principal Dubei
  • Origins High School, Principal Elmaliki
  • Pan American International High School, Principal Velez
  • Pan American International High School at Monroe, Principal Pollack
  • Pathways College Preparatory School, Principal Haseley
  • Pelham Preparatory Academy, Principal Ferron
  • Performing Arts and Technology High School, Principal Encarnacion
  • Renaissance High School for Musical Theater and the Arts, Principal Gumina
  • Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts, Principal Fram
  • Richmond Hill High School, Principal Almarie
  • Rockaway Collegiate High School, Principal Ali
  • Schuylerville Preparatory High School, Principal Bell
  • School for Classics High School, Principal Tancredi
  • School of the Future, Principal Goldstein
  • Science Skills Center High School, Principal McGregor
  • South Bronx Preparatory: A College Board School 07X221, Principal Flanagan
  • The Charter High School for Law and Social Justice, Principal Burke
  • The Facing History School, Principal Panagot
  • The High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media, Principal Michelena
  • The Manhattan International High School, Principal Rodriguez
  • The Urban Assembly Early College High School for Emergency Medicine, Principal Bility
  • The Young Women's Leadership School of the Bronx, Principal Eisenberg
  • University Heights Secondary School, Principal Joseph-Roseboro
  • Vanguard High School, Principal Doyle
  • Victory Collegiate High School, Principal Garwood
  • Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School, Principal Pichardo
  • Williamsburg High School for Arts and Technology, Principal Blair
  • Wings Academy, Principal Jackson-Dickens
• SEO Scholars NYC (LEA)
  • SEO Scholars NYC
• Sewanhaka Central High School
  • Elmont Memorial High School, Principal Baker
  • Sewanhaka High School, Principal Kenny

North Carolina

• Duplin County Schools
  • Duplin Early College High School, Principal Smith

Ohio

• Middletown City District
  • Middletown High School, Principal Cotter

Pennsylvania

• Mastery Charter Schools 
  • Mastery Charter Schools-Pickett Campus, Principal Munnelly
  • Mastery Charter High Schools-Lenfest Campus
  • Mastery Charter Schools-Hardy Williams
• Philadelphia City School District
  • Olney High School, Principal Roth

Rhode Island

• Highlander Secondary Charter School
  • Highlander Secondary Charter School, Principal Pabst

South Carolina

• Charleston County School District
  • Burke High School, Principal Swinton

Tennessee

• Metro Nashville Public Schools
  • Antioch High School, Principal Burnette
  • Cane Ridge High School, Principal Alexander
  • East Nashville Magnet High School, Principal Taylort
  • Hunters Lane High, Principal Kessler
  • John Overton High, Principal Franklin
  • Maplewood High, Principal Brooks
  • Nashville Big Picture High School, Principal Diaz
  • Stratford STEM Magnet School, Principal Pratt

Texas

• El Paso Independent School District
  • Chapin High School, Principal Chappell
  • El Paso High School, Principal Rocha
  • Irvin High School, Principal Stives
• KIPP Texas
  • KIPP East End High School, Principal Carias

These Honor Society scholars represent the next generation of college-ready students, proving that with access to high-quality coursework, students from all backgrounds can thrive.

About the National Education Equity Lab

The National Education Equity Lab partners with top colleges and universities to expand access to credit-bearing college courses in high school classrooms across the country—at no cost to students. Through this initiative, students from Title I and Title I-eligible high schools engage in rigorous coursework taught by leading university professors, gaining the skills and confidence needed for college success. To date, the Ed Equity Lab has served more than 40,000 students nationwide and is on track to serve one million scholars over the next decade.

For more information, visit https://edequitylab.org/.

SOURCE The National Education Equity Lab