Success Boston
Seeking to double the number of Boston students who complete college
For Students For Donors"Success Boston is proud to be helping students follow their dream of a college education without gaming the system.
"We are proud to be doing it the hard way, the honest way. And we are exceedingly proud that it is working."
To date, Success Boston has connected more than 7,000 Boston students with a coach to provide them with supports and services during their postsecondary journey.
Together, the Boston Foundation, the Boston Public Schools (BPS), the City of Boston, 37 area institutions of higher education and local nonprofit partners are working to double the college completion rate for students from the BPS. To date, over 7,000 students have participated in Success Boston coaching. They are more likely than their peers to persist and graduate from postsecondary education.
In May 2022, Success Boston announced that the Success Boston partners had committed to a new equity framework and recommitted to a 70 percent college completion rate for all BPS graduates by the Class of 2030, extending this goal to all student groups, including those most marginalized historically and currently.
Upcoming Events
Recent Events
Pathways to Opportunity: Career-Connected Learning for Boston's Young People
The first in a series, this event featured the signing of a new joint admission agreement from UMass Boston and Bunker Hill Community College, and a broad exploration of the growth and success of school-to-career and -college pathways for BPS students.
Wednesday, September 25, 2024, 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Success Boston Summer Institute
Thank you for joining us for Success Boston’s Annual Summer Institute! To kick off the 2024-2025 academic year, this in-person learning and networking event brought together Success Boston coaches, nonprofit staff, educators, higher education leaders, Boston Public Schools staff, and other partners to support students as they transition from high school to college and careers. The theme for this year’s Summer Institute was Collective Impact. Sessions focused on the 2024-2026 Success Boston strategic priorities and collaborative action planning. Please note that 2024 Summer Institute was in-person only and was not recorded.
Wednesday, July 10, 2024, 9:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Success Boston Coaches' Meeting
Success Boston’s first Coaches’ Network meeting for the year, hosted in partnership with our friends at Boston University’s Strategic Partnerships & Community Engagement at BU Wheelock, was a half-day of engaging professional development, networking, and sharing postsecondary coaching best practices.
March 6, 2024, 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Webinar
Educators & Nonprofit Professionals joined Success Boston for a webinar on the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program and how educators and nonprofit professionals can qualify for student debt relief. This webinar highlighted recent updates to the PSLF program and Federal Student Aid’s payment count adjustment (Adjustment) initiative, guidance on how to navigate the application process and concluded with a Q&A.
Monday, November 27, 2023, 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Citywide College, Career and STEM Fair
The fair provides an opportunity for students to speak with representatives from colleges, universities, career and technical programs, discover opportunities in different STEM fields, access resources to assist with FAFSA completion, and get connected to coaching supports, career agencies and internship opportunities.
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 10 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury (1350 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120)
A Celebration of Success Boston
Thank you for joining us for a celebration of 15 years of Success Boston's collective work to advance postsecondary success for local students. Colleagues from nonprofit organizations, high schools, colleges and universities, Boston Public Schools, and the City of Boston raised a glass to all we have accomplished together—as we continue to collaborate to achieve our collective goal of 70 percent of Boston's graduates earning a postsecondary degree.
Wednesday, July 19th, 2023 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Success Boston Summer Institute 2023
Thank you for joining us for Success Boston’s Annual Summer Institute! To kick off the 2023-2024 academic year, this one-day in-person learning and networking event brought together Success Boston coaches, nonprofit staff, educators, higher education leaders, Boston Public Schools staff, and other partners to support students as they transition from high school to college and careers. The theme for this year’s Summer Institute was The Future of Postsecondary Student Supports.
Wednesday, July 19, 2023, 9:30 a.m - 4:00 p.m.
Success Boston Convening: Citywide Postsecondary Enrollment & Completion Trends & the Impact of Coaching
On March 23, more than 250 people joined in as TBF hosted the release of two important reports analyzing how thousands of recent Boston Public Schools graduates have fared in postsecondary enrollment and completion, and a final report on the impact of Success Boston’s individualized coaching programs on student success. Following the research presentations, panelists representing the Boston Public Schools and local college access and success nonprofit organizations discussed the implications of the research as well as recent directions and developments in supporting Boston students on their postsecondary journey.
Thursday, March 23, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Citywide College, Career and STEM Fair
The fair was an opportunity for students to speak with representatives from colleges, universities, career and technical programs, discover opportunities in different STEM fields, access resources to assist with FAFSA completion, and get connected to coaching supports, career agencies and internship opportunities.
Saturday, October 22th, 2022, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center in Roxbury (1350 Tremont Street, Boston, MA 02120)
College Pride Day
Friday, September 30th, is the kick-off day for College & Career Month! Community of practitioners will represent their college colors and alma mater and share short videos and written inspirational posts on their “Why” and the path to accessing their careers. The road is long and winding, and it is critical that our students understand now than ever that there are supports along the way. Follow our social media accounts and share your videos, stories, graphics, and more: @SuccessBoston on Facebook and Twitter and @Success.Boston on Instagram
Friday, September 30, 2022
Success Boston Summer Institute, July 12-14, 2022
To kick off the 2022-2023 academic year, this three-day virtual celebration and learning event brought together Success Boston coaches, nonprofit staff, educators, higher education leaders, Boston Public Schools staff, and other partners to support students as they transition from high school to college and careers.
The theme for this year’s Summer Institute was Centering Success Boston’s Equity Framework. In May, after more than a dozen years of partnership, Success Boston recommitted to increasing postsecondary success for all of Boston's students, renewing our goal of a 70% completion rate. The 2022 Summer Institute was an opportunity for coaches to deepen their shared understanding of our Equity Framework and the best ways to support student success.
Each day of the event provided enriching programming and engaging conversation tailored to and delivered by Success Boston partners. Each day’s convening was recorded, and materials shared afterward with all attendees.
Day 1: An Overview of the Success Boston initiative, Building Our Community of Practice, Centering Success Boston’s Equity Framework, and a workshop on Creative Problem Solving.
Watch Day 1 Here.
Day 2: Sharing Success Boston’s Progress Towards City-Wide Goals and breakout sessions on topics such as student debt crisis & debt management, effectively coaching Young Men of Color, and Student Mental Health.
Watch Day 2 Here.
Day 3: The conclusion of Summer Institute, featuring our Higher Education Partners and a Success Boston’s Veteran Coaches Panel, where experienced postsecondary coaches will share best practices for recruiting students, building authentic relationships, and much more!
Watch Day 3 Here.
A Shared Commitment to a New Equity Framework
Leaders from the city, the Boston Public Schools, higher education and workforce development gathered to make a commitment to equity in the effort to ensure at least 70 percent of Boston Public Schools graduates make it through their postsecondary programs.
Monday, May 2, 2022, 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Watch the video and read a recap of the event
Success Boston Coaching: A Report on Coaching Effectiveness on College Persistence and Completion
In October, we released a new Success Boston report about the effectiveness of transition coaching on the college success of Boston Public Schools graduates. The latest in a series of reports, this analysis focuses on the BPS Classes of 2013 through 2016, and includes updated findings on persistence and academic performance, along with the first set of findings on the impact of coaching on degree completion. The research—and the accompanying conversation—will also discuss the characteristics of effective programs that move the needle on college completion; what it takes for coaching to work; and what we can do to maintain the citywide gains we have made over the last decade.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 10:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Watch the video and read a recap of the event
Mobilizing for Opportunity: Connecting Low-Income College Students to Internships and Good First Jobs
This forum marked the release of a new research report on the labor market experiences of recent college graduates from the Boston Public Schools. The report examines how well graduates of local four-year colleges and universities are connecting to internships and landing “that good first job” after graduation.
Thursday, March 11, 2021, 10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Watch a recording of the webinar
A Conversation About Equity and Cultural Wealth: Preparing Employers for Community College Interns
Community colleges in Massachusetts educate more students than the rest of the state's public higher education system combined. Yet, their students are frequently overlooked for internships, which can open the door to successful careers. Please join the Boston Foundation and Bunker Hill Community College for a conversation about the assets, competencies, and cultural wealth these students bring to their internships, and the changes in practices employers should implement to support them more equitably and effectively.