Beacon Academy Inc

The only institution of its kind in the country, Beacon Academy advances equity in education by empowering a cadre of low-income students from Boston, preparing them to gain access to and succeed in the top high schools and colleges across the US. Beacon’s 10-Year Model combines a one-of-a-kind Academy Year – a 14-month term filled with academic rigor, personal and intellectual development, and exciting life experiences – with comprehensive support programs for our graduates. Through these offerings, not only do we prepare our students for futures of academic curiosity and personal well-being, but we stay connected, offering diverse, personalized, and far-reaching resources to promote their success in high schools around New England (and beyond), colleges across the US, and careers spanning a range of fields.

At Beacon, we believe it is not enough to simply teach our students algebra, grammatical structure, and cell biology; we must provide access to the systems that their peers, often by fortune of the ZIP code they were born into, are able to utilize. Only through equal access do we promote equal opportunity.

The Academy Year: Beacon offers a full-time extra year of school between the 8th and 9th grades. Our days include 8+ hours of instruction and independent study with additional daily homework of at least three hours. Students attend study hall on Saturday mornings and have an optional study hall three times per week with included dinner. Year-long courses include math, English, creative writing, science, and Facing History & Ourselves. Students also participate in a number of co-curricular experiences designed to increase confidence, cultural fluency, and ease in social situations. They spend their second summer engaged in individually designed opportunities including academic work, jobs, and leadership development. Upon graduating from the Academy, our students are well-prepared to enroll in independent secondary schools.

Secondary School and College: We continue to offer a range of robust programs to guarantee support, guidance, and opportunities for our alumni to connect, developing a community of achievement through high school, college, and beyond. These programs include a 9th grade transition program, bi-annual care packages for alumni in high school and college, personal visits from Beacon teachers and staff, academic guidance, emotional support, SAT prep, college essay writing support, comprehensive college application and financial aid assistance, and more. We also traditionally host five annual alumni events, and we continue to seek ways to adapt to safely reconnect with our alumni.

Career: Perhaps the greatest capacity built over the last three years is our College-to-Career program, which we initiated in-part with the support of the Cabot Family Charitable Trust in FY19. On top of our traditional support, we are now proud to offer college-aged alumni assistance with a wide range of professional development services, including resume workshops, panels with industry leaders, and access to internships and summer jobs through our full-service website, BeaconConnect.

Strategic Engagement: We engage 330+ volunteers annually in relationships with our students, building life-long bonds that break down barriers on issues of race, class, and inclusion. Additionally, we typically share our learnings through four major annual events attracting over 1,000 participants, and through communications to a network of over 5,000.

Beacon raises its full budget each year through the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations. As a 501(c)(3) we receive no government funding. This past year, we raised approximately 80% of our budget from individuals, 12% from foundations and corporations, 7% from a drawdown on our endowment, and 1% from tuition. We continue to expand our outreach to grow our donor base, and each of our 30 Board members continues to give to Beacon.

Our financial capacity benefits greatly from our growing endowment, from which we draw annually at 4%. This past fiscal year, our drawdown provided $171,931 to fund our programs.

Our capacity is enhanced by our 330+ volunteers motivated by a shared vision of equity in education. These volunteers serve as trustees, coaches, tutors, advisors, coordinators, and more, tirelessly supporting, guiding, and connecting with students and their families.

Beacon's work would also be impossible without the partnerships of the over 70 organizations and companies we work with. Our greatest partnerships rest with the 77 high schools and 102 colleges our graduates attend. Their investments, support, and impact enable our communal growth. Two key long-term partnerships include Temple Israel – who has provided in-kind space since our inception – and Simmons University – who kindly provided access to classrooms and Bartol Dining Hall for our evening study hall and all of our meals prior to the COVID-19 outbreak. As we transition to our new building in Roslindale, MA, we recognize that these partnerships may shift; our gratitude, however, remains.

As we have for the past 15 years, Beacon continues to provide the education, guidance, and resources to ensure the long-term success of our students and alumni. One of our key achievements from this past year was to sustain our education and support offerings in light of the pandemic, and to help promote the holistic well-being of our students, alumni, and their families. This year, we also purchased a new building in Roslindale Village, which will allow us to expand our offerings and bring our community even closer together.

Achievements from The Academy Year (Class of 2020)
• Significant Academic Progress: Students gained 2-4 years of proficiency in English, math, science, writing, and history.
• Jump in SSAT Scores: SSAT average jumped from the 31st percentile to the 52nd in seven months.
• Outstanding High School Acceptance: All 20 students in the Class of 2020 earned admission to one or more independent schools with a full tuition offer. Schools include Concord Academy, Noble and Greenough School, and Phillips Academy Andover.
• $4 Million in Scholarships: Total financial aid for all students to attend four years of high school.

Students in the Class of 2020 are currently attending the following high schools with full tuition offers:
Beaver Country Day School, Boston University Academy, Brimmer and May School, Buckingham Browne & Nichols School, Concord Academy, Deerfield Academy, Dexter Southfield School, Dublin School, Episcopal High School, Noble and Greenough School (2), Phillips Academy Andover (2), Putney School, Roxbury Latin School, St. George’s School, St. Mark’s School, Suffield Academy, Tabor Academy, White Mountain School

Achievements from The Alumni Program (2006-2020)
• $66 Million in Scholarships: Over the last 15 years, our 289 graduates have earned over $66 million in scholarship funding from high schools and colleges.
• 99% Graduation Rate: Of the students in Beacon's first 11 classes, 99% have graduated from high school. (Two students were unable to finish their senior year because of mental health issues. We continue to work with them to earn their diplomas and enter college.)
• Outstanding College Placement: Alumni from Beacon’s Class of 2016 earned acceptance and excellent financial aid packages to the following colleges and universities: Boston College, Clark University,Colby College Connecticut College Georgetown University, Lasell University, Skidmore College, Trinity College, Tufts University, UMass Boston (2), UMass Dartmouth, University of San Francisco, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (2)

Strategic Engagement: This past year, Beacon engaged more than 330 volunteers in activities such as one-on-one advising during the high school placement process, tutoring, college advising, and more.

Moving forward, we maintain our commitment to continuously seeking ways to adapt and grow our programs and offerings in order to promote the success of our students and alumni.