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% are placed in a school that leads to college, 99% graduate from high school, and 91% 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 2023, npea had 234 members from all across the country, including educational nonprofits, schools, and colleges & universities. Npea members have access to best practice sharing, networking, professional development opportunities, including an annual conference, a career center, newsletters and digests, and products and services offered through npea's partnerships with others in the field of education.