Charter School of Educational Excellence principal Dwain Palmer, with graduating senior Jaclyn Allyn, who received the Principal’s Award for overcoming hardship
The Charter School of Educational Excellence (CSEE) graduated its first senior class on June 26 with a preliminary graduation rate of 98 percent and an estimated $7.5 million in college scholarships.
Members of the Class of 2023 accepted offers from some of the country’s most prestigious universities, including Cornell University, New York University, Boston University, and other competitive schools. Almost a third of the graduating seniors earned grants or merit scholarships worth at least $80,000. Most of the school’s graduating seniors have already taken college-credit courses, and they will not need remedial courses in college.
“Our school was founded with the belief that all children can excel academically if they are given rigorous course work,” said high school principal Dwain Palmer. “The higher education destinations for our first graduating class prove that children from all backgrounds can gain entry to the most competitive schools if they are given the chance to succeed.”
The first graduating senior class is the CSEE’s latest accomplishment. Earlier this year the K-12 school cut a ribbon on professional-grade performance stage to expose students to the world of performance and media production. In 2021 the school opened its $27 million high school building at 220 Warburton Ave.
The Class of 2023’s preliminary graduation rate of 98 percent is significantly higher than the New York state average, which was 87 percent in 2022.
Several of the graduating seniors opted for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including Clark Atlanta University, Morgan State University and Oakwood University.
Graduating senior Jaclyn Allyn, 18, of Yonkers, chose Clark Atlanta University—a private Methodist institution that is the first HBCU in the southern United States. Allyn entered the school in the ninth grade, and she said her four years there prepared her well for college.
“I’m always ready for anything that’s thrown at me,” said Allyn. “I know that there are going to be a lot of hard things coming towards me and I don’t know what they are yet, but I’m very excited.”
Many members of the Class of 2023 chose to stay local and attend colleges close to home, including Mercy College, Iona University and Westchester Community College. Schools in the City University of New York and the State University of New York systems were also popular with the Class of 2023.
