Excel Academy is #1 for Second Year in a Row

For the second year in a row, Excel middle schoolers led all public schools in Massachusetts in academic growth, while securing special recognitions for surpassing pre-pandemic learning levels in both English Language Arts (ELA) and Math.

Excel Academy ranked #1 for growth in middle school English Language Arts (ELA) and #3 in Math out of the 352 school districts on the 2026 Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exams.

Excel high school students outperformed the state average and ranked in the top 15% for growth in ELA and Math for the second year in a row.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recognized Excel Academy as one of only 14 districts across Massachusetts to meet or exceed pre-pandemic achievement levels in both ELA and Math for the second consecutive year.

“I am truly in awe of our students, who once again performed at an extraordinary level, and of our teachers, who work so hard every day to set our students up for this level of success.”

– Owen Stearns
CEO, Excel Academy

Regardless of where they start, Excel students accomplish exceptional growth over their four years in middle school. This year’s 8th grade results show that growth: when this class joined Excel four years ago, 36% met or exceeded expectations in math and 23% did so in ELA. In ELA, that placed them in the bottom quartile of achievement in the state.

By the end of 8th grade, they finished in the top 10% of all eighth graders across Massachusetts, with 74% proficient in Math and 68% in ELA.