Four Years Running: 100% Of College Achieve Central Seniors Accepted To College

Plainfield, NJ – Every senior in the Class of 2025 at College Achieve Central Charter School (College Achieve Central)—a free public charter high school serving predominantly low-income students of color—has been accepted to college, marking the fourth consecutive year that 100% of the school’s graduating seniors have earned college acceptances.
This year’s graduating class earned over $30.5 million in scholarships, more than doubling last year’s total, and securing spots at some of the nation’s most prestigious colleges and universities. More than 50% of the Class of 2025 earned admission to a Top 150 U.S. News-ranked college, and the school is proud to be home to a Gates Scholarship recipient, one of the most competitive and prestigious academic honors in the country.
“While the class of 2025 is only our fourth graduating class, we are already witnessing our alumni, not just attending, but thriving at places like Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, and Smith College,” said Natica Brown, Head of Schools, College Achieve Central. “They are succeeding academically and socially, and that is the clearest sign that College Achieve Central is successfully delivering on our mission—to prepare scholars through high school and through college.”
College Achieve Central is located in Plainfield, and North Plainfield New Jersey, where only 22% of residents hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The school’s mission-driven culture, high expectations, and strong academic support have made a meaningful impact: Students have access to 16 Advanced Placement (AP) courses, and every senior is required to take at least three AP classes to graduate. By contrast, in other local districts, 8% of students are enrolling in at least one AP course, according to the New Jersey School Performance Report.
The class of 2025, like other senior classes, benefited from targeted support, including FAFSA completion workshops and scholarship application assistance led by staff. This strategic focus helped the class more than double its scholarship total from the previous year.
“The Class of 2025 embodies what’s possible when a school system is designed to deliver real outcomes for students,” said Michael Piscal, CEO and founder of College Achieve Public Schools. “Their college acceptances, record-breaking scholarships, and academic growth reflect more than individual success, they reflect a scalable model that works. By grounding our approach in the science of reading, small-group instruction, and evidence-based writing frameworks like the Toulmin Method, we’re proving that rigorous, thoughtful education can open doors and expand opportunity for every student, at scale.”
Over the past five years, College Achieve Central has seen significant academic gains, with average proficiency rates increasing by 31 percentage points in English language arts (ELA) and 15.8 percentage points in mathematics. Some grade levels experienced especially strong progress, with 9th grade scores rising nearly 68 points in ELA and 47 points in math. This consistent improvement reflects a strong commitment to data-driven instruction and evidence-based writing strategies that support student success. College Achieve Central’s academic performance also earned the school a place among the top 15% of high schools nationwide, according to U.S. News & World Report’s latest rankings.
The success extends across the College Achieve network: both College Achieve Greater Asbury Park and College Achieve Paterson celebrated 100% college acceptance rates for the Class of 2025, further underscoring the network’s commitment to college readiness and student success.
Since College Achieve Central’s first graduating class in 2022, students have been admitted to the following colleges and universities: Rutgers, Kean, Montclair, Centenary, NJIT, Princeton, Harvard, MIT, Brown, Dartmouth, UPENN, NYU, Wake Forest, Howard, Morehouse, Spelman, Smith, and Penn State.
About College Achieve Public Schools
College Achieve Public Schools (CAPS) is a network of free, public K–12 charter schools in Paterson, Plainfield, North Plainfield, Asbury Park, and Neptune Township, serving communities with enormous potential and historically limited resources. CAPS is committed to preparing all students to excel in and graduate from the top colleges and universities in the nation.
To learn more or enroll, visit: collegeachieve.org/enrollment