LYNNFIELD — METCO Director Curtis Blyden gave members of the town’s School Committee an update on how students enrolled in the program are performing across Lynnfield Public Schools, at a recent meeting.
Blyden said some of the services they’ve provided this year include academic achievement recognition and mailings and bi-weekly academic audits. He added more students are participating in a greater number of activities at the town’s schools. These student enrichment activities include SAT prep, LPS Theater, Student Advisory Group, community service programs in Lynnfield, Boston, and more.
“We’re really excited to see that our kids are doing things outside just doing sports,” Blyden said. “We have one student this year who made the National Honor Society so we’re very excited about that.”
There are five students currently enrolled at the program at Summer Street Elementary School, seven at Huckleberry Hill, 13 at the middle school, and 20 in the high school. Students in the program come from Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, South End, and East Boston.
Blyden said that average GPAs have gone up, from 2.34, in the 2020-21 school year, to 2.98 in 2023-24. Blyden added 45% of students in the METCO program are enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.
“It’s a big jump from where we’re at four years ago and where I started seven years ago,” Blyden said. “A lot of the credit goes to our students who are motivated to challenge themselves and be successful in that challenge that they set themselves.”
METCO officials hope to see an increased participation in their summer school program. They are also providing students with the additional resources they need in order to be more competitive in STEM courses.
Blyden said that he is still reviewing applications, but the projected enrollment in 2025 is 42 students.
School Committee Member Jamie Hayman praised Blyden for all he’s done for the program.
“It’s pretty remarkable,” Hayman said, regarding Blyden’s new implementations. She listed the addition of the late buses, the increased number of students involved in activities, and the engorgement of students to take more rigorous academic loads. She added this “has resulted in more postgraduate opportunities for these kids, colleges, military, whatever the options are.”
School Committee Chair Kate DePrizio shared the same sentiments as Hayman, commending Blyden for being “so intentional and thoughtful with our students.”
Blyden then acknowledged and thanked LPS teachers and staff who played a role in the students’ lives at school.
