The College Board School opened its 10th school in the state of New York in September, including Manhattan's first - The Academy for Social Action (ASA) in Harlem. The ASA opened with an elaborate celebration at City College Harlem Stage, featuring performances by Shavar McIntosh, a star of Broadway's The Lion King; a Grammy Award-winning rap artist; members of the American Place Theater; ASA staff; and students. The event was an energizing introduction for the young scholars as they head into a rigorous year of study.

College Board Schools, which are public schools grades 6-12, are the result of a unique partnership with urban school districts and funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundations and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

The College Board's EXCELerator™ program has added 16 more schools this fall. With the 11 existing schools, this brings the total to 45,000 students who are taking part in the EXCELerator community and benefiting from College Board programs, tools and support services designed to prepare them for rigorous, college-level work. EXCELerator was developed to help improve graduation and college readiness rates - particularly for low-income and minority students. High schools in Denver and in Hillsborough County, Fla. (Tampa area), have joined the program, and new schools have been added in two of the three original districts - Chicago; Duval County, Fla. (Jacksonville area); and Washington, D.C. These schools and districts were chosen from among 14 districts that applied, based on their size, urban locations, proportion of low-income students, leadership capacity, and demonstrated commitment to providing new opportunities and raising academic expectations.

The EXCELerator project, which complements the College Board Schools program, is part of an effort launched in 2006 through a $16 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.