Newark 2020 High School Seniors Earn $40M In Scholarships

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s seniors have earned a whopping $40.5 million in college scholarships as of Friday, despite a viral pandemic that wreaked havoc on the school year.

In all, more than 800 students at 14 of the district’s public high schools received nearly 1,000 scholarships, according to the Newark Board of Education.

Hundreds of graduates also saved more than $4.9 million in future higher education costs via the district’s dual enrollment programs, which allow students the chance to take and pass college courses while earning their high school diplomas. Schools participating in the program include Rutgers University-Newark, the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Essex County College.

“I am so proud of this graduating class,” Superintendent Roger León said. “Of all that they have lived in their very young lives, they have been able to overcome the greatest of obstacles and still be admitted in record numbers to Ivy Leagues, the prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and our incredible private and state colleges throughout New Jersey.”

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