Excel Academy Charter Schools is a network of tuition-free, public charter schools serving the Massachusetts communities of East Boston and Chelsea. It was founded to address the severe academic underperformance and low college matriculation rates of the student populations in these neighborhoods. This organization participated in the first cohort of our ‘Transcend+NewSchools Collaborative’ – a multi-faceted nine-month program that guided districts and charter network leaders through a process to reimagine their schools.