Our Story

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About UP

Every school can be exceptional. We've spent 15 years proving it.

Since 2010, UP has worked side by side with school leaders, teachers, and districts across Massachusetts to transform schools from the inside out. As a school transformation organization, our mission is to create exceptional schools for students who are systemically furthest from opportunity.

Our proven model has transformed outcomes in schools in four districts across Massachusetts. Today, we serve roughly 1,800 students at UP Academy Dorchester, our flagship school, and partner schools including Holland Elementary School and Pickering Middle School in Lynn.

  • Our mission is to create exceptional schools for students who are systemically furthest from opportunity.

    All UP graduates are academically and socially prepared to excel in and graduate from a competitive high school and in the path of their choosing.

  • We create exceptional schools in partnership with families and communities. Students in our schools cultivate sharp minds, share their kind hearts, and explore their path and potential.

  • UP Education Network is committed to becoming a more anti-racist, inclusive organization. Our students’ future success depends on our united commitment to acknowledging and addressing inequitable conditions that exist in our work by looking deeply at our policies and practices, and how we work with our students, families, and each other to ensure we are providing the most equitable educational and professional experience possible. We believe it is essential to learn about and address our own biases, and acknowledge how these biases manifest in our interactions with our students, how we teach, how we work with families, and how we collaborate within the community. Our schools will be beacons of safety where students, staff, and families feel a sense of belonging and can be their true, authentic selves.

11,000+

students served since our founding

4

districts across Massachusetts

Our History

Since opening its doors in 2010, UP Education Network has focused on taking the lowest performing schools in Massachusetts and transforming those schools into exceptional learning environments. Our mission is to rapidly transform chronically underperforming district schools into extraordinary schools that sustain high achievement over time.

  • 2010

    UP Education Network is Founded
    Scott Given starts Unlocking Potential (now UP Education Network) to serve students attending underperforming district schools, joining turnaround efforts in the district supported by the Race to the Top (RTTT) grant and legislation.

  • 2011

    UP Academy Boston Opens
    UP restarts its first school. The former Patrick F. Gavin Middle School is transformed into UP Academy Boston.

  • 2012

    UP Academy Leonard Opens
    UP expands to Lawrence and restarts the James F. Leonard Middle School as UP Academy Leonard. UP becomes part of a series of district-wide reforms to improve student outcomes in Lawrence.

    UP Academy Boston Demonstrates Strong Growth
    On the 2012 MCAS, UP Academy Boston was #1 in Math growth (proficiency up 20 points) and #7 in ELA growth (proficiency up 22 points).

  • 2013

    UP Academy Oliver & UP Academy Dorchester Open
    UP restarts the Henry K. Oliver Middle School in Lawrence as UP Academy Oliver. UP also restarts the John Marshall Elementary School in Boston as UP Academy Dorchester.

    UP Academy Boston Maintains Upward Trajectory
    On the 2013 MCAS, UP Academy Boston was #1 in Math Growth in the state and UP Academy Leonard was #2 in Math Growth in the state.

  • 2014

    UP Academy Holland Opens
    UP restarts the John P. Holland Elementary School in Dorchester as UP Academy Holland.

    UP Schools Continue to Excel on Standardized Tests
    On the 2014 MCAS, UP Academy Boston was #1 in Math growth in the state and UP Academy Oliver was #5 in Math growth in middle schools in the state.

  • 2015

    UP Schools in Lawrence Post Strong Growth on MCAS
    On the 2015 MCAS, UP Academy Oliver was #1 in the state for Math growth and #6 in the state for ELA growth.  UP Academy Leonard was #2 in the state for Math growth and #5 in the state for ELA growth.  

    UP Academy Boston soars in math growth on MCAS & PARCC
    For four consecutive years between 2012 and 2015, students at UP Academy Boston demonstrated the highest median student growth percentile in math among all public middle or K-8 schools in Massachusetts. 

  • 2016

    UP Academy Kennedy Opens
    UP expands to Springfield, Massachusetts, and partners with the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership and district to restart the John F. Kennedy Middle School in Springfield as UP Academy Kennedy.

    UP Network Rises to the Top on PARCC Test
    On the 2016 PARCC test, UP Education Network schools were #3 for Math growth in the state, as compared to other school districts.

  • 2017

    UP Shifts from Entrepreneurship Phase to Sustainability & Transformation
    UP launches a strategic plan aimed at strengthening existing schools through investing in leadership development, curriculum refinement, and fostering a positive and inclusive school culture.

  • 2018

    UP Academy Holland Shows What is Possible
    Student growth nearly doubled in ELA and Math from pre-restart growth scores at UP Academy Holland and UP Academy Holland is recognized as one of the top 10 schools in BPS, as measured by growth.

  • 2019

    UP Academy Oliver Makes Huge MCAS gains
    Student growth percentile in ELA increased by 22% and by 80% in math from the 2017-2018 MCAS to the 2018-2019 MCAS.

    UP’s Young Professionals Advisory Board Launches
    UP launches an advisory board, engaging young professionals in the Boston area to build UP’s network of champions, diversify UP’s fundraising base and serve as thought partners.

    UP Academy Kennedy transitions Out of Network
    After three years of managing UAK, UP and the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP) came to a mutual agreement to transition UAK back to the management of SEZP at the end of school year 2018-2019.

  • 2020

    UP Makes Rapid Shift to Remote Learning
    In response COVID-19 and the district-wide to remote learning, UP distributed 1,500 Chromebooks and achieved a 1:1 student-to-device ratio, provided families with hotspots to ensure internet access and created a centralized remote learning website.

  • 2021

    UP Staff Satisfaction and Retention Remain Strong Despite COVID-19 Challenges
    UP staff demonstrated an unprecedented willingness to return, achieving the highest network NPS score in our history and surpassing retention goals across all schools.


  • 2022

    Student Satisfaction Soars Post-COVID
    Student satisfaction increased more than triple since coming out of COVID. Our Net Promoter Score (NPS), another measure of satisfaction, increased 21 points across our student population.

    UP transitions out of Lawrence
    After a historic decade of success, UP transferred management of UP Academy Oliver and UP Academy two Lawrence schools back to the district after the 2021-2022 school year, with both schools rising as some of the strongest in Lawrence.

  • 2023

    UP Organizes its First Spark STEM Day
    UP hosts its inaugural STEM Day at UP Academy Dorchester, partnering with 13 organizations and companies to bring 15 unforgettable immersive STEM experiences to 500+ students in grades 5-8. 

    UP Students Achieve Gap-Closing Growth on MAP
    UP students exceeded MAP averages in both reading and math, scoring in the 60th percentile, considered meaningfully gap-closing growth.

    UP’s Family Net Promoter Score Hits All Time High
    UP achieves an all-time high Family Net Promoter Score of 50, a 20-point increase since the start of COVID, reflecting the positive impact our families and students continue to experience.

  • 2024

    UP Launches Imagine Your Future Field Trip Series
    In the spring, UP partnered with 6 Boston area companies who host our middle school students and curated career pathways experiences.

    UP Academy Boston Closes, Merges With UP Academy Dorchester
    UP Academy Boston merges with UP Academy Dorchester to align with district and state trends. This transition was celebrated with a reunion of founding members, staff alumni, and current staff to honor the legacy of UP Academy Boston.

    UP students defy MCAS trends, 8th Graders Among Fastest Growing in State
    UP students outperformed Boston Public Schools, other turnaround districts, and similar schools statewide in student growth percentiles. 8th graders ranked #1 in the state for growth among high-needs schools and #2 in Boston for growth in both ELA and math.

  • 2025

    UP Academy Dorchester named School on the Move finalist
    UP Academy Dorchester was selected as one of three finalists for the highly competitive 2025 EdVestors School on the Move Prize, a prize honoring schools that have made significant, meaningful improvements for their students and communities.

  • 2026

    UP Academy Dorchester recognized as a 2026 Future Forward School
    UP Academy Dorchester has been nationally recognized as a 2026 Future Forward School, honored for our exceptional career-connected learning program, one of five winners nationally and the only K-8 program selected, chosen from more than 150 applicants.

    UP Academy Holland exits state receivership
    UP Academy Holland has successfully exited state receivership, one of the few schools in Massachusetts to do so through turnaround rather than closure, a rare success story in school turnaround statewide.