Higher Achievement Baltimore

Our CEO Lynsey Wood Jeffries hit the airwaves! 📻✨

She recently sat down with iHeartRadio's 97.1 WASH-FM Community DC segment to share the story of Higher Achievement — how we're closing the opportunity gap for middle schoolers in under-resourced communities, one mentor-mentee relationship at a time.

Listen to the full segment: https://washfm.iheart.com/featured/community-dc/content/2026-06-02-community-dc-lynsey-wood-jeffries-higher-achievement/

Thanks to the support of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, our 8th-grade scholars had the opportunity to attend a 3-day overnight trip to Smith Island.

Scholars spent the weekend setting crab traps, fishing, marsh mucking, learning about local species and environmental stewardship, and even spotting dolphins. Experiences like these help young people build confidence, curiosity, teamwork, and a deeper connection to the world around them.

This spring we officially launched our first Family Navigator Session for 7th-grade students, in partnership with the Fund for Educational Excellence (FEE). This session was designed to create clarity, confidence, and direction for families and students as they navigate the complex high school landscape in Baltimore prior to the application process beginning in the fall.

Dr. Toni began the 90-minute session with a hands-on activity for students and families to identify their hopes and dreams for high school.

We are excited to announce that we have already awarded 8 scholarships for alumni through our Last Dollar Alumni Fund Scholarship, and applications are still being accepted!

This scholarship is designed to support alumni as they work toward college completion or finishing a trade program. Each year, we hear from alumni facing unexpected financial obstacles that can disrupt their progress. The Last Dollar Alumni Fund provides flexible financial support—up to $1,000—to help remove these barriers.

Learn more and apply on our website: https://ow.ly/p7ij50YWgxC

We’re excited to share that we’ve launched programming at a new site at Creative City Public Charter School! Our Creative City Achievement Center serves 4th and 5th-grade scholars with STEM-focused academic enrichment, social-emotional skill-building, and engaging electives that spark curiosity and build confidence. This programming helps Creative City scholars transition into and thrive in middle schools across West Baltimore—including Mt. Royal Elementary/Middle School, where they can continue with Higher Achievement and pursue their ambitions through Mt. Royal’s The Ingenuity Project.

During the first week of programming, scholars received personal journals and began learning how to take effective notes. During our academic sessions, we practiced solving unlike fractions, identifying common denominators, and finding least common multiples. Scholars also completed writing samples related to their future career goals. In addition, scholars were introduced to our Culture Houses, learned chants, and participated in Culture House competitions focused on teamwork and collaboration. Scholars also spent time reflecting on the content they learned throughout the week.

This expansion is possible because of the generous support of the Family League of Baltimore Their strategic community investments are helping to shape a more equitable educational landscape for students in Baltimore, and we are incredibly grateful for their support. We’re also grateful for our partnership with Baltimore City Public Schools and the dedicated team at Creative City, including Principal Mathena, Mr. MJ, and Mr. Ehan.

We couldn’t do this work without a community of champions standing with Baltimore’s students, and we invite you to join us as we grow this work.