Revere High School (RHS) celebrated some of its top-performing seniors last Friday morning with a recognition breakfast, honoring students who earned the prestigious John and Abigail Adams Scholarship for their outstanding scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). More than 120 RHS seniors—along with an additional group of students from CityLab—qualified for the merit-based award this year, representing over a quarter of the entire senior class.
Students gathered in the RHS Learning Commons, where Principal Chris Bowen, district leaders, and members of the guidance team were on hand to personally congratulate students.
The John and Abigail Adams Scholarship is one of the state’s most well-known merit awards. It provides up to eight semesters of tuition credit at any public Massachusetts college or university. Eligibility is based on a student’s MCAS performance, requiring an Advanced score on at least one high school state assessment test in English Language Arts, Mathematics, or Science and Technology/Engineering (STE), as well as Proficient or Advanced scores on the remaining assessments. Students must also rank in the top 25 percent of their district based on combined MCAS achievement.
Beyond academic performance, students must reside in Massachusetts for at least one year before enrolling in college, meet federal or state eligibility guidelines, enroll full-time in an approved program, complete the FAFSA or MASFA, and remain in good standing on any federal or state student loans.
Principal Bowen acknowledged how demanding those standards are and praised students for rising to the challenge.
“We just wanted to say, congratulations,” Bowen told the group of seniors. “This is a thing that happens every year, and we realize we don’t always acknowledge it. And I think it’s a cool accomplishment that we had maybe 120, 125 students at our high school. We had about 10 or 15 from CityLab, but well over 25 percent of the class did that well.”
He noted that the scholarship not only rewards academic excellence but also expands access to Massachusetts’ public higher-education system at a time when families are facing rising college costs. At institutions such as the University of Massachusetts, the award translates into a tuition credit of roughly $1,400 to $1,700 per year, depending on the campus. Students attending state universities or community colleges receive a credit equal to the full undergraduate resident tuition rate at those campuses.
Bowen also reminded students to keep track of the official scholarship letter they will receive, which serves as the documentation required to claim the tuition credit at a state institution.
Members of the RHS counseling team were present to help answer questions about the award, remind students that there is no application process, and ensure that seniors understand how the scholarship fits into their broader financial-aid picture. All eligible students will meet individually with their counselors this fall to discuss next steps.
For many seniors, the morning served not just as recognition for past achievements but as motivation for the year ahead. Bowen emphasized that the award reflects years of hard work—and that students should feel proud of what they accomplished.
“We just wanted to kind of do a little meet-and-greet and give you some recognition for hard work over the past few years,” he said, adding a round of encouragement as students consider their plans beyond high school.
As breakfast wrapped up, teachers, administrators, and members of the school committee echoed a similar message of celebration and support as they chatted with the scholars.
“Congratulations to the Adams Scholars on a job well done—and best wishes as they take the next steps toward college and their future careers,” said Superintendent Dr. Dianne Kelly.