Mercedes Early College Academy is the recent recipient of the College Success Gold Award from GreatSchools.org. MECA is one of only 1,770 public high schools among 26 states to achieve the College Success Award with the new Gold distinction.

For the GreatSchools.org College Success Award, a public school must have a data verifying the college enrollment and college success of its graduates. To reach the Gold level, a school must have received the College Success Award at least twice.

According to Principal Jeanne Venecia, this is the third consecutive year MECA is receiving recognition from GreatSchools.org for its college success record.

“The majority of our graduates aren’t just attending college, they’re performing well in college and finishing,” Venecia said. “The College Success Gold Award validates that.”

Superintendent Carolyn Mendiola said, “We’re very proud to receive this honor, but we’re even prouder of our educators and our students who work hard each day to achieve academic excellence.”

According to GreatSchools.org, 100 percent of students graduate from MECA, and at least 77 percent of graduates are pursuing a college or vocational program. All MECA students are expected to take rigorous courses and dual credit classes so they have the opportunity to graduate with an associate degree from South Texas College.

GreatSchools is a national nonprofit organization that provides information for schools in grades Pre-K-12. The website provides ratings and comparison tools based on test scores and other factors for U.S. schools.