Graduates 2026

Stamford Public Schools Congratulates the Class of 2026

1,150 Students Receive High School Diplomas

On Wednesday, June 17, more than 1,150 Stamford Public Schools (SPS) students received their high school diplomas during ceremonies at the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering (AITE), Stamford High School (SHS), and Westhill High School (WHS). Of these graduates, 31 are earning their diplomas through the SPS Anchor alternative secondary program..

---

High School snapshot:

• Academy of Information Technology & Engineering
  • Grades 9-12 Enrollment: 661 students
• Stamford High School
  • Grades 9-12 Enrollment: 1,995 st8udents
• Westhill High School
  • Grades 9-12 Enrollment: 1,980 students

Class of 2026 Highlights: 

Top Five Percent of Graduating Class 

Stamford Public Schools would like to recognize the student scholars who are graduating in the top five percent of their high school class. Please click here for a list of these distinguished students. 

Majority of SPS Graduates Plan to Pursue a College Degree

Based on data from the 2026 SPS Senior Survey, 68% of this year’s senior class said earning a college degree was their first-choice path after high school. As of June 10, 790 students in the SPS Class of 2026 reported that they will continue their education at one of 171 colleges and universities.    

SPS Class of 2026 Attending College from Coast to Coast

Students in the SPS Class of 2026 plan to attend colleges and universities in 31 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. 

NY, MA, PA, Most Popular Out-of-State Destinations

The most popular out-of-state destinations for college-bound students in the SPS Class of 2026 are New York State (66 students), Massachusetts (41 students), Pennsylvania (24 students), Florida (19 students), Rhode Island (14 students), Maryland (13 students), Virginia (11 students), and South Carolina (10 students). 

Business and STEM Fields Top Career Interests 

Nearly 1 in 4 students in the SPS Class of 2026 intend to pursue careers in business, finance, marketing, accounting, or entrepreneurship, while nearly 1 in 5 students plan to pursue STEM-related careers in nursing, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or allied health fields. Another 1 in 10 students plan to pursue STEM-related careers in information technology (cybersecurity, computer science) or engineering. 

Trades are Represented in Postsecondary Plans

About 4% of students in the SPS Class of 2026 reported that they will be pursuing postsecondary training in vocational careers like HVAC, electrician, auto mechanics, and cosmetology after high school. 

Students from Rigorous, Intradistrict Academic Programs More Likely to Attend a 4-Year College and to Enroll Out-of-State 

This year, 11 percent of students graduating from Stamford High and Westhill High School successfully completed one of the district’s rigorous, intradistrict academic programs: 

• International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at Stamford High (51 students)
• Academy of Finance at Westhill (30 students) 
• Stamford Regional Agriscience Program at Westhill (29 students) 
• Early College Studies Program at Stamford High and CT State Norwalk (5 students)  

The students in these programs were more likely to:  

• Attend a 4-year college (98% of this group compared to 65% of all college-bound graduates) 
• Attend an out-of-state 4-year college (65% of this group compared to 51% of all students attending a 4-year college) 

In addition, the six students from Stamford High and Westhill who are attending an Ivy League institution each completed one of the intradistrict academic programs.  

 

 

Connecticut Colleges & Universities Remain Top Destinations

More than 500 students in the SPS Class of 2026 will continue their education at colleges and universities in their home state. 

• The University of Connecticut is the leading in-state 4-year destination with 141 students, while 44 students will attend one of the four Connecticut State Universities (22 at Southern Connecticut State, 11 at Eastern Connecticut State, 8 at Western Connecticut State, and 3 at Central Connecticut State.)
• 76 students have committed to Connecticut’s private colleges and universities, led by the University of New Haven (13 students), Sacred Heart University (12 students), and Quinnipiac University (9 students). 
• 3 students will attend Yale, including 1 student from AITE and 2 students from Stamford High. 
• The Connecticut State Community College system is expected to enroll 267 students from the SPS Class of 2026, representing 51% of the SPS students attending college in-state.

25 Students in SPS Class of 2026 to Play Collegiate Sports 

SPS is proud of its senior scholar-athletes, including 25 soon-to-be graduates who will continue their athletic careers playing 11 different sports at 23 colleges and universities.

 

Seal of Biliteracy Awarded to 223 Students in Class of 2026

The Seal of Biliteracy was established by the State of Connecticut to recognize public high school graduates who have attained a level of proficiency in English and one or more other world languages. 

To be eligible for the Seal of Biliteracy, students must complete all high school graduation requirements in English Language Arts as well as demonstrate proficiency in speaking, listening, reading and writing in a language other than English at a level comparable to “Intermediate Mid” on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines.

District wide, 223 students in the Class of 2026 earned the Seal of Biliteracy in 17 languages: Arabic, Dari, French, Georgian, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Telugu, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese. 

 

 

AITE Graduates Complete PLTW Pathways in Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science, or Engineering

Among the AITE Class of 2026, 44 students (28% of AITE graduates) completed Project Lead the Way (PLTW) pathways in either Biomedical Sciences, Computer Science, or Engineering. 

Among this group, 93% will continue their education at a 2-year or 4-year college or university. Their anticipated majors reflect AITE's STEM-focused curriculum and the PLTW Pathways: 

• 54% of the students plan to pursue majors directly related to healthcare, medicine, or biological sciences
• 27% plan to pursue engineering, computer science, or related technical fields.

24 Westhill Seniors Graduate as Certified Nursing Assistants 

The SPS Class of 2026 includes 24 students who completed the inaugural Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Program at Westhill. CNA is one of the offerings in the SPS Career Pathways Program, which introduces students at Stamford High and Westhill to more than a dozen high-demand fields, including healthcare, public safety, construction management, information technology, and education. CNA was offered at Westhill through a partnership between Stamford Public Schools and Excel Academy.  

National Honor Society Members Comprise 14% of SPS Class of 2026

National Honor Society (NHS) members comprise 14% of the SPS Class of 2026, including 43 students from AITE, 69 from SHS, and 48 from WHS. National Honor Society membership recognizes students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character.   

 

Postsecondary Destinations of the Stamford Public Schools Class of 2026:

Following is a list of colleges, universities, trade/technical schools, and branches of the United States Armed Forces to which students have committed after high school. 

More than 250 SPS students in the Class of 2026 have committed to attend an institution ranked as one of the 100 Best National Universities by U.S. News & World Report (noted below in bold with an asterisk). 

Albertus Magnus College — American International College — American Musical and Dramatic Academy — 

American University* — Arizona State University — Assumption University — Babson College — Boston College* —  Boston University* — Bowdoin College — Brandeis University* — Bridgewater State University — Brightpoint Community College — Brown University* — Bryn Mawr College — Bucknell University — Carleton College — Case Western Reserve University* — Cedarville University — Central Connecticut State University — Clark Atlanta University — Clemson University* — Cleveland State University — Coastal Carolina University — College of Charleston — Connecticut State Community College — Cornell University* — CUNY Baruch College — CUNY Bronx Community College — CUNY Queensborough Community College — CUNY The City University of New York — Dartmouth College* — Delaware State University — Delaware Valley University — Dominican University — Duke Kunshan University — Duke University* — Eastern Connecticut State University — Eckerd College —  Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University — Endicott College — Fairfield University — Fashion Institute of Technology — Felician University — Florida Atlantic University — Florida International University* — Florida State University* — Fordham University* — Franklin & Marshall College — Franklin Pierce University — Gateway Community College — General Dynamics — George Washington University* — Georgia Institute of Technology — Gettysburg College — Hartwick College — Herkimer County Community College — Hofstra University — Hudson Valley Community College — Indiana University* — Ithaca College — James Madison University — Johnson & Wales University, Providence — Juniata College — Keene State College — Lebanon Valley College — Lehigh University* —  Lincoln Technical Institute — Louisiana State University — Marist University —  Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences — McGill University — McMaster University — Mercy University — Merrimack College — Middlebury College — Mitchell College — Morgan State University — Muhlenberg College — National Autonomous University of Mexico — New England Institute of Technology — New Jersey Institute of Technology* — New York Institute of Technology — New York University* — Norfolk State University — Northeastern University* — Northwestern University* — Oregon State University — Pace University — Pennsylvania State University, Berks — Pennsylvania State University, University Park* — Plymouth State University — Porter & Chester Institute — Pratt Institute — Providence College —  Purdue University* — Quinnipiac University — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute* — Rice University* —  Rochester Institute of Technology* — Roger Williams University — Rutgers University– Camden  — Rutgers University*– New Brunswick — Sacred Heart University —  Salve Regina University — San Jose State University — Sarah Lawrence College — School of Visual Arts — SoNo Academy — Southern Connecticut State University — Spelman College — St. Bonaventure University — St. Francis College — St. John's University — Stevens Institute of Technology* — Stonehill College — SUNY: Broome Community College — SUNY: University at Albany — SUNY: Westchester Community College — Syracuse University* — Temple University — Trinity University — Tufts University* — U.S. Air Force — U.S. Army — U.S. Coast Guard — U.S. Marine Corps — U.S. Navy — Universal Technical Institute — Universidad del Valle de México — University of Bridgeport — University of California, Berkeley* — University of California, Irvine* — University of Cincinnati — University of Colorado Boulder* — University of Connecticut - Stamford — University of Connecticut* - Storrs — University of Delaware* — University of Florida* — University of Georgia* — University of Hartford — University of Liverpool — University of Louisiana at Lafayette — University of Louisville — University of Maine — University of Maryland, College Park* — University of Massachusetts Amherst* — University of Miami* — University of Michigan* — University of New Hampshire — University of New Haven — University of North Texas — University of Oregon — University of Pittsburgh* — University of Puerto Rico Arecibo — University of Rhode Island — University of Saint Francis — University of Scranton — University of South Carolina, Beaufort — University of South Carolina, Columbia —University of Southern California* — University of Tampa —  University of Vermont — University of Virginia* — University of Warwick — University of Wisconsin Madison* — Vanderbilt University* — Vassar College — Villanova University* — Virginia State University — Virginia Tech* — Washington Adventist University — Wentworth Institute of Technology — Western Connecticut State University — Western Governors University — Western New England University — Wilkes University — William & Mary* — Winston-Salem State University — Worcester Polytechnic Institute* — Yale University*