CHARLOTTE – A North Mecklenburg High School student is one of 13 Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools seniors who won a collective $250,000 Broad Prize scholarship from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

Students from nine district schools, including North Mecklenburg student Raul Gonzalez, received news of their scholarships during a surprise announcement at Albemarle Road Middle School on May 11. District Chief Academic Officer Ann Clark, school board Chairman Eric Davis, Broad Foundation representatives and the students’ parents attended.

“We congratulate these students for their academic success but more importantly, for improving their performance during high school,” said Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundation, a national education philanthropy based in Los Angeles, Calif. “Their achievement is also a testament to the support and dedication from their parents, teachers, administrators and the entire Charlotte-Mecklenburg community. We look forward to their continued success in college and beyond.”

The students received the scholarships because the district was a 2010 finalist for the Broad Prize, the nation’s largest education award honoring large urban districts demonstrating the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among different income and ethnic groups.

Unlike many traditional scholarships that are awarded only to top-tier students, Broad Prize scholarships are given to graduating seniors who have demonstrated a record of improving their grades over the course of their high school careers and have a financial need.

Broad Prize scholars receive two- or four-year scholarships depending on the type of institution they choose to attend. Scholarship recipients who enroll in four-year institutions receive $20,000 paid out over four years, while students who enroll in two-year institutions receive $5,000 paid out over two years.