Kevin Durant Celebrates W/ Educational Program Students At College Send-Off

51 students from Kevin Durant's educational program are heading off to college ... and the NBA superstar was so excited for the kids, he showed up in person to celebrate with them!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the Brooklyn Nets star and his mother, Wanda, showed up to the "Launch to College" event featuring the inaugural College Track class of the Durant Center program on Monday ... which went down at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The stars of the day were the Prince George’s County high school seniors that took part in Durant's educational center that opened up in 2018 ... which focuses on helping students become the first in their families to get a college education.

Durant spoke about their achievement ... saying, "Meaningful accomplishments take time."

"I’m proud of our scholars who dug deep over the past four years, through some really challenging times, to graduate from high school and now to pursue their college dreams."

Some of the colleges the scholars will be attending this fall include Howard University, Northwestern, University of Maryland, and Tulane University.

"I can’t wait to see what they’ll accomplish next," Durant said. "We’ll be at their side as they work towards their next goals."

The Durant Center was an idea KD got when he visited College Track Oakland in 2017. He was inspired by the nonprofit organization's mission to "equip students confronting systemic barriers to earn a bachelor’s degree in pursuit of a life of opportunity, choice, and power."

So, he partnered up with the org. for a 10-year plan (worth $10 million) and launched his own branch in D.C -- the first center on the east coast -- which currently helps 230 students.