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Standing with Center

9th Grade Success in the San Luis Valley

Stand for Children Colorado | A Gary Community Ventures Grantee

In 2019, the small town of Center, Colo. saw their high school graduation rates drop to the lowest in the state. Now, they’re among the highest. This is a story about how the town’s high school and the Center for High School Success came together, using the 9th Grade Success grant program to help their kids and community get back-on track.

The 9th Grade Success grant program is now serving 1,800 students across Colorado, and the data tells us 180 more of those students will graduate as a result of this highly proven, data-driven program. But there are 70,104 ninth graders in Colorado, most of whom did not have access to this program heading as of the 2023-2024 school year.

In the 2024 legislative session, this film was used to help HB24-1282 pass with broad bipartisan support, and dozens of lawmakers indicated this powerful message from students and educators from Center helped sway their vote. The passage of this bill will allow the 9th Grade Success program to benefit thousands of ninth graders across Colorado.

How Do We Know 9th Grade Success Works?

From Fort Collins to Pueblo, from Arvada to Denver, from Center to Cortez, there are 18 Colorado schools that have activated the 9th Grade Success grant program for their students. Why? Because it provides a significant return on investment. We now know students who are “on-track” (meaning they have no more than one F) at the end of their 9th grade year are three times more likely to graduate. Find out how places like Englewood and Poudre high schools have increased their on-track rates by 18% and 13%, respectively. 

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Advocate for 9th Grade Success Programming

Decades of research has shown that supporting students by implementing a 9th Grade Success approach improves graduation rates. In fact, students who are “on-track” (meaning they have no more than one F) at the end of their 9th grade year are three times more likely to graduate from high school than their off-track peers. On-track status is a stronger predictor of high school graduation than race/ethnicity, experiences with poverty and test scores combined. Learn how you can advocate for this program in your community.

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