Why Now

7,000 young American students drop out of high school each day in the U.S.

This translates to about one student dropping out every 26 seconds, or the time it took you to read this paragraph. Now is the time to partner with us to help these students in your community.

Chronic absenteeism is still an issue.

• Data from the American Enterprise Institute reveals that widespread increases in chronic absenteeism experienced during the pandemic corrected very little for the 2022–23 school year.
• Chronic absenteeism rates improved slightly in 2023 but remained 75 percent above the pre-pandemic baseline.
• Rates were highest in districts with low achievement and higher poverty, affecting over one in three students — especially Hispanic (36%) and Black (39%) students.
• Learning loss and graduation rates will be negatively impacted by current rates of chronic absenteeism, making it the most pressing post-pandemic problem in public schools.

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In this video, our students share how our program provided them with the flexibility, support, and coaching that worked for them.

Our flexible model can be implemented within a few months.

District-created nontraditional options have barriers that fail to give students what they want - a more flexible, less punitive alternative. Acceleration Academies provides:

• Consistent communication between school staff and families.
• Teacher and team-level monitoring and problem-solving around student attendance.
• Strategies that address food insecurity and mental/physical health issues.
• Case management with community partners to support childcare, clothing, healthcare, and transportation needs.

The $650,000 Bottom Line

The benefit of earning a high school diploma is clear. Throughout their lifetime, each graduate earns at least $305,000 more than a classmate who dropped out. According to federal data, economic and societal impacts are more than double that number. Each grad also saves society $345,000 in reduced reliance on public assistance, lower health care expenses, and lower incarceration rates.

Why Acceleration Academies

The Acceleration Academies model works across the continuum of learning alternatives, whether reengaging older, out-of-cohort students or intervening with targeted groups of at-risk and special circumstance students.

1. Trust

   Disengaged students often assign blame and point to a breakdown of trust in school structures and leadership. Acceleration Academies offers not just a change of scenery but a new set of relationships and a different take on authority (coaches, advocates) and accountability. The change re-establishes trust.

2. Communication

   Disengaged students can be slow to reveal the full extent of their internal or external challenges. As promises are kept and trust builds, Acceleration Academies' team members encourage graduation candidates to be more forthcoming about the obstacles they face and how we can devise winning strategies.

3. Wraparound Case Management

   Over-aged and under-credited students often live with chronic instability. Acceleration Academies brings a team approach to case management so that precious time can be spent recapturing credits and reinforcing the belief that good outcomes remain within reach.