The Challenge

All students deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential, period.

What that looks like is a combination of high expectations and personalized support, provided in an environment that affirms and nurtures development. Unfortunately, traditional high schools aren’t always able to meet these needs for some of the students who need them most. The end result? Students dropping out, being expelled, or feeling pushed out and unwelcome.

When youth aren’t able to finish high school, it significantly impacts their lives. Research shows that dropping out of high school is linked to greater unemployment, lower lifetime earning power, higher rates of incarceration, and shorter life expectancy. These are the challenges faced by more than 280,000 young people in Massachusetts who leave high school unfinished each year.

The economic costs for workers without a high school diploma or equivalent are enormous. In 2021, the average U.S. worker without a high school diploma earned 20% less than workers with a high school diploma, 35% less than workers with an associate’s degree, and 52% less than workers with a bachelor’s degree*.

For some students, their learning needs or special abilities are insufficiently addressed in larger or more mainstream schools. For others, life’s circumstances and obstacles get in the way of accessing a traditional model and its weekly schedule. At Phoenix, we don’t force students to fit the mold of a school; we build our schools around each student. Many of our students work part-time or even full-time jobs. Others are parents to small children or are caretakers for extended family networks. Still others experience housing insecurity or are navigating adjudication. No matter what the circumstance, Phoenix challenges young people to fulfill their educational potential, and provides them with the supports needed to do so.

*Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2022. Accessed online at: https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2022/data-on-display/education-pays.htm