Education for the Next Generation
The San Francisco District Attorney estimates that more than 5,000 students are truant in the San Francisco Unified School district every day, with truancy defined as chronic absence from school for 10% or more of the school year. According to the U.S. Department of Education, truancy is the first indicator that a young person is giving up and losing his or her way. Students with the highest rates of truancy have the lowest academic achievement, greater school discipline histories, and are most at risk of dropping out. In fact, 75% of all chronically truant high school students drop out and have trouble ever gaining a high school diploma. Research from the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that a high school dropout will earn $200,000 less than a high school graduate over his lifetime, and almost a million dollars less than a college graduate. Furthermore, many dropouts may turn to crime, where studies show that 75% of crimes in the U.S. are committed by high school dropouts.
Thankfully, due in part to the emergence of alternative high schools and programs like Youth Chance High School, dropout rates have been decreasing across the country. The U.S. Department of Education reports that the rate has fallen 5% from 2000 to 2015 (10.9% to 5.9%). However, the dropout rates remain higher for African American and Hispanic/Latino youth. Furthermore, the 5.9% dropout rate still equates to over 1.2 million American youth who are not finishing high school. Therefore, in spite of this progress, we are still needlessly losing too much of the talent and potential of our young people to the high school dropout epidemic.
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Admissions
At Youth Chance High School we strive to meet the unique needs of every student. We must also ensure we are in a place to serve each student. Class sizes are limited and admissions testing and interviews are done for each student. If you are interested in taking the next step in your education and joining Youth Chance High School please fill out the application below and email it to the Director of YCHS, Alexandria Torres-Vaughn.
Meaningful Education
Our Teachers and Staff put countless hours into building a curriculum and class structure that supports each student. Being recognized by the State of California as a private school, gives us the ability to utilize the best of many academic advancements. All students participate in joint teacher based and online independent coursework. Physical education is provided through a membership to the Embarcadero YMCA and access to all health and wellness opportunities on site.