Family Focus

Communities In Schools

Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, Inc. is the nation’s leading dropout prevention organization.

Our Mission:

Communities In Schools surrounds students with community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. We are committed to helping students achieve success in school and continue their education in college or other post-secondary training.

Our History:

Communities In Schools began in the 1960s, when founder Bill Milliken, then a youth advocate in New York City, came up with the idea of bringing community resources inside public schools – where they are accessible, coordinated and accountable.

“It’s relationships, not programs, that change children,” Bill once said. “A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.”

Our Approach:

And that’s exactly the approach Communities In Schools has. Today, we are the nation’s largest and most effective organization dedicated to keeping kids in school and helping them succeed in life.

Our unique model positions site coordinators inside schools to assess students’ needs and provide resources to help them succeed in the classroom and in life. Our approach has proven to be effective — In the 2015-2016 school year, 99% of students enrolled in our programming stayed in school and 96% were promoted to the next grade level.