Why we’re needed

Too many young people are failing in our public schools today, leaving the classroom without the skills needed to succeed in life.

• In 2005/06, 520 young men and women dropped out of Durham high schools.
• 31% of Durham's high school students do not graduate on time.
• Every four years, approximately 2,000 youth drop out of school and enter our community without the foundation for a successful life as an adult.
• The State of Durham’s Children 2000 found that over 50% of Durham’s African-American males dropped out before finishing high school.

Schools alone cannot solve the complex and diverse problems faced by today’s youth. The decision to drop out of school stems from many factors including school, family, peers and neighborhood.

The solution lies in engaging the strengths of our entire community, bringing together a wide range of human service organizations, faith organizations, and businesses to provide a holistic support system for our youth.

Helping a student earn a high school diploma has dramatic influence on the course of his or her future:

• Students with high school diplomas earn on average almost $10,000 per year more than dropouts
• A high school graduate is three times less likely to be unemployed
• A one year increase in average years of schooling reduces murder and assault rates by almost 30%

Communities in Schools of Durham focuses on dropout prevention, helping kids stay in school, learn, grow and move on to a successful adult life.

Join us to make an impact on the future of Durham youth.

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Where we’ve made a difference

“You don’t know what timing you have. I have two kids, one in elementary school and one in middle school, and I didn’t know how I was going to feed them. I only have 3 cans of food in the house and my food stamps weren’t coming in for 2 and a half weeks.” —parent of a child in the Weekend Backpack Food Program