Over the past three decades High Jump has provided over 3,000 academically ambitious middle schoolers of limited economic means with the right resources at the right time, empowering them to thrive in high school, college, and beyond. As the first step of carving out that path to the future, High Jump helps 8th grade scholars…
Read MoreAs we prepare to welcome High Jump’s 35th cohort in just under a week, we wanted to share with you why we believe that the High Jump model works so well. The experiences of our current students and the lives our alumni are now leading speak for themselves in terms of the success of the…
Read MoreOver the past 35 years, High Jump has impacted the lives of over 2,900 alums. Beyond middle school, beyond high school, and even beyond college, High Jump sets our scholars up to thrive for the rest of their lives. Because of that, the impact of High Jump doesn’t just end with our alumni themselves; as…
Read MoreWhen a scholar begins their High Jump journeys in the summer after 6th grade, the idea of being in high school can feel worlds away. For many students, the most pressing things are the here and now of middle school and the daunting high school application process. And over the course of two years, High…
Read MoreWhen we work to quantify the impact High Jump has on our students and on Chicago’s educational landscape as a whole, it’s easy for us to give big, high-level stats that show the depth and breadth of our programs: We’re proud of these stats, and even prouder to know the unique stories of every single…
Read MoreAfter hearing from two students and a teaching assistant currently in High Jump, we want to share with you once again the real and powerful impact of the program as told from the perspective of students who went through it. But this time, we wanted you to hear from two of our alumni who graduated…
Read MoreFor over 30 years, High Jump has changed the lives of more than 2,500 middle school students in Chicago. While our first cohort in 1989 had just 16 students enrolled, High Jump has grown over the years and now serves more than 285 new students each year through our programs. After three decades of honing…
Read MoreWhen we talk about the critical work that High Jump does and the impact that we have on the educational landscape in Chicago, there is of course the cold hard data that backs up the power and success of our work including: 87% of High Jump Scholars graduate from college (compared to 41% of all…
Read MoreMore than 3,400 high-achieving, low-income students in Chicago enter sixth grade each year. These students have limited means to invest in their education, with long-term implications; middle school performance is highly predictive of a student’s future high school achievement. And research from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute shows that the middle school years are critical…
Read MoreMoving Up is the culmination of two years of hard work for students ready to embark on their high school journey. Cohort 31 began the program in 2019, the summer following their 6th-grade year. After putting in the 700 hours of challenging but rewarding work, 157 students graduated from the program this year. Held at…
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