Alliance College-Ready Public Schools Celebrates over $500,000 in College Scholarships During National Charter Schools Week

Scholarship awards showcase Alliance's commitment to a college-ready education and its scholars' drive to get to and through college.

LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of National Charter School Week, May 12-18, Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is proud to announce over $500,000 in college scholarship awards to 40 deserving high school seniors out of a competitive pool of over 400 applicants. This initiative underscores Alliance's unwavering commitment to educational equity, demonstrating their ongoing mission to prepare scholars for college success and to cultivate lifelong learners and leaders within local school communities.

For nearly two decades, Alliance has taken a transformative presence in historically underserved neighborhoods across Los Angeles County. All 26 Alliance charter public schools deliver high-quality instruction that significantly boosts high school graduation and college attendance rates.

While a majority of students enter an Alliance school 3 or more grade levels behind, 95% of Alliance scholars graduate from high school and 96% of those graduates are accepted to college. In addition, Alliance scholars are 3.5 times more likely to graduate from college compared to their peers from similar backgrounds.

According to the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities, college graduates are half as likely to be unemployed as their peers with only high school degrees. And on average, they also make more $1.2 million more over their lifetime.

"As Alliance prepares to celebrate its 20th anniversary this coming school year, we have made remarkable strides in preparing our scholars for college and their overall futures," says Alliance CEO Pablo Villavicencio. "We remain committed to building upon past successes and finding innovative ways to teach, learn, and engage with our school communities to reach our vision of all Alliance scholars graduating from a four-year college or university because we still know this matters in long-term life outcomes for our scholars and their communities."

In a 2023 published National Charter School Study, the Stanford University Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) confirmed that students attending public charter schools nationwide are making greater academic strides compared to their peers in traditional public schools. Alliance schools in particular have become nationally ranked, and recognized for their excellent work by the U.S. Department of Education, the California Department of Education, U.S. News & World Report, and named by CREDO as a "gap busting" school system. In fact, in 2023, Alliance scholars proved to be 10-15% more proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and math than more affluent L.A. County and California public school students.

In partnership with the Alliance Foundation's Scholar Success Board and approximately 300 individual supporters, 40 graduating scholars have received a total of $545,000 in scholarships, ranging from $2,500 to $20,000.

As Kattie Hayes, an Alliance Judy Ivie Burton Technology Academy High School 2024 class graduate, and Johnny Caron Foundation scholarship recipients reflects, "One's gender should not define their opportunities in the professional world, particularly in STEM fields. Initially, the disparity was a fear, but now it's a challenge I'm willing to take. Looking ahead, I envision myself as an aerospace engineer, fulfilling the dreams of my ten-year-old self and showing her, "¡Lo hice!" – and I did it as a Latina woman." Hayes matriculates to UCLA this fall, Class of 2028. A complete list of 2024 awardees can be found here.

"These scholarships are more than just financial aid; they are gateways to equity, allowing students from all backgrounds to access the high-quality education they rightfully deserve. This commitment to inclusivity is at the heart of what we do at Alliance," adds Alliance CEO Pablo Villavicencio. "We believe that every scholar, regardless of their socioeconomic status, has the potential to achieve greatness, and our mission is to empower them to unlock that potential."

98% of Alliance scholars live in the heart of Los Angeles' Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. 13% are English Learners, 65% speak a language other than English at home, and a majority of scholars are the first in their families to attend college.

About Alliance
Alliance College-Ready Public Schools is one of the largest and most successful nonprofit public charter school networks in the nation, operating 26 high-performing, middle and high schools that educate nearly 13,000 scholars who make up the heart of Los Angeles' Latinx, Black, and recent immigrant communities. Alliance schools have been recognized as among the best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, the U.S. Department of Education, and the California Department of Education. Since opening our first school in 2004, 95% of Alliance scholars have graduated from high school. We strive to uplift our scholars and their communities by fostering unparalleled educational opportunities that encourage scholarly thought, resilient learning, powerful communication, mind-body wellness, and community advocacy. To learn more, connect with Alliance: laalliance.org, X (formally Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn.

Contact: Jass Stewart, [email protected]

SOURCE Alliance College-Ready Public Schools