It’s that time of year again! The school year is winding down and summer vacation is fast approaching. While our students are probably focused on the fun ahead, many parents are also wondering about the road ahead.
Here at CSFB, we’re so excited for all our students who are finishing up their school year and especially hopeful for those who are transitioning to a new chapter in their lives. Our kindergarteners who are moving up to first grade, our fifth graders who will be headed off to middle school in the fall, and of course, our eighth graders who are off to high school and leaving our program.
Many other students will struggle, however. Nationwide, 70 percent of eighth graders are not proficient in reading. Low-income Baltimore City students in public schools face high school graduation rates below 70 percent. High school dropouts are three times more likely to live below the poverty line and eight times more likely to serve time in jail than college graduates. Closing the gap for low-income students is more important than ever.
We’re proud that CSFB changes the game for our scholars: 97 percent of our eighth-grade graduates go on to graduate from high school and 84 percent of our graduates attend college.
For 20 years, the data has clearly indicated that our CSFB scholars are succeeding both in school and in life. And our 20th-anniversary stories of students, families and community members that have been a part of it all confirm this truth.
Congratulations to our current scholars — and to those who are graduating from high school and college — parents, and families! We can’t wait to see where you go next!