Academia Avance

Academia Avance Charter School is an independent community-based public school serving 400 students in grades 6th – 12th. Founded in 2005 as the first public school in the Northeast Los Angeles community of Highland Park designed to address the critical need for innovative educational alternatives with the following mission statement: Avance sets the standard for public charter school excellence via college and career preparation that inspires a lifetime of learning and leading.

The Avance program allows for students to begin their exploration into a college and professional career path via valuable service-learning programs, project-based learning, leadership experiences, advocacy and professional development. These programs have not only strengthened and improved the Avance student experience, but have also addressed goals to eliminate barriers of employment and providing economic mobility for at-risk Latino youth.

Our graduating students arrive to college with a skill set that includes a strong self identify, education on healthy relationships, leadership and civic engagement in the community and global awareness. To date Avance has graduated six classes with over 200 alumni, 85% accepted to at least one four-year postsecondary institution and over 70% of our students continue on to their second year in college. This persistence surpasses state and national trends for Latinos.