The early childhood years set the stage for later success in school and life, but at-risk children are less likely to receive the supports they need to prepare them for success.  Each year there are 10,000 live births in Douglas and Sarpy Counties.  3,500 of these infants are born into poverty.  Of the 3,500 born in poverty:

• Few will reach preschool or kindergarten ready to learn
• About one-third will not be able to read or do math at grade level by mid-elementary school
• Nearly half of this group will drop out of high school

As students progress to high school, they continue to need support from parents and a positive attachment to school, rigorous and relevant curriculum and instruction delivered by caring and competent teachers, and strong motivation to learn and achieve.   In 2007, over 1,000 high school students in the two-county area were not meeting standards in reading and over 950 were not meeting standards in math.

High school course failures jeopardize student progress toward graduation.  Students who fail core courses in ninth grade immediately fall off track for 4-year graduation and are at high risk of dropping out.  The overall graduation rate in the 11 school districts in the Omaha Metropolitan Area is 80 percent, leaving 20 percent of students not graduating on-time, having dropped out or having pursued a GED.  Dropout rates vary dramatically across the region’s high schools and roughly mirror income distribution.

Daily attendance rates range from 93 to 96 percent across the school districts in Douglas and Sarpy Counties (2007-2008).  These attendance rates, while relatively high overall, do not reflect variations within the districts; we know that some schools have more absences – and more truancy and chronic absenteeism than others.  High school students represent 32 percent of the school population in the two-county area, but they represent nearly 40 percent of daily absences. (2007-2008)