Breakthrough builds a path through college, beginning in middle school, for students from low-income communities who will become the first in their families to earn a college degree. Our program combines individualized, long-term case management with extended learning time for students who statistics say will not enroll in or graduate from college without significant support.

Breakthrough’s model is shaped by years of research on the underlying drivers of poverty and educational attainment. Education is the most effective way to overcome poverty. At the core of our model are three main pillars. Each pillar provides students skills and experiences that address the three critical factors that limit academic success and persistence: unequal out-of-school academic opportunities, the lack of a knowledgeable personal advocate and the development of non-cognitive skills. Our model fills these gaps, levelling the education playing field.

Breakthrough students consistently outperform their low-income Central Texas peers when it comes to grades, school attendance, scores on college entrance exams, college readiness, high school graduation, college enrollment, and college graduation. Last spring, 98% of our high school seniors in the Class of 2017 graduated on time, as compared to 90% of their Central Texas low-income peers. Ninety-two percent of them enrolled directly in college, as compared to 43% of their Central Texas low-income peers. Breakthrough students graduate from college at 7 times the rate of other low-income Central Texas students.