A second-chance school for dropouts celebrated its first graduation ceremony for 26 young adults who made another try and persevered to get a high school diploma.
The Come Back Kids charter school, run by the Stanislaus County Office of Education, serves students up to age 23 with academic classes and job-skills training.
“We were expecting 25 students to start this year, but the program has been extremely popular and we currently have over 140 students enrolled,” said Tom Changnon, Stanislaus County’s superintendent of schools.
The school launched this year in connection with SCOE’s new Destination Graduation initiative. The goal of the multiyear initiative is to increase the percentage of students in Stanislaus County who graduate with a high school diploma.
“We’re providing opportunities for students who realize that they made a mistake and are looking for a second chance to get a high school diploma,” said Scott Kuykendall, the director of career, charter and alternative education at SCOE.