An 8th grade diploma does not mark the end of a Miguel School's relationship with its students. Rather it is a transition into the Graduate Support Program and a continuation of its commitment to support graduates from middle school on to secondary school and through college.
Students enter various types of high school settings. There are many distractions and obstacles that a high school student may encounter. Students are juggling work, extracurricular activities, sports, and a full academic load. Additionally, students are faced with a culture that is more and more accepting of drug and alcohol use, and many students are pressured by relaxed norms in sexuality. The percent of students who drop out of high school continues to increase as the graduation rate inversely decreases.
Most often our families do not have the experience or knowledge of the support systems that middle to upper class families utilize to promote their children's secondary and higher education. Through our Graduate Support Program, the Miguel Schools put the expertise of its faculty and benefactors, as well as its connections to quality secondary and higher education, at the service of our graduates. We aim to support both the students and the families as they maneuver the process of applying to high school, staying in school, doing well, graduating and continuing on to college.