South Bay Promise News

Our successful South Bay Promise continues to grow, with more than 1,300 full-time students enrolled in the program this fall. The South Bay Promise covers enrollment fees for year one and year two for students who meet program requirements. Response to this program has been consistently strong, and participation has grown from 70 students in 2017 to over 800 students in 2019, with high retention and course completion rates. As the program grows and progresses, we are using important program data to support students of color. For example, research shows that students in the South Bay Promise tend to perform better than their non-South Bay Promise counterparts in completion and retention indicators. Current numbers also show that while African American students in the South Bay Promise have lower outcomes than non-African American students, the increases seen in South Bay Promise African American student outcomes demonstrate a reduction in the equity gap throughout the overall new student population. This informed data was recently used at the President's Breakfast for Superintendents and Principals for discussion with our area school district partners as we continue to seek ways to help incoming students access support and resources.