The high school graduation rate for girls in Texas is dismal. Almost 30% of girls across the state do not graduate from high school. The future prospects for female dropouts are grim as they face poor employment opportunities, poverty and a reliance on public support programs. This cycle of poverty is perpetuated, as the children of dropouts are themselves less likely to graduate, more likely to be incarcerated, and more likely to require public assistance. Today 40% of all US households are headed by women and over 21% of children in our United States are living in poverty.
Studies have demonstrated that education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty for girls and their future families. Research shows that economically disadvantaged girls derive the most benefit from single-gender education and that all girls’ schools produce graduates who enter college more academically engaged.
YWPN schools run from 6th to 12th grade and offer a rigorous curriculum focused on STEM education and a college-bound program that starts in sixth grade. The YWPN network also instills a sense of sisterhood in their 4,700+ students reminding the girls that they aren’t alone on their path to a better future for themselves and their families. The schools teach that drive, hard work and resilience are the keys to success in life and the results they have achieved are nothing less than phenomenal. Today, 100% of YWPN seniors are accepted at a four-year university and YWPN alum are graduating college at 8x the national rate for economically disadvantaged children. So, the network is working proving all students, regardless of their background or socio-economic status, can excel if given the right opportunity. In other words, YWPN is producing truly limitless young women. Please join us in support of their life changing work.