Discover how IYT Fosters Belonging & Academic Excellence in SJUSD
Discover How IYT Fosters Belonging & Academic Excellence in San Juan Unified School District
Executive Summary
During the 2024–2025 academic year, Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT) served 807 students across 11 schools within the San Juan Unified School District (SJUSD). By cultivating a deep sense of belonging, building student confidence, and providing targeted academic support, we achieved a 100% high school graduation rate and 100% college-going rate* for its graduating class. This drastically outperforms the California state average for young men of color, which lands at 55%.
*Analysis of College-Going Rate limited to those who were reached.
The Challenge: Closing the Opportunity Gap
Young men of color face systemic barriers to higher education, reflected in California’s statewide college-going rate of just 55% for this demographic. To dismantle these barriers, we partnered with SJUSD to serve a highly diverse student body, primarily composed of students identifying as Two or More Races (24%), African-American/Black (23%), and Hispanic/Latino (22%).
When launching IYT programming in the district, our objective was clear: translate mentorship, member development and support into measurable academic outcomes.
“Staff are very supportive and meet our students where they are in life.”
The Strategy: High Touch, Authentic Engagement
One of the central elements of the IYT framework contributing to our success is our focus on supporting the whole student. In SJUSD, this success took the form of robust program enrollment (reaching up to 101% capacity at schools like El Camino High School), and strong program retention (peaking at 86% at San Juan High School).
IYT programmatic approach relies on the following core pillars:
Experiential Inspiration: Immersive college tours designed to bridge the gap between high school and higher education.
A Culture of Authenticity & Support: Creating intentional spaces where students are supported by IYT mentors, peers, and school partners.
Key Outcomes & Impact
The Power of Belonging & Self-Confidence
Academic success is rooted in emotional safety. Across all five distinct metrics evaluated, members from SJUSD reported a greater sense of belonging within IYT than in their broader school environments.
“IYT has changed the way I think about school. Instead of seeing it as a chore I see the opportunity to do great things after I’m done.”
Unparalleled Academic & Post-Secondary Success
The data from the 2024-2025 school year highlights an undeniable trajectory of success for IYT Brothers as they near graduation:
100% Graduation Rate: Every single senior enrolled in programming successfully graduated high school.
100% College Enrollment: The Class of 2024 achieved a perfect college-going rate, nearly doubling the California state average of 55% for young men of color. (Analysis limited to those who were reached).
Academic Growth Among Upperclassmen: Students in grades 11 and 12 demonstrated significant academic growth after joining IYT, marked by a measurable decrease in "D" and "F" grades and a corresponding rise in overall GPAs.
Interest-Holder Feedback
Over 89% of students, parents, and school partners strongly agree that IYT is a place where students can truly be themselves, directly resulting in boosted self-confidence. Furthermore, students explicitly noted that the program's college tours served as a turning point; not only increasing their desire to pursue higher education but actively motivating them to work harder in their daily classes to secure admission.
“It impacted my life because IYT made me want to go to school more.”
Conclusion
In reviewing the results of SJUSD’s 2024-2025 academic year, we see that when young men of color are given a space to be themselves, empowered with mentorship and tangible exposure to higher education, the positive impacts are long-reaching and undeniable.
IYT’s partnership with SJUSD stands as a premier model for equity, excellence, and systemic change in education.
Are you interested in learning how you can bring IYT programming to your school or district? Hit the link below to get in touch!