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The School of Business and Tourism is a Los Angeles high school redesigned as a community school using Linked Learning pathways, project-based learning, updated site roles, and a self-regulation space. Despite serving a higher-need population, the school outperformed the district on state assessments, offering a model for secondary school redesign.
Sarah KlevanNatalie SpitzerLaura E. HernándezCassandra F. RubinsteinWalker Swain
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Los Angeles Unified School District successfully implemented its Community Schools Initiative through a robust support structure that centers inclusive environments enabled by restorative practices, project-based learning, and Linked Learning pathways. While all low-income schools in the district are recovering from pandemic-era lows, these schools are improving at substantially higher rates in achievement and attendance.
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California’s historic investment in community schools is showing promising early results. Participating schools reduced chronic absenteeism and suspensions, improved academic outcomes, and produced particularly strong gains for Black students, English learners, and students from low-income families—offering evidence that community schools can help close long-standing opportunity gaps.
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Lynwood Unified's deep community roots, existing network of health partners, emphasis on social emotional learning, and focus on building coordinator capacity enabled rapid districtwide implementation. Within two years, all 17 schools became community schools, yielding significant gains in student achievement, attendance, school climate, and family engagement.
Sarah KlevanLaura E. HernándezNatalie SpitzerCassandra F. RubinsteinWalker Swain
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Los Angeles Unified School District successfully implemented its Community Schools Initiative through a robust support structure that centers inclusive environments enabled by restorative practices, project-based learning, and Linked Learning pathways. While all low-income schools in the district are recovering from pandemic-era lows, these schools are improving at substantially higher rates in achievement and attendance.
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Rural schools often have limited access to academic, social, and mental health resources. In California, a cross-district initiative resulted in a collaborative effort to pool resources and implement community schools, fostering improvements in student outcomes and overall well-being.
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States across the country are rethinking high school to give students stronger skills and more relevant learning experiences. Their efforts offer a clearer picture of how policy shifts can create schools that better prepare students for life after graduation.
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State leaders from California and Kentucky joined LPI's opening Legislative Prep Session webinar and shared how community schools are helping students succeed in their states. They discussed the ways that locally driven strategies, grounded in research and community partnerships, are improving achievement, attendance, and student well-being in states across the political spectrum.
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As community schools expand statewide, districts play a critical role in ensuring these efforts thrive. Three California local education agencies have used new investments to strengthen professional learning, streamline services, and build the infrastructure for lasting change. Their strategies illustrate how systems can support schools to implement and scale up community schools.
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As schools grapple with post-pandemic learning setbacks, a powerful and evidence-based approach is helping students rebound. Community schools—rooted in deep family engagement, expanded learning, and integrated supports—are driving some of the strongest learning gains in the nation.
