What would
our WORLD look like
if we didn’t give up
on 20% of our kids?
1 in 5 students will be failed by their school, their city, and every system in between.
The 20% Project was built for them.
Why we must act
There is a moment — usually between ages 10 and 17 — where a different path is still available. That window is not permanent. It closes. And once it does, the cost of intervention rises exponentially while the odds of success fall.
We are not talking about kids who have already been written off. We are talking about kids being written off right now. Today. While we deliberate.
That's why now. That's why us. That’s why The 20% Project.
When you build for the hardest-to-reach students, you build something that works for everyone. Solving for the 20% isn't charity. It's the highest-leverage investment in public education that exists.
The Strategic Case
A young person who disconnects from school by 16 is more likely to be arrested, unemployed, and homeless by 25. A single year of youth incarceration costs taxpayers upward of $300,000
The economic Case
Communities are safer and stronger when young people stay connected to school, work, and opportunity. When they become disconnected, everyone pays the price. Solving for the 20% means building communities where more people can contribute, belong, and thrive.
The Community Case
One in five students — disproportionately black, brown and poor, will be failed by every institution designed to serve them. Consistently. Predictably. By a system that has learned to manage the failure instead of fix it.