Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr. Announces .003% Drop-Out Rate – Philadelphia

“Today, Rev. Luis Cortes, Jr., Esperanza’s president and CEO, announced that only 2 of 630 Esperanza Academy Charter High School students dropped out during the 2006 school year.

The Philadelphia School District has a 43% Latino dropout rate — higher than any other ethnic group in the city. Nearly half of Esperanza’s neighborhood population over age 25 does not have a high school diploma.

“We are delighted with this extraordinary success,” said Rev. Cortes. “I congratulate our teachers, our parents and most of all, our students for their tireless dedication to learning.”

“Over the past two years, the school’s board, administration and staff have moved toward individualized instruction,” explained Rev. Cortes. “Tailoring curriculum and instruction to our students’ needs develops students with hope, a belief in their future and a willingness to work hard. Dropping out is simply not an option.”

The Academy’s drop-out rate is just one of the school’s many accomplishments:

– 89% attendance rate — in contrast to 65% – 75% for area high schools — 70% graduation rate — 20% higher than the citywide Latino graduation rate — 91% college acceptance rate — 31% improvement in math scores since 2003 — One of only three neighborhood (non magnet) high schools in the city to achieve Adequate Yearly Progress (No Child Left Behind standard) for two consecutive years.

The Academy’s student body is 92% Latino and 8% African American. The school has a zero tolerance policy for fighting, vandalism, drug, alcohol and weapons possession.

The Rev. Luis Cortes is president of Esperanza, the largest Hispanic faith-based community development corporation in the country. With a national network of 10,000 faith- and community-based agencies, Esperanza is one of the leading voices for Hispanics in America. For more information, go to www.esperanza.us/. “*

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