ABOUT US

2020-21 ANNUAL REPORT

Communities In Schools of Jacksonville has kept students on track for graduation for more than 30 years and has helped more than 110,000 individual students. We have seen firsthand that any obstacle to learning – even the small ones – can add up to make a significant impact on a child’s development. That’s why we’re embedded in the lives of our students and families to help them overcome obstacles that range from learning disabilities and social struggles to food insecurity and homelessness.

We serve students in Duval County Public Schools every day by surrounding them with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Our programs impact struggling students through case management, literacy tutoring and afterschool programs. Our staff works with hand in hand with school administration, teachers, parents and neighborhood partners – including local government, businesses, other nonprofits and civic organizations – to bolster student success.

At Communities In Schools Jacksonville, our goal is for all Duval County students to excel in school and grow into successful adults who make our community a better place. To learn more, check out our digital booklet and most recent reports.

OUR HISTORY

1989

Cities In Schools (the precursor to Communities In Schools) is officially incorporated. The organization was created in response to a school dropout prevention study conducted by the Jacksonville Community Council, Inc. that recognized the lack of a community-wide, dropout prevention plan.

1990

The first Cities In Schools of Jacksonville site, Jefferson Davis Junior High School, opens on Jacksonville’s Westside. At the time, the school had one of the highest dropout rates in Duval County.

1996

Cities In Schools of Jacksonville becomes Communities In Schools of Jacksonville. The organization is the first local program in Florida to achieve chartered status through the Communities In Schools national network. Also, this year… Communities In Schools of Jacksonville student enrollment is up more than 2,000 students from the original 50 at Jefferson Davis Junior High School.

1998

Communities In Schools of Jacksonville is chosen to operate the first four after school programs funded by the City of Jacksonville through the Jacksonville Children’s Commission (now Kids Hope Alliance).

1999

AmeriCorps Duval Reads program starts with 10 members in five elementary schools for literacy tutoring for kindergarten through third-grade students.

2001

Worth Magazine chooses Communities In Schools of Jacksonville as one of its “Top Ten Worthwhile Charitable Organizations Most Likely to Change the World.” Two of Communities In Schools of Jacksonville's Afterschool Programs are accredited by the National Scholastic Accreditation Committee Alliance.

2005

The Student Enrichment Program achieves a 90 percent promotion rate for elementary school students and a rate of more than 79 percent for middle school students. A notable 70 percent of Communities In Schools of Jacksonville high school students are graduating.

2006

The Communities In Schools of Jacksonville Literacy Program becomes the largest and most successful in Florida, with 82 percent of students improving their overall reading. Also, during this time Communities In Schools of Jacksonville began providing the Achievers For Life program in collaboration with Jewish Family & Community Services and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida. United Way of Northeast Florida created the program to target sixth-grade students at risk for academic failure.

2008

The Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Communities In Schools of Jacksonville collaborate to launch Jump Start Strings, where more than 100 first through fourth-grade students are provided free violin lessons by symphony members.

2013

A record 99 percent of Communities In Schools of Jacksonville seniors graduate from the high schools the organization serves.

2020

Communities In Schools of Jacksonville continues to serve at-risk students in 40 schools throughout the city, impacting their lives each day through its Case Management, Afterschool and Literacy Programs.

Communities In Schools of Jacksonville is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization (EIN # 59-3027895).

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR NATIONAL ORGANIZATION

Communities In Schools is a national organization working directly in 2,300 schools in 25 states and the District of Columbia. Founder Bill Milliken began Communities In Schools in New York City in the 1970s. He came up with the idea of bringing community resources inside public schools-where they are accessible, coordinated and accountable. “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children,” Bill once said. “A great program simply creates the environment for healthy relationships to form between adults and children. Young people thrive when adults care about them on a one-to-one level, and when they also have a sense of belonging to a caring community.” Learn more about CIS National by visiting their website at www.communitiesinschools.org.