Connecting Communities to Schools

We are the country's largest dropout prevention organization, and the only one proven to move the needle on graduation rates. Anchored in over 3000 school sites we form a vast safety net that stretches into 27 states.

The success of our wide reach lies in our approach to relationship based, integrated services , which proves an agile model for addressing the distinct needs of youth across the country.

Serving Washington State since 1991.

Communities In Schools began operating in Washington in 1991 at the urging of Boeing and other Washington state employers. Their concern developed in an atmosphere where schools were expected to fulfill multiple roles—as service providers, coordinators, interventionists—that threatened to overwhelm their capacity to teach.

Business and education leaders were impressed with the comprehensive and coordinated strategy that CIS brought to schools in other parts of the country by addressing the immediate needs of students while freeing teachers to teach.

Today, 12 CIS organizations operate in Washington and help more than 30,000 students each year.