Achievement via individual determination (AVID)

AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

At the secondary grade levels (7th-12th grades), AVID is an approved elective course taken during the school day. Students are usually selected to enroll in an AVID class after an application process. For one class period a day, they learn organizational and study skills, work on critical thinking and asking probing questions, get academic help from peers and college tutors, and participate in enrichment and motivational activities that make college seem attainable. Students enrolled in AVID are typically required to enroll in at least one of their school's toughest classes, such as honors or Advanced Placement®, in addition to the AVID elective. As students progress in AVID, their self-images improve, and they become academically successful leaders and role models for other students. 

AVID closes the achievement gap for all students: Almost all AVID students who participate for at least three years are accepted to college, with about 3/4 getting into four year universities.

Regardless of ethnicity or economic background, AVID students complete four-year college entrance requirements at a rate more than twice that of their peers.

The AVID Student

AVID targets students in the academic middle - B, C, and even D students - who have the desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard. These are students who are capable of completing rigorous curriculum but are falling short of their potential. Typically, they will be the first in their families to attend college, and many are from low-income or minority families. AVID pulls these students out of their unchallenging courses and puts them on the college track: acceleration instead of remediation.