CORE Districts launched the Breakthrough Success Community (BTSC) to bring together districts from across the state of California to work together to increase the percentage of students who are on-track for high school graduation and postsecondary persistence at the end of 9th grade. As collaborators in the CORE Districts’ BTSC, four districts together reduced the percentage of 9th graders who were off track by 24.4% between 2020-21 and 2024-25, decreased variation in performance between schools, and strengthened the 9th grade experience. This focused effort to graduate more students prepared for the widest possible array of postsecondary options was recognized with the 2026 Carnegie Award for Impact.
The 9th grade year is pivotal to put students on a path to success in high school and beyond, with research showing that completing 9th grade “on track” is the single biggest predictor of a student graduating high school within four years. CORE Districts developed an on-track metric anchored in postsecondary persistence two years after high school, and in 2019 launched the BTSC to bring together districts working to reduce off-track rates, in particular the percentage of students earning Ds and Fs in courses required for admission to the state’s university systems. At the time, off-track rates varied widely between schools in a district, with Black and Latinx students disproportionately off track.
CORE Districts’ BTSC took on this challenge by leveraging disciplined improvement cycles, a robust theory of improvement supported by research-backed change ideas, and structured opportunities to collaborate and learn as site teams and as a network. As collaborators in the network, Fresno Unified, Garden Grove Unified, Long Beach Unified, and Oakland Unified school districts convened site teams to examine data and identify actions, adjusted and refined scheduling, grading, and instructional practices, and tested changes to strengthen students’ sense of belonging, a critical foundation for learning. Through this work, each district has improved 9th grade success across all comprehensive high schools, narrowed the variation in performance between schools, and built collaborative organizational cultures focused on student success.
Download the CORE District’s Breakthrough Success Community’s Impact Story, including key lessons learned from their work.
Learn more about the BTSC’s work
- Find case examples, links to change ideas, and more on the CORE Districts’ website.
- Listen to How Fremont High School is Changing Grading so it Reflects Learning to hear math teachers Sunny Chan and Sandy Tu, with CORE Districts’ Amanda Meyer, in conversation about their work to improve 9th grade on track.
Fellow 2026 Recipients
- Liberty Public Schools: 2026 Carnegie Award for Impact recipient
- Hemet Unified School District: 2026 Carnegie Award for Impact recipient
The Carnegie Foundation launched the Carnegie Award for Impact in 2026 to recognize examples of significant impact on high school student success and preparation for career and postsecondary opportunities. Recipients demonstrate models, approaches and continuous improvement practices that catalyze consistent and persuasive student results, and illustrate the key roles different stakeholders play in sustaining positive improvement.
