For the sixth consecutive year, public high school seniors who actively participated in an innovative afterschool program created by Exelon, ComEd and United Way of Metropolitan Chicago achieved a graduation rate of more than 90 percent, exceeding the 65 percent average for seniors in Chicago Public Schools.

Students in the Exelon/ComEd/United Way Stay in School Initiative had grade promotion and graduation rates of 85 percent and 92 percent respectively in the 2012-2013 academic year.  These and other successes were unveiled on September 28, at the program’s annual kickoff and report card presentation at the Museum of Science and Industry.  Since its inception, the program has served approximately 15,000 students ages 13 to 20. It will serve more than 2,000 additional students during the 2013-2014 school year.

Two community-based afterschool agencies have been a part of the Stay in School Initiative since it began: B.U.I.L.D Inc., serving students from the Humboldt Park/West Town neighborhoods, and Youth Guidance, serving the Austin neighborhood. As a result of the program’s success, four new afterschool agencies serving four different communities are joining the initiative this year: Corazon Community Services in Cicero, Gary Comer Youth Center in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood, Project: Vision in Chinatown and Bridgeport, and Young Men’s Educational Network in North Lawndale. These agencies were selected because students from these communities have some of the highest dropout and truancy rates in the city.  Exelon and ComEd have contributed more than $2.8 million to fund the Stay in School Initiative since its creation.