What is AVID?

Our nation’s schools are full of students who possess a desire to go to college and the willingness to work hard, but many of them do not truly have the opportunity to be college-ready. These are often the students who will be the first in their families to attend college and are from groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education. AVID Secondary equips teachers and schools with what they need to help these students succeed on a path to college and career success.

To address this need, AVID has developed the AVID Elective course. For one period a day, students receive the additional academic, social, and emotional support that will help them succeed in their school’s most rigorous courses.

AVID is a proven program for college preparation that gives students the skills, tools and attitude to succeed. AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. AVID prepares students in the academic middle who are often least-served for four-year college eligibility through rigorous curriculum, including AVID elective courses that focus on skills needed for college.

The AVID mission is to ensure that students:

• will succeed in rigorous curriculum

• will complete a rigorous college preparatory path

• will enter mainstream activities of the school

• will increase their enrollment in four-year colleges

• will become educated and responsible participants and leaders in a democratic society

How Does AVID Work?

AVID targets students in the academic middle 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 students are enrolled in their school's toughest classes, such as Honors and Advanced Placement, along with the AVID elective class.