Uneven distribution of wealth creates educational inequities between school districts that negatively impacts students in lower income and racially marginalized communities. There are stark opportunity differences for children born into affluent communities compared to those living just a few miles away. HGFA serves students attending public schools in the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, who face the following realities:
- Bridgeport public schools student enrollment is 90% people of color
- 55% of Bridgeport households earn less than the bare minimum cost of living in Fairfield County
- 70% of entering kindergarteners need additional support to meet grade milestones
- The number of Bridgeport 3rd graders meeting or exceeding the expected achievement levels in reading is only 20% compared to the statewide average of over 50%
- The number of Bridgeport 5th graders meeting or exceeding the expected achievement levels in math is less than 5% compared to the statewide average of 37%
- The public high school graduation rate for Bridgeport is 68%, whereas the high school graduation rate for the state of Connecticut is 88%, and for Horizons GFA students, 100%.
Our students face a double deficit: the achievement gap and the opportunity gap.
Our students do not have access to enriching school-year or summer extracurricular activities. This opportunity gap feeds the achievement gap. Students who do not have access to enriching activities over the summer experience learning loss, so the achievement gap widens for these students each year. Students who fall behind in early grades, particularly in reading, generally do not catch up without outside help. They become unmotivated because, to them, school and failure are synonymous. This group is at high risk of dropping out of high school; research shows that those who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave school without a diploma than proficient readers.
Once our students graduate from high school, funding the indirect costs of college attendance not covered by scholarships or financial aid, such as books, supplies, transportation, food, health care, medications, etc., is a huge challenge. The inability to fund these costs can cause significant disruptions or even pose an insurmountable obstacle to the completion of a student’s post-secondary education.
HGFA was originally established and subsequently expanded in response to the sobering realities facing Bridgeport youth, in order to provide the academic enrichment and resources needed for these students to successfully complete their education.