Boys Town Receives Third Consecutive Recognition as One of America’s 100 Best Communities for Young People
With outstanding results in the classroom, Boys Town earned its third consecutive recognition as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People by the America’s Promise Alliance. More than 80 percent of Boys Town youth graduate high school, well above the national average of 70 percent.
“We are honored to be one of a very few programs who received the acknowledgement as one of America’s Best for the third time,” said Dr. Dan Daly, Boys Town’s Vice President of Youth Care. “America’s kids deserve real results. We are particularly proud to receive this designation because America’s Promise criteria are stringent and require a community to demonstrate that they are producing those results for children.”
Boys Town was recognized as one of the 100 Best for a third time because its at-risk young people continue to grow, thrive and become productive citizens. The organization’s strong commitment to helping young people succeed in school is just one reason for the designation.
Statistics show that every ninth grader who entered Boys Town High School in 2002 graduated in 2006, compared to nearly 88 percent of freshmen for Nebraska Public Schools. And within six months after leaving our programs, 89 percent of 16- to 19-year-olds were in school or graduated, compared to 92 percent nationally. This is a very positive finding given the educational history of our youth; 85 percent have school problems at admission.
“The prosperity of every community and this country depends on how well we care for our children and youth,” said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO of the America’s Promise Alliance. “When we have communities that make young people a priority and are working to make sure they stay in school and have all the resources necessary to lead healthy, productive lives, we must recognize them, and by extension, inspire other cities and towns to follow their lead.”
America’s Promise, a national alliance founded in 1997 by General Colin Powell to challenge the nation to make children and youth a national priority, recognizes communities doing right by their young people and going the extra mile to address the challenges they face to ensure they find the path to success.
More than 300 communities from all 50 states applied for the honor this year.
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