Henderson Collegiate

In the United States today, only 9% of students who grow up in low-income households graduate from college.

For the students of rural Vance County, NC, whose unemployment and poverty rates both exceed the state and national averages, this trend is particularly concerning. This statistic means that students who grow up in poverty in Vance County are more likely to go to prison than to graduate from college, just because of when and where they were born.

Henderson Collegiate is working to change that.

Henderson Collegiate was founded by two Teach for America alumni in 2010 who passionately believed that the children of Vance County deserved more. After teaching for several years in Vance County Public Schools and then at Gaston College Preparatory, where they learned how to run a high-quality educational program, they opened Henderson Collegiate with one 4th grade class of 100 students.

The mission of Henderson Collegiate is to empower students with the character traits, academic skills, social experiences, and love of learning needed for them to shape their own destinies, attend the college of their choice, and change the world. The school does this by marketing primarily to students from low-income households – who historically are most underserved in education – and by providing them with a caring, structured environment led by the hardest working and most passionate teachers around.

Henderson Collegiate teachers believe that every student is able to learn and achieve success. The urgency of each classroom confirms this belief, as staff and families work together to drive students to develop the grit and other character habits they need to be academically and socially successful. Every staff member at Henderson Collegiate understands that a high-quality education can provide a means for students to break free of the cycle of poverty, and, accordingly, does everything necessary to support all students.

As this program expands, growing and adding a grade level each year until it ranges from Kindergarten through 12th grade, it is vital that Henderson Collegiate continues to build partnerships. The school would not have opened without the incredible support of the Henderson community, and every success and achievement that the students, staff, and families celebrate, has only been possible as a result of the support of local community businesses and members.

If you believe that every child deserves to have access to a great education that can truly alter that student’s life trajectory, Henderson Collegiate needs your partnership. Your support enables the school to meet all of students’ needs every day. With your support, Henderson Collegiate can actually achieve its mission to help students change the world.