Cohort 1 📍 Region 7

Radford City recognized that students facing chronic absenteeism, suspensions, or homelessness were at risk of falling further behind. The division’s answer came through its Community Schools work: after-school programming designed to increase student engagement and help them make up time. The Nighttime Community School (NCS) operates four evenings a week, paying school staff stipends to run the program. It provides subject-area tutoring, meals and snacks, free transportation, and mental health counseling through New River Valley Community Services.

This year, the program expanded to allow students to make up absences. Those who have been late or absent more than seven times are invited to attend evening sessions to restore their eligibility for school-sponsored activities. This new opportunity increased interest in the program, especially in the weeks before the homecoming dance. Thirty-seven students were served through the program during the first quarter, and many return voluntarily throughout the week, averaging more than two hours per session.