INDIANAPOLIS – September 10, 2019 – Simon Youth Foundation (SYF), a national nonprofit dedicated to helping students graduate high school, is proud to kick off the 2019-2020 academic year by celebrating several significant milestones, including its 20-year anniversary.
Over 20 years, SYF’s work has made a significant impact on the lives of 19,860 young people by helping them earn their high school diplomas – 35 percent of whom were the first in their family to graduate high school. SYF is currently marching towards its 20,000th lifetime graduate, which it anticipates will occur during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Simon Youth Academy students graduated at a 93% graduation rate in the 2018-19 year, well above the national average. This is especially impactful given that the majority of Simon Youth Academy students had either dropped out of high school previously or were on the verge of dropping out.
SYF has not only given youth across the country hope for a bright future; the nonprofit has also made a significant economic impact through its work to combat the national dropout crisis.
- The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that high school dropouts earn $10,386 less per year than high school graduates. The estimated lifetime economic impact of one high school graduate is $498,528 (based on 66-year-old retirement age and 18-year-old graduation age).
- This data indicates that the 2,069 students that graduated from Simon Youth Academies in the 2018-19 academic year will have an estimated economic impact of more than $1 billion.
- The 19,860 current lifetime graduates of Simon Youth Academies will have an estimated economic impact of nearly $10 billion.
“SYF is humbled to help students earn their high school diplomas and help them realize a successful future is possible,” said Dr. J. Michael Durnil, President and CEO, Simon Youth Foundation. “Through our partnerships with public school districts and the support of Simon Property Group and our generous donors, we have been able to reduce the dropout rate in the public school districts where Simon Youth Academies are based, and help countless young people increase their earning potential, which positively affects our national economy as a whole.” Durnil also added, “All of us at SYF are eagerly counting graduates as we anticipate the 20,000th graduate this fall from one our partner academies.”
SYF also awards scholarships to students graduating from its Simon Youth Academies, dropout recovery academies operated in partnership with local public school districts. SYF sees students who struggle to succeed in a traditional classroom for who they really are – a girl working two jobs to support her family, a boy surviving homelessness. SYF understands that their circumstances require a different kind of learning so they build educational spaces right for them. SYF currently operates 37 Simon Youth Academies in 15 states in partnership with 24 local public school districts.
For more information on SYF and its Simon Youth Academies, please visit https://syf.org/.
About Simon Youth Foundation
Simon Youth Foundation (SYF) is a national nonprofit committed to helping students who are on the verge of dropping out of high school graduate and pursue post-secondary educational opportunities. SYF works toward this mission by partnering with local public school districts to launch Simon Youth Academies, alternative classroom settings located primarily in Simon Malls, and by providing Simon Youth Scholarships to Academy graduates and students who live near Simon Malls. Since its inception, SYF has maintained a 90 percent graduation rate at its 37 Simon Youth Academies in 15 states, helping more than 19,850 students earn their high school diplomas, and has awarded over $18 million in scholarships. Visit syf.org to learn more.
