Defining High School Alternatives

High school alternative education can encompass a broad range of programs and structures. This is Education Northwest’s attempt to define high school alternatives.

Who do alternative education programs serve?

There is significant state-by-state, program-by-program variance in who alternative education programs are intended to serve. The Alternative Education Policy Network is focused on high school alternatives that support students furthest from educational opportunity. This includes:

• Students who are at risk of dropping out of school (e.g., behind in credits, intend to withdraw)
• Students who experience homelessness, foster care, incarceration, or detention
• Students who are pregnant and parenting
• Students with special needs
• Students who are otherwise left behind by the conventional K–12 system, including BIPOC students, multilingual learners, and students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

What do alternative education programs do?

In our national scan of high school alternatives, we identified the following characteristics of effective high school alternative education programs, sometimes referred to as opportunity schools:

• Provide high-quality educational and career opportunities to empower students who face systemic barriers in traditional secondary schools
• Support flexible and asset-based learning opportunities that students find meaningful
• Build momentum for future success by providing not only a diploma but also skills, connections to people and resources, certifications, and workforce preparation that create educational and economic opportunities for all students
• Nurture healthy relationships with caring adults who affirm students’ cultures, identities, backgrounds, and experiences and foster a sense of belonging
• Empower high-quality, well-supported educators and practitioners to provide instructional and comprehensive supports that, in turn, empower young people to transform their lives