Our impact
Students stay in school, are more engaged and perform better academically when they feel connected to at least one adult at school. That's our role, to ensure that students have the relationships and resources to help them reach their full potential. Donate now to support our mission.
Schools partnering with City Year are up to 3x more likely to improve proficiency rates in math.
Schools partnering with City Year are 2x more likely to improve on state English assessments.
School staff agree that City Year AmeriCorps members help to foster a positive learning environment for their students.
Our alums are working in a wide range of professions, including education, business, law and public policy.
City Year’s dual mission
- Advance educational outcomes for all students
- Develop young leaders through national service who are equipped and prepared for successful careers and a lifetime of leadership and community engagement.
Our six areas of impact
City Year has evolved from a community service program in one city into a national research + practice + policy organization seeking increased opportunities for young people.
City Year advances our mission through six program areas designed to ensure that young people have the tools, experiences, and knowledge they need to succeed in whatever path they choose and contribute to stronger and more vibrant communities and workplaces.
We advance educational outcomes by serving students attending school systems with the lowest high school graduation rates—the most untapped talent in our country—through:
City Year partners with schools most in need of additional capacity to provide data-informed, integrated academic and interpersonal supports anchored in positive developmental relationships with students. Research shows City Year AmeriCorps members, who serve as student success coaches, get results.
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City Year focuses on building school capacity to improve outcomes for students. City Year collaborates with partners to create new approaches to student support services and access to critical relationships and resources all students need to succeed. Read about our work with Compass Academy and the Network for School Improvement.
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City Year leverages its scale and influence to affect policy on how schools are designed, supported and resourced. City Year advances policy innovations that re-envision what schools can be—welcoming places that promote positive relationships, engaging learning environments and a sense of community for students and the adults who work with them.
Learn moreWe develop the next generation of leaders through national service:
Following their service, our 40,000+ alums are setting a new standard for how to create more collaborative, welcoming and engaging spaces and how to make our workforce, schools and communities stronger.
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City Year is making entry into teaching easier, more accessible and more affordable for our corps members and alums.
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City Year continues to focus on sustaining and growing national service and advancing policies that enable participation, setting up service as a core pillar of our democracy.
Learn moreMeasuring impact
City Year provides a powerful double bottom line: improving outcomes for students in schools and developing the next generation of leaders through our growing alumni community.
Measuring success
Research shows that providing students with positive, caring, consistent adult relationships at school helps to keep students on track to graduate with the skills and mindsets essential for success in college, career and life.
Donate to support City Year's mission
Every day, City Year's dedicated AmeriCorps members show up for students and add capacity to schools that need extra hands the most. They serve as student success coaches, tutors, mentors and role models who support student holistic growth, well-being and learning.
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Read about individual success stories
We hear time and time again from corps members and alums that when they first joined City Year as an...
Read more about A snapshot of City Year service as a student success coachIn his graduation speech to City Year’s AmeriCorps volunteers, Luke Hostetter reflects on a year of service that impacted over...
Read more about City Year's Luke Hostetter Honors 2025 AmeriCorps GraduatesWolf Reese didn’t expect City Year to change the course of his life—but it did. From navigating culture shock at...
Read more about Alumni Spotlight: Wolf Reese Finds His Path While Working With StudentsI chose to serve a year with City Year Greater Boston because I wanted to embody and practice the values...
Read more about Why I Serve at City Year Greater BostonCity Year has a strong return on investment
Every dollar invested in City Year is matched 1:1.
For schools we partner with, City Year is 78% more cost effective than contracting with individual providers to deliver our services.
Students in schools with City Year gained one month of additional learning, compared to similar schools without City Year.
A smart investment
In a 2018 white paper, Deloitte Consulting LLP examined the value and growth potential of City Year’s services, including City Year's return on investment.
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Building civic leaders
47% of City Year alumni work in education, including 16% who are classroom teachers.
94% of City Year alumni agree that their City Year experience had a significantly positive impact on their lives.
City Year alumni are 45% more likely to be civically engaged or belong to a community organization.
Alumni impact
City Year's 34,000 alumni are increasingly taking on leadership roles and making significant contributions as leaders who can mobilize groups to tackle complex challenges across a range of professional fields.
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