Our whole-child approach
is working.

Students who stay engaged with OpenDoors have a 100% graduation rate with a high school diploma or equivalency. Over 80% of our students enroll and matriculate through four year colleges.

With support, OpenDoors students continue to far outpace the high school graduation and college enrollment rates nationwide, regardless of learning differences or economic status. Most OpenDoors students live below the poverty line and roughly half have been diagnosed with learning differences.

In our school district, Asheville City Schools, 94.6% of white students graduate in four years. This is compared to 92.3% for Black students. However, despite these similar graduation rates, the college readiness test scores tell a different story. In our school district, 81% of white students are deemed college ready whereas 12% of black students are; based on ACT/ACT WorkKeys Combined Indicator scores.

Tutoring

Research shows that high frequency tutoring is the best way to tackle achievement gaps and learning loss. The relationship between tutor and student is at the heart of the OpenDoors.

By pairing tutors with students who both compliment and cater to their unique learning style, academic needs, and natural disposition, students at OpenDoors build confidence not only in their skill set as a student, but also as young people navigating a complex world.

Of the 55 individual tutor student pairs who meet weekly, many have developed a trusting relationship that extends beyond the classroom.

Summer Camp

OpenDoors has long believed in the power of summer camp, encouraging students to attend at least 2 weeks of camps each summer, with in fact, 62% of our students attending more than 3 weeks in 2024! Research shows students who attend summer camp experience positive academic outcomes, strengthen critical life skills, and develop a sense of community and belonging.

In the summer of 2024 our students thrived at day camps and overnight camps, like Green River Preserve, Camp Watia, Camp Rockmont, Firefly Valley Pottery Camp, Asheville Museum of Science, ABYSA Soccer Camp, and many more. First-timers learned to skateboard, sail, code, and swim. They made new friends, slept away from home, and learned resilience and independence.

For our final summer camp in August, OpenDoors runs a Back-To-School Refresher Week for students of all ages to be ready for the school year.

STEAM Programs

STEAM education helps students navigate a changing world, develop critical thinking skills, and enhance their sense of curiosity. We know that early exposure to STEAM activities can shape students’ career choices later on, so OpenDoors always offers Math Club and other afterschool programs with Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Museum of Science, Swift App Coding, UNCA STEAM Studio, and more.

This year we had 70 students participating in OpenDoors’ afterschool STEAM programming!

Longevity

One of the many things that makes OpenDoors unique is our long-term partnerships with students and families. We describe ourselves as a longitudinal program serving students from kindergarten through college and beyond. In fact, our oldest student entered graduate school this fall to study nursing. Of the students on our roster last year, 10% had been with OpenDoors for ten or more years, 29% for six or more years, and 44% for three or more years. Of our 2022 college students, 70% have been with OpenDoors since elementary or middle school. 

When we say that we are a longitudinal program, however, we aren’t just talking about numbers. Longitudinal means that we show up for students on their best days and on their worst; for their first day of summer camp and at high school graduation; when they get their driver’s license and when they get in their first fender bender; when they need to buy sheets for college and when they’re moving into their first apartment (yes, we’ve even helped when the apartment turned out to have bedbugs). We are in it for the long-haul. 

Last fall, when one third grader was having trouble fitting into an after-school enrichment program, we worked with him to modify his behavior so that he was invited back and successfully completed the class.  When one of our high school sophomores gave birth in August of 2022, we celebrated her new son and reiterated our commitment to her high school graduation and college readiness. We do not close the door on our students.

We are grateful for our long-term relationships with the communities we serve. For the past three years, 100% of referrals and applications for new OpenDoors’ students came through existing parent and student connections, a testimony to our relationships, integrity, and commitment to students. One mom, whose family has been OpenDoors since 2017, described her family’s experience with us as “a way that we can advocate for ourselves, or for us to be able to open doors to move forward.”