1. Review Eligibility Information
You are eligible to apply if:
- You identify as a person of color:
Black/African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Latino/Hispanic, Native American, or Multiracial - Citizenship: Student is a citizen or permanent resident of the United States
- Grades: Currently in 4 – 9
The ideal candidate for A Better Chance:
- Consistently performs at or above grade level in math and English
- Has an overall academic average of a B+ or better
- Ranks in the top ten percent of their class
- Participates in extracurricular activities, both within and outside of the school community
- Demonstrates leadership potential in school or through activities outside of school
- Receives good teacher recommendations
- Is of upstanding character
- Family makes less than $250,000 per year
- Cannot be the child of one of A Better Chance's Alumni
A Better Chance reserves the right to use income as a criterion for eligibility to best serve those in need of our services. If you have questions about income, please contact recruitment@abetterchance.org.
Each student applicant MUST have a unique email.
- Upon completing the application form, families will receive an email within 1 working day. The email will come from “Social Solutions” and allow you to access the application through an online portal.
- A Better Chance recommends parents create a unique gmail account for each student applying because they will need to use a gmail account if they are accepted to the program.
OPTION 1
Early Decision Application Process
Deadline: March 1 at 11:59 pm ET
Application, documents, recommendations, and testing must be completed by the above date.
Benefits:
- Early Applicant Acceptance Notification:
- Families will receive a decision about their application in early/mid-April rather than having to wait until mid/late-June.
- Early Testing Access:
- Families receive access to mock testing at a reduced cost to prepare for member school applications.
- Workshop Access:
- Families accepted under the early-decision process will have the opportunity to participate in a special day of workshops in April that will introduce families to key components of the independent school and Community Schools Programs admissions process.
- Deferral to Regular Decision:
- Based on the reading of the A Better Chance application, a family may have their application moved to the Regular Decision applicant pool. There could be numerous reasons a family receives this decision. Families who receive this decision will learn of their final decision in mid/late-June.
OPTION 2
Regular Decision Application Process
Our application is now closed. Our application is still open for families from the Bay Area and Los Angeles.
Application, documents, recommendations, and testing must be completed by the above date.
2. Complete Inquiry Form Our application is currently closed and will reopen in February 2025
3. Applicant Components
Your family will receive an email granting you access to the A Better Chance application system called Social Solutions/Apricot. Families will need to submit applicant components (listed below) in the application portal.
If you would like to watch a tutorial on the A Better Chance application please click here.
Report Card:
Families will need to submit a current year’s/most recently issued report card
Transcript:
A transcript showing the student’s grades issued for the previous grade completed.
Example: The family of a 4th grade student applying for 6th grade would need to submit current grades for 4th grade and a report card/transcript showing the student’s grades in 3rd
Families will need to submit one of the following:
- The first two pages of all forms 1040 of the family’s most recent Federal Tax Return
- Any employer-issued W2s
- Any forms 1099 for miscellaneous income
Families may submit an optional letter of recommendation from a Math or English Language teacher. If submitting a letter of recommendation is at all prohibitive to your family, we are happy to waive the recommendation letter requirement for you. Families who solicit a recommendation will do so by submitting the teacher's information within the A Better Chance application portal.