1. Review Eligibility Information
You are eligible to apply if:
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 grades 4 – 9
The ideal candidate for A Better Chance:
- Has an overall academic average of a B+ or higher
- Consistently performs at or above grade level in math and English
- Participates in extracurricular activities
- Demonstrates leadership potential
- Family makes less than $350,000 per year
- Can be the child of an A Better Chance Alumna/us
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 Inquiry Form, families will receive an email within two business days. The email will come from “Social Solutions” and allow you to access the A Better Chance 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.
Our application opens in early February. We have two application deadlines: Early Decision (early March) and Regular Decision (mid-April).
Early Decision
Deadline: March 3 at 11:59 PM EST
- Application must be completed by the above date.
Benefits:
- Early Decision Notification: Families will receive a decision about their application in mid-April rather than having to wait until June.
- Workshop Access: Families admitted under the Early Decision process will participate in a special day of workshops introducing families to key components of the independent school and Community Schools Programs admissions processes.
- 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 June.
Regular Decision
Deadline: April 15 at 11:59 PM EST
- Application must be completed by the above date.
2. Complete Inquiry Form Fill out this form to stay in the loop about A Better Chance. Our application is currently closed and will reopen in February 2025.
3. Applicant Components
Your family will receive an email from Social Solutions granting you access to the A Better Chance portal. 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 Cards:
- Last Year: Last year's final report card
- This Year: Most recent report card
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 from 3rd grade.
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 portal.