Breakthrough Austin Impact Study

Breakthrough is a college preparation program for low-income students who will be the first in their family to graduate college. The program offers an academic bridge program for sixth-grade students before their seventh-grade year. It also includes continuous academic and social support for students to graduate high school and enroll in college.

Study Goals

This report examined three groups of Breakthrough program students to estimate the impact of the program participation on high school graduation rates and college enrollment. The study considers students demographic, academic, and behavioral characteristics before their participation in the program.

Research Questions

The three research questions that this report seeks to answer are:

• Are Breakthrough students significantly different from other students before they begin the program?
• What is the likelihood of high school graduation and college enrollment among Breakthrough students in comparison to other students?
• What is the impact of Breakthrough participation on high school graduation and college enrollment?

Results

The main results are as follows:

• Breakthrough participants were similar to other students from the same sixth grade campuses based on their ethnicity and economic situations.
• Breakthrough students were more likely to be female, to be in magnet programs, and to pass the reading and math state assessments than other students from the same sixth grade campuses.
• After accounting for student characteristics, Breakthrough students were 3.5 times more likely to graduate from high school.
• After accounting for student characteristics, Breakthrough students were 1.98 times more likely to enroll in college.

Download the final report to see all the information from the evaluation.