Sustainable Community Schools: An Evidence-Based Strategy

Sustainable Community Schools are a groundbreaking new strategy for supporting students in public schools. It is evidence based, and the evidence shows that sustainable community schools have improved student outcomes across the board, but especially for typically underserved communities. There are four pillars of the community school model: integrated student supports, expanded learning opportunities, collaborative leadership, and family engagement. Community schools have markedly improved student outcomes across multiple areas, including reductions in chronic absentee rates and suspension rates, and improved student test scores.

Sustainable community schools are what we as a city need right now: schools which don’t just treat students like cogs in a machine, but as whole people who have unique needs and are members of their communities. The improvements of community schools not only apply to student outcomes, but also simply improve the happiness and well-being of students. Sustainable community schools can and should be expanded across San Francisco, for the well-being of all of our students and communities.

Community Schools Impact on Student Outcomes: Evidence From California

Walker Swain, Melanie Leung-Gagné, Anna Maier, Cassandra Rubinstein | National Center for Charter School Accountability | September 16th, 2025