Beginning in the 7th grade, San Miguel staff starts working with students to prepare them for the next chapter of their lives: high school. Since many San Miguel families are not familiar with high school enrollment procedures, San Miguel facilitates the process as students and families apply to high schools, submit financial aid or scholarship information, collect letters of recommendation, and write essays.

Support to San Miguel alumni includes:

• academic tutoring four nights a week
• grade-level retreats and youth development events that keep students involved in constructive activities
• clinical counseling
• individual academic meetings with students and parents to ensure that youth remain focused

These crucial services have helped San Miguel alumni achieve these successes:

• 96% of current San Miguel graduates of high school age are pursuing their secondary degrees in communities where only 30-40% of students typically graduate from high school by age 18 (University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, Graduation and Dropout Trends in Chicago, 2005)
  
  
• 53% of San Miguel alumni go on to pursue post-secondary education or trade school
  
  
• San Miguel alumni have earned Bachelor's Degrees at a rate 5 times higher than the Chicago average for Latino students