The Freshman Academy @ Jefferson High School

Welcome!

This introduction will give you an overview of what we are doing and a context for our work. Jefferson High School opened in the fall of 2021. It has about 1800 students. We are in the southeast corner of South Dakota in Sioux Falls, a vibrant metro community of over 250,000. If you have questions as you go through this introduction, I can be reached here.

The Freshman Academy was established in the fall of 2008 and replicated at Jefferson High School in the fall of 2021.

For the results of our work from my previous school (Washington High School), you can access the 2018-2019 Data Profile and Report Card.

We have a free/reduced lunch population of 43%. Our diversity is much higher than the city at large with nearly 50% of our school being African American, Hispanic, Asian, or Native American.

The Freshman Academy is a blended high school transition model. Freshmen do not have a separate wing or floor but are integrated into the school structure with four teams of teachers monitoring the progress of our freshmen. There are between 375 and 450 freshmen in The Freshman Academy.

Teachers who are a part of The Freshman Academy have a seven-period day. One period is a short study hall and lunch. One period is a personal planning time. One period is a team planning time. And each teacher teaches four class periods.

Here is the basic structure of The Freshman Academy:

A student is considered part of The Freshman Academy when the freshman has two or more teachers on the same team. About 80% of freshmen are a part of our program. The rest of the freshmen may have only one or none of The Freshman Academy teachers due to accelerated classes, SPED, or English Learners (EL).

Cost in FTE
The Freshman Academy costs an additional 3.5 FTE. This pays for the cost of The Freshman Academy Coordinator (1.0) and the additional FTE needed to allow teachers to meet for one period a day.

Data

Below is the percentage of students who became sophomores at the end of their freshman year during my 16 years as The Freshman Academy Coordinator in the Sioux Falls School District.

2009 -94.1%

2010 – 93.6%

2011 - NA

2012 – 94%

2013 – 92.1%

2014 – 94%

2015 – 95.6%

2016 – 94.8%

2017 – 96.2%

2018 – 95.3%

2019 - 95.1%

2020 - 94.3% (COVID19)

2021 - NA (Transferred Schools)

2022 - 91.5% (First year at Jefferson High School)

2023 - 96.5%

2024 - 95.8%

Here is the 2022-2023 State Report Card: