Communities In Schools Delivers More Impact This School Year, Expanding Programming to Support 168,000 Additional Students Across 201 New School Sites

CONTACT: Whitney Faison, [email protected], 315-420-6049 

Communities In Schools® (CIS®), the nation’s leading provider of K-12 school-based integrated student supports (ISS), is headed back to school with a goal of reaching more students nationwide through its Scaling for Success initiative.  

This investment, now in its third year and funded by Ballmer Group, will allow the third cohort of grantees to expand the CIS model into 201 additional schools, reaching approximately 168,000 new students for the 2025-2026 school year. 

The 2025-2026 cohort includes 42 CIS affiliate organizations from CA, DE, GA, IL, IN, LA, MI, MN, NC, NV, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, and WA. Projected reach includes expansion into 35 new school districts and 57 existing districts.  

To date, the Scaling for Success investment has proven to transform education opportunities for K-12 students nationwide. In partnership with Ballmer Group, CIS, through affiliates and licensed partners has increased its impact, providing services for more than 441,700 students across 785 school sites since the investment’s launch in July 2023. The success of this seismic investment will directly support CIS’s goal to be present in as many Title-1 schools as possible, so that every student can thrive. 

-Heather Clawson, Chief Program and Innovation Officer, Communities In Schools National Office

In February 2023, Ballmer Group made the single largest investment ($165M) ever in the work of CIS to expand its model of integrated student supports to 1,000 Title I schools by 2027 and deepen practices in existing schools. The investment is designed to catalyze local public and private investment in the CIS model through a 1:1 public match requirement over the first three years and commitments to fully fund the work long-term.   

Scaling for Success has already resulted in countless success stories and accomplishments for students and the schools that serve them. Successes include:     

• Growing school capacity by placing more professional staff (site coordinators) in schools to meet the needs of more students 
• Increasing access to essential basic needs support (clothing, toiletries, food access) positively impacting the lives of students and families.
• Deploying more tools and resources, for example, to support college and career readiness.
• Reducing schoolwide chronic absenteeism and increasing student engagement in learning.   

Communities In Schools’ 48-year record of keeping students in school is unparalleled among student support organizations in the United States. CIS works by placing trained local coordinators in schools, who connect students with community resources to help them engage in learning, advance in grade level and graduate. The CIS network currently serves more than 2 million students in 3,600 schools and community sites nationwide.  

The impact doesn’t stop in the classroom. Communities In Schools is working in hundreds of communities nationwide alongside parents, educators, community-based organizations, schools, district leaders, and policy makers to help students overcome obstacles and succeed in school and in life.     

More About Communities In Schools   
Communities In Schools® (CIS®) is a national organization that ensures every student has what they need to realize their potential in school and beyond. Working directly inside more than 3,000 schools across the country, we connect students to caring adults and community resources that help them see, confront, and overcome the barriers that stand between them and a brighter future. Together, we build a powerful change movement made up of peers, students, and alumni committed to building an equitable path to education for future generations. Follow us for news @communitiesinschools on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook, @cisnational on X (formerly Twitter) or with the hashtag #BeingPresentMatters.

About Ballmer Group   
Ballmer Group is committed to improving economic mobility for children and families in the United States, funding leaders and organizations that have demonstrated the ability to reshape opportunity and reduce systemic inequities. We focus on multiple impact areas and systems that can impact economic mobility—such as early learning, K-12 education, college and career pathways, housing, behavioral health, and criminal justice—and we support leaders and organizations that focus on undoing systemic racism and the barriers it has created. Ballmer Group is both a national and regional funder—we have a presence and invest deeply in southeast Michigan, Washington state, and Los Angeles County. Ballmer Group was co-founded by philanthropist Connie Ballmer and her husband Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, founder of USAFacts, and chairman of the Los Angeles Clippers. Learn more at www.ballmergroup.org.