In 2012, before Tilden began to partner with NCS, 64 percent of its freshmen were on track to graduate. In 2019, according to Chicago Public Schools data, 73 percent were on track, and Tilden’s graduation rate has increased from 51 percent to nearly 61 percent in the same time frame. The University’s To&Through research also shows that the percentage of Tilden students graduating with a GPA of 3.0 or higher rose from 6 percent in 2012 to 14 percent in 2018.
Our success was recognized with a grant of nearly $12 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2019. "What made the difference in Chicago—and what other school districts can learn from Chicago—was how the schools acted on the data," said Bill Gates about NCS. "School leaders and teachers worked hand in hand with researchers to apply it in ways that would help improve student achievement."
