In Schools to Help Kids Stay in School

Being Present Matters…
We Make it Possible

At CISTN, our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Learn More About Our Work

There are 15 million students in the United States chronically absent from school, preventing them from reaching their potential.

Nearly 200,000 of those students live in Tennessee.

We are here to change that.

If students are not in school, they don’t have the chance to learn and grow.

Two-thirds of what affects a child’s academic achievement is entirely separate from school - things like transportation, housing, difficulty accessing medical care, and unmet basic needs.

That’s where Communities In Schools steps in. We partner with schools to provide wraparound services to students and families to ensure all students have what they need to show up and succeed.

Learn About Our Work

Our Reach

15
Counties

Icon of a graduation cap above three person icons, representing graduation or education.

28,390
Students Served

Outline of a church building with a steeple on top, flanked by two smaller buildings

61
Partner Schools

Map of Tennessee with various counties highlighted in yellow and blue.

Impact

Every student has a different journey, but the destination is success. Across the state, here are our student outcomes from the 2023-24 school year, based on the percentage of our case-managed students who met or made progress towards their goals.

76%

improved attendance
95%

were promoted (K-11)
95%

of seniors graduated
91%

increased mental health and wellbeing

"The CIS position at Tracy City Elementary has had a significant positive impact on the school's climate and community partnerships this year. One of the most notable improvements has been in student attendance, with the additional support contributing to a decline in chronic absenteeism. Furthermore, parent involvement has increased substantially, thanks to the dedicated efforts of the CIS personnel. We have been able to assist parents in ways we were not able to in the past, opening the door to better communication."

- Dr. Clint Durley Grundy County Director of Schools
"The biggest benefit of having CIS in the school is having another positive voice in the building who understands the barriers children and families have to being successful in school."

- Suzanne Cameron, MSW, LCSW, Vanderbilt School Based Therapist
"Whenever I go into Ms. Ali’s classroom, she always has a positive attitude and that helps me be positive. She lets me try again and tells me not to give up. She cares about people no matter what they have done."

- Brandy, CIS student at Ida B. Wells Elementary