What We Do
At Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County, we believe in the power of friendship.
We empower our students to believe in both themselves and their future by matching them with a mentor from the local community who will provide the support, encouragement and stability that may be missing from their lives.
South Davidson Middle/High
Students in Kindergarten through 12th grade are referred to CIS by teachers and administrators who believe they will benefit from a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult. Students who qualify for enrollment in CIS may be experiencing a variety of life situations, including:
- Poor academic achievement
- Repeated behavior referrals
- Excessive tardiness and absences
- Unresolved social or health situation
- Family in crisis
We currently host 36 programs in 24 schools in both the Lexington City and Davidson County systems. We choose which schools to open programs in based on their free/reduced lunch rate, which correlates to the percentage of children in each school who live below the federal poverty level.
Other Programs
In addition to providing CIS-enrolled students with mentors, we are committed to providing assistance to any student with an unmet need. For instance, our weekend feeding program currently serves about 350 students and a dedicated graduation coach at Lexington Sr. High School offers college placement counseling to both CIS- and non-CIS-enrolled students.
CIS Site Coordinators in both the Lexington City and Davidson County school systems are also prepared to help any student with a demonstrated need: we have purchased eyeglasses, new shoes, clothes and even set up doctor’s appointments.