CR21 Milwaukee

Started in 2002, CR21 recruits students at the outset of high school from both K-12 schools and youth serving organizations in the Milwaukee area. Students participate in CR21 programming throughout their four years of high school, through which they are shown step by step how to achieve their college dreams. By engaging students early on and offering services throughout their high school careers, CR21 ensures that our students will be well prepared to graduate high school and move on to college.

Through a continuum of support, CR21 provides Milwaukee’s under-served students with the tools they will need to flourish. If equipped with the appropriate learning and social tools, our students will graduate high school and college, join the workforce, and become civically engaged citizens.

CR21 recruits students while in the eighth grade from our vast network of partnering schools and youth serving organizations. While CR21 serves students from many diverse backgrounds, its main focus is on low-income, first generation, and minority students. Currently, CR21 serves 223 students in Milwaukee. The following are the demographic characteristics of our students:

• Low-Income Status: 174 (78%) students are considered low-income (based on their eligibility to receive subsidized school lunch).
• First Generation Status: 202 (91%) students will be the first in their families to go to college.
• Ethnicity: African American: 158 (71%), Latino or Latina: 59 (26%), Asian American: 4 (2%), Caucasian: 2 (1%).