Current Students

Who are our Students?

Our academically talented students are predominantly from Manchester, New Hampshire, and are:

• 72% students of color 
• 64% speak a language other than English at home 
• 59% qualify for free or reduced lunch 
• 32% have a non-traditional head of household (single parent, grandparent, foster, etc.)
• 79% will be the first in their family to attend college 

Despite being bright and talented, our students are at risk of not continuing to college. The achievement gap between affluent and low-income students is striking: only 60% of America’s low-income youth graduate from high school, of those, only 1 in 3 enroll in college. Manchester’s dropout rates are nearly 3 times the New Hampshire average. Breakthrough is instrumental in supporting these students, beginning in their developmentally critical middle school years and culminating in college matriculation. 

What are our Breakthrough Core Values?

What are our Breakthrough Manchester Norms?

1. Be Breakthrough. Be early, be prepared, be fully present.
2. Take ownership of your experience. This is what you make it.
3.  Recognize the spirit of modeling.
4. Be welcoming. Be inclusive. Listen, learn, grow, and give back.
5. Speak from the “I” perspective.
6. Respond with timeliness, thought, and respect. Be crisp. Say what’s core.
7. Understand before evaluating.  Listen, listen, listen, and process.
8. Know yourself and leverage your resources.
9. Recognize that everyone is a teacher and a learner.
10. Monitor your own participation; step up and step back.
11. Lean into discomfort.
12. Treat the candidness of others as a gift.  Honor confidentiality.
13. HAVE FUN!!