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A 2024 evaluation of Wisconsin's 21st CCLC programs during the 2022-2023 school year found positive outcomes related to participants' academic performance, engagement, behavior, and life skills development. Approximately one-third of 4th-8th grade participants improved or maintained their proficient/advanced level on reading and math statewide assessments (33% and 30%, respectively), 40% of middle and high school students with a GPA below 3.0 the prior year improved their GPA, and 67% of 1-12th grade students who were chronically absent the previous school year improved their school-day attendance. Participating students also overwhelmingly reported feeling safe and cared for by program staff and that the program has helped them improve their academic, social, and leadership skills. Likewise, almost all parents agreed that programming benefited students academically and emotionally, while also reporting greater opportunities for engagement in their children’s education due to program staff.
The New York Academy of Sciences STEM Education 10-Year Report outlines the impact of its pipeline programs, which have reached over 450,000 individuals globally. The core strategy is to use research-based methods and engage scientists as mentors to provide students with inclusive, active learning experiences. The report highlights a significant impact: 50% of participating scientists show increased interest in education careers, and students demonstrate increased self-efficacy and workplace skills. Key outcomes include a 62% increase in students' interest in science and a 78% increase in their understanding of what it means to be a scientist.
A 2024 evaluation of Arkansas’s 21st CCLC programs during the 2022-2023 school year found positive outcomes related to participants’ academic performance, school-day behavior and engagement, life skills development, and satisfaction with program quality. Nearly 7 in 10 students in grades 4–8 demonstrated growth on statewide math and ELA assessments, and more than three-quarters of regularly attending high school students showed GPA improvement, exceeding state objectives. Students who needed to improve attendance or behavior demonstrated gains, with three in four improving school-day attendance and more than 3 in 5 (64%) reducing in-school suspensions. Teachers reported increased engagement among the vast majority of elementary students, while students and caregivers reported high levels of life skills, including self-advocacy and social skills. Students also expressed strong satisfaction with caring staff, fun activities, and opportunities to try new experiences within the programs.
A 2023 evaluation of Montana's 21st CCLC programs during the 2021-22 school year found positive outcomes related to participating students’ academic engagement and behavior, positive relationships, and youth development. Teacher surveys indicated that participating students needing improvement demonstrated increased academic engagement, including participation in class, willingness to try new things, and completion of in-class assignments. Also, results suggest students are building foundational skills through their programs, with most participating students reporting growth in emotional intelligence, problem-solving skills, and the ability to work well with others. Lastly, nearly all school day administrators surveyed reported that they viewed the 21st CCLC program as valuable (100 percent), agreed that their school’s students benefited from participation in the 21st CCLC program (100 percent), and
21st Century Community Learning Centers across the state served almost 7,000 students who participated in 396,739 hours of activities during the fall 2021 semester. Almost half (49 percent) of all participants earned a B or better during the first grading period in both math and English/reading. In evaluators’ preliminary findings, they noted that there were, “substantial gains in students’ English/Reading scores” comparing the first two grading periods during the 2021-22 school year.
A 2022 evaluation of South Carolina’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program found that there was a positive impact on academic and behavioral outcomes among students regularly attending the program compared to their non-participating peers and students who attended programming less regularly, with greater gains associated with higher levels of program participation. Regular program participants performed better on state standardized tests in math and saw reductions in unexcused absences and disciplinary incidents. Teacher surveys revealed that regular attendees needing improvement showed growth in their academic performance, class participation, homework completion, motivation to learn, interaction with others, and classroom behavior.
Nebraska’s 21st CCLC programming resulted in positive outcomes for students despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Most students participating in the 21st CCLC programs saw moderate to significant improvement in math (75 percent), science (74 percent), reading (74 percent), and writing (69 percent) from the fall to the spring. Additionally, a majority of students saw improvement in their behavior (61 percent) and ability to get along with other students (56 percent), based on teacher surveys. Many students reported that their programs help them learn new things (81 percent), and parents overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool programs were a benefit to their children.
A 2022 evaluation of Delaware’s 21st CCLC programs found positive impacts related to participants’ academic performance and engagement as well as students’ interpersonal skills and behavior. Students, parents, and staff overwhelmingly agreed that afterschool program participation helped students improve their academic skills, and 9th-12th grade students reported feeling more connected to their school because of their program. The majority of students also reported feeling cared for and safe within their programs while also indicating that their program provides opportunities for them to develop life skills, including college and career readiness. The majority of teachers and parents reported a reduction in students’ behavioral problems as a result of participation in their 21st CCLC program
This addendum to an earlier evaluation of North Dakota’s 21st CCLC results for the 2021-2022 school year shows statistically significant improvements in participating students’ academic engagement and performance, attendance, and behavior. Compared to non-participants, 21st CCLC participants improved their English language arts test scores, daily attendance, and engagement in learning while also decreasing their suspension rates. This evaluation addendum highlights the in-school impact of 21st CCLC programming in North Dakota.
This statewide evaluation of Florida’s 21st Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) programs during the 2018-19 school year finds that program participants improved in academic performance and positive school behaviors. On a scale that ranged from 1 (“declined”) to 3 (“improved”), teachers report that students improved their class behavior (3.0), motivation to learn (2.96), homework completion (2.95), and academic performance (2.91). Students agree that their programs help them to solve problems in a positive way (2.68) and get along with others (2.58). They also report that the programs have adults who care about them (2.8) and make them feel safe (2.77), with 1 corresponding to “not at all” and 3 corresponding to “definitely.”
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The Afterschool Impacts Database is a project of the Afterschool Alliance.
The Afterschool Alliance is a nonprofit public awareness and advocacy organization working to ensure that all children and youth have access to quality afterschool programs.
Afterschool Impacts Database