Hometown Hero: High school in Roxborough gives hope to kids in child welfare system

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A private high school in Roxborough is changing the lives of dozens of marginalized students in Philadelphia by giving them a place they can call home.

CB Community Schools is inside a Jewish synagogue in the community. The sign in the cafeteria says "Welcome Home." That's significant considering who walks these halls.

"It's the first time in many of our students' lives that they have been a part of a community that really recognizes the reality of their lives," said Dr. Robbin Smart, the head of school.

The school is exclusive for 60 students aged 14-21 either in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. There are no grade levels, class sizes average about six, and the social and emotional learning team is available to students 24 hours a day.

"Recognizing the trauma that they have experienced, the trauma that comes from poverty, or abuse, from isolation," said Smart.

The school's model seems to be working well. Every day, the school averages an 80% attendance rate, and every year, a 90% graduation rate.

For Dr. Smart, however, those numbers aren't the true indicators of success, it's something much more personal.

"When you walk through the door it's an act of courage to say, 'OK, here's the reality of my life.' It's tough, it's complicated, but I'm going to take this time to really focus on myself as a student," she said.

In focusing on that, Dr. Smart says her school is changing lives.

"We give hope, we give hope," she said.